Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Review

It's official everyone...

Tom Cruise is completely insane... AND I FREAKING LOVE IT!

The Plot

After amassing a record of "wanton acts of mayhem" over the years, CIA Director Hunley motions for the dissolving of the Impossible Missions Force and have their assets absorbed into the CIA. As IMF Analyst, Brandt (Jeremy Renner), tries to stop Hunley, IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds himself targeted by a shadowy organization called The Syndicate, led by the even more mysterious Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). To prove that the IMF is still a viable force for good, Ethan makes it his mission to prove the existence of The Sydnicate while being the number one rogue fugitive on the CIA's list. He'll need help from Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt, Luther (Ving Rhames) and the mysterious Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in the ultimate cat and mouse game against an enemy that has been secretly causing them trouble for years.

Review

Once the now infamous "Tom Cruise is strapped to the side of a plane" scene takes off at the very BEGINNING of the movie... I suddenly had no idea what I was in for. Usually a scene like that would've taken place in the middle or at the end of the movie. But no, the infamous scene is what starts this movie off with a bang. It is a shot of adrenaline that prepares the audience for the insane ride that will follow. And if you believe nothing in this film can top that opening scene, then you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I have to give a lot of credit to director and writer Christopher McQuarrie. Mainly because for the first time, I believe he's the director who completely nailed what this franchise is suppose to be. Him and his co-writer, Drew Pearce, took all the best parts from the Mission franchise along with an examination of how summer blockbusters are suppose to operate and doesn't try to reinvent the formula but resuscitates it into something that can truly breathe. The concept of having the big money shot at the beginning of the movie was done to ensure that audiences will no longer be waiting for it to happen, but instead be focused on the movie and its story. It is a brilliant move that just elevates this film above its predecessors and its peers.

But one thing that definitely makes this movie stand above its peers is the utilization of the action within the story. Usually action happens for the sake of action. But good action is used to accelerate the plot. And in this film, every single action scene was warranted for the sake of progressing the plot further as well as developing character motivations. All of them, from Hunt's first fight with the Syndicate to the Opera House battle to the underwater scene that escalates to a car chase that then escalates into a motorcycle chase all keep building momentum towards the finale which has surprisingly not been spoiled in any of the trailers or commercials. Which makes the third act of the film even more impactful in that everything that has been used to promote the film has been from the beginning and middle, but never the end.

Tom Cruise proves that he is still in peak physical condition at 50, and is probably THE action star of this current generation. His charisma and dedication to this franchise continues to shine with incredible results. And thankfully his team behind the camera has finally found out who Ethan Hunt is suppose to be. He is not James Bond, which they tried to make him like in the second film, but a team leader who prioritizes the safety of his team first over himself. That combined with making him someone who can get hurt is what makes him such a compelling character. And thankfully he is surrounded by equally compelling teammates, with one literally outshining him.

Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames return as Benji, Brandt and Luther: Hunt's loyal friends. What truly makes them standout is how they're all utilized in the story at the most appropriate times. Pegg's Benji may have the most screen time of the three, and the most comic relief, but Pegg continues to prove that he is more than just a comedy actor. He is well rounded and looks right at home standing side by side with the likes of action men such as Cruise, Renner and Rhames. Speaking of the latter two, both of them are more utilized in a subplot that doesn't collide with the main plot of the movie till the third act, but Renner and Rhames were still utilized efficiently for the story. However, there is one person who is not a returning veteran, but a newcomer into the franchise.

Rebecca Ferguson will soon be the talk of the town, as her performance as Syndicate Agent (or is she?) Ilsa Faust is the biggest standout of the film. I always get irked by women who get cast as Bond Girls in James Bond films claiming they're "not your typical Bond Girl," then wind up being the typical Bond Girl with a little more to do. Thankfully in the Mission: Impossible franchise, there is no "Mission Impossible Girl." But if there had to be one to define that term, it would be Ferguson's Ilsa. She is probably the most well written ambiguous female spy character in a Hollywood blockbuster film while being extremely sexy and extremely efficient. What makes her so incredible is that you could easily take out Ethan Hunt and all the Mission Impossible characters, and still have an incredible spy film with her as the lead. She is so good that I hope she breaks the norm of female agents in previous Mission films never returning in the next one, because I want more of this incredible villainous/heroic (?) character.

But what about The Syndicate? The "Rogue Nation" of the title? What about their mysterious leader, Solomon Lane played by Sean Harris? Well, to put it simply, they are the best antagonists for the franchise so far. In fact, I believe them to be better than SPECTRE in the old Sean Connery Bond films. They are essentially a reboot of the IMF's original nemesis from the TV show (yes if you didn't know, Mission: Impossible is based on an old TV Show), and they are rebooted in the best possible way. Here, they are actually a legitimate threat as a completely evil incarnation of the IMF. Credit definitely has to go to Harris for his portrayal of Solomon Lane, who is believably more cunning and frightening than any villain in the Mission: Impossible franchise. The only downside I can come up with for him, as well as the whole movie, was wishing Lane was in the movie more, but again the amount of time he was present was utilized perfectly.

Final Thoughts

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really loved this movie. LOVE IT! And the more I think about it, the more I like it. And if you happen to be a fan of the original 60s TV Show, and have gotten bitter because the movies are nothing like the show, then this is the movie you've been waiting for because it finally has the elements of the TV show the original fans loved. Mainly the mind game aspect that is the real conflict between Hunt and Lane. There are callbacks to previous films as well as a complete reinvigoration of what a blockbuster should be. I'm hoping for the success of this movie, because it proves that you don't need Superheroes to make a good blockbuster anymore. Furious 7, Mad Max Fury Road and Jurassic World proved that. But this film proves it even more.

SCORE: 9.5/10 - The best Summer Blockbuster of the "Year of the Spy" so far

2015 - The Year of the Spy

It's not the "Age of Ultron," it's the "AGE OF SPIES"

Did anyone notice this? No? Yes? Well I did. And for me. I think this is great! I'm sure there have been other years were a large number of spy movies have come out within the same time frame or year. But this one stands out because not since the days the Connery Bonds did Hollywood pump out this many big budget Spy Movies. Especially during an era that is dominated by Marvel Superheroes.

There is just something refreshing of having the Spy movie get a new resurgence in the public eye. And it feels highly appropriate that the first two films to kick off the Spy year are two spy comedies. The first one being more of a love letter to the classic spy genre and the other being a straight up comedy in a spy setting. And both of them are original films too. Well... Kingsman is based on a comic, but it wasn't an existing IP in film. This may be a strange way of setting things off, but it is definitely the smart move. Especially for the brilliant Kingsman, which is appropriately the first film of the era, as the film that it is both parodying and tributing is the last spy film to premier this year. And apparently Melissa McCarthy's re-team up with future Ghostbusters director, Paul Feig, is a good time, and is more about a fish out of water trying to play with the big leagues. A nice counter balance to all these seasoned veterans.

It is also interesting that this is the year that James Bond and the Impossible Missions Force are both in the mix. Not only that, with the revelation of Mission: Impossible's title, they both deal with their respective franchise villains returning. Yes, after a rights dispute, Daniel Craig's Bond gets to face off the very definition of Evil Organization in film: SPECTRE. While on the Cruise Train, the Impossible Missions Force gets to face off against their old rivals from Season Five of the original 60s-70s TV show. Yes, if you didn't know, Mission: Impossible is a loose continuation of a 60s TV show. And in the Fifth Season of that show, they went up against a rival organization called The Syndicate. However, they were nowhere near as close to SPECTRE in the evil organization department. But if the title Rogue Nation is any indicator (and a better name than Syndicate) of what they plan to do with The Syndicate, then they'll definitely be evolving as a competitor with SPECTRE for world domination.

But not to let the subject of 60s and 70s era TV shows go away, there is also Guy Ritchie's remake of The Man from UNCLE. Henry Cavill, an English actor, is playing American CIA Agent Napoleon Solo, while Armie Hammer, an American actor, is playing Russian KGB Agent Ilya Kuryakin. Yeah...Hollywood casting logic. But I think there is a lot of irony here, as Cavill always wanted to play James Bond but winds up playing an American spy who is created by Ian Fleming, the author of the 007 novels. Director Guy Ritchie also chose to keep the 60s Cold War setting intact, instead of trying to modernize it. This gives it a nice throwback feel that is more akin to Kingsman, which was a throwback in sense of style but not setting. Time will tell if this obvious franchise starter can indeed hold an audience. Judging by Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films, it is possible. But that may be because of RDJ, than for his directing.

What is shaky ground however, is Hitman: AGENT 47. While not a straight up spy movie, it definitely has spy elements ranging from crazy missions, crazy gadgets, to incredibly hot barely dressed women. But being a video game adaptation, and a second attempt at that, there is that lingering curse that video game movies are just pure shit. However this film appears to be taking a cue from Hitman: Absolution, which is a game that made Stealth an option, but if one wanted to go gun ho they could. Plus, it feels like it isn't taking itself as seriously as the previous outing with Timothy Olyphant, so there may be a chance it can be a lot more fun to watch. And it's always cool to see Zachary Quinto try something out of his comfort zone: an action movie.

In closing, this is pretty much looking like a great year for spy movies. I think the only thing that's missing from this list is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But it already came out last year so... that's a shame.

Edge of Tomorrow - Analysis and Review

The Best Original Film This Summer 

I'm aware that this film is an adaptation of the Japanese novel, All You Need Is Kill, but my stance still stands. This is an original film in the sense that most audience members won't know that it is based on a book. There was no promotion of "based on..." in the trailers or promos and no huge outcry that the characters aren't Japanese or that the lead female is suppose to be American. So this is original to the general audience. Too bad the general audience doesn't like original... or Tom Cruise.

The Plot

When Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) gets drafted into the world's final strike against an alien invasion that has taken over Europe, he is one of the first to die during the storming of the beach. However, upon death he immediately wakes up the day before the invasion. He lives the invasion over and over again till he discovers that the resistance's greatest warrior, Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), once had this ability to relive the day. An ability he has stolen upon a killing a rare alien among the invasion force. With this ability and Rita's training, Cage must continue to relive the horrific atrocity of war in hopes of eventually finding a way to save the world from an alien menace that can turn back time.

Analysis

Did that Plot Synopsis hurt your head while reading it? Yeah, I tried to explain the plot without giving too much away. But a point that I want to analyze is the need for more original films and why the general audience doesn't want them.

The current age that we live in is the age of remakes, reboots, and comic books. If it isn't a well established franchise then there is a high chance that it won't do well. This is no exception. Film buffs and the more informed general audience member desire original films with some blind belief that an original film will be loved by the audience. Yes, there are some cases when the name attached to project involves Christopher Nolan. But what Tom Cruise has going against him in this film is his last sci-fi effort before this was not well received. I like Oblivion, but if people ever asked me if they should definitely see it my answer would be, "See it when you got nothing better to do and want to pass some time." The film left a bad vibe in people's thoughts. And this film looks like the prequel to Oblivion even though this film has ACTUAL ALIENS, which Oblivion was lacking. That's a minor spoiler for Oblivion by the way.

Which is why original films usually need that name to pull people in. And because of Oblivion, Tom Cruise's name was no longer a solid pull to get people to watch an original sci-fi film. The same can be said about Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim. While it did do better than Edge of Tomorrow's opening numbers, it still didn't amount to what was expected. It did make enough to warrant the possibility of a sequel, but from the way Edge is tracking it doesn't seem like it might make back the budget for a long time. Which is a shame because this film is really good.

Review

This movie is good. I mean really good. It may not be knock your socks off good, but unless you can't stand Tom Cruise then you won't be able to see that this movie is good. The trailers don't really give an idea about Cruise's character. The trailers do show him being a badass soldier in an exo-suit and the concept of "Live, Die, Repeat." But what they don't show is that his character actually has a huge developing arc. His character is a coward. A deserter. Someone who was ordered to fight, but instead tries to find ways to run away only to wind up being put into the front lines of the battlefield. The ability to relive the day each time he dies and still retain his memories allows him to already know what's going to happen, making him seem like a badass who can kill several aliens without any training. It is actually nice to see Cruise play a role that is pretty much the opposite of the highly skilled and efficient Ethan Hunt character from his Mission Impossible series. And if you don't like Tom Cruise, you should know that he does get killed a lot in this movie.

Emily Blunt plays Rita, The Angel of Verdun or The Full Metal Bitch. I'll let you guess which nickname she hates the most. Given that the film is based on a Japanese novel that was adapted into a manga, I'm not surprised that the female character is the strongest or over powered. It is a common trope in Japanese fiction to have powerful female characters that are far more proficient than the male characters even to the point where they serve as their mentors. That is the case for Blunt's character in the film. The only thing that would completely have her fall in line with those female Japanese characters is if there was a scene in her underwear, which never happens. But she's still sexy. You'll know which part I'm talking about that showcases that fact. But back to the point, she's powerful and ultra serious. This is a role that Blunt has yet to play and she does it so well. She delivers a strong performance that convinces you she is the greatest soldier to walk the Earth. I don't even think she smiles at all throughout the whole film. Which one would think an ultra serious badass would just drag the film down, but it actually adds to the fun and humor.

Bill Paxton delivers a memorable performance as a commanding officer from Kentucky with Brendan Gleeson having a nice little bit of being the person responsible for Cruise getting into this mess. The rest of the cast come off as heavy cliches instead of the well thought out cliche characters that Cruise and Blunt portray. I'm being serious, the supporting cast besides Paxton and Gleeson were really nothing special because they're stereotypes. But their stereotypes doe help with the story... or maybe not.

The story is definitely an interesting one as it basically repeats the same two days over and over again at various different times. What is brilliant is the way it didn't feel like such a drag because it was repeating itself over and over again. Each time definitely felt different, mainly because of the journey that Cruise's Cage goes through from coward to near indestructible killing machine. It works out nicely despite probably a few moments when the whole repeating might get on one's nerve, but not on mine. So just fair warning. It does repeat.

I should mention the aliens real quick. To quote one of my favorite movie reviewers, these aliens are "metal tornadoes of death." While their designs may not be impressive the idea of them spinning and moving in an unpredictable fashion really does make them a very dangerous threat. You believe these things can kill you, unlike the stupid Chitauri in The Avengers.

Final Thoughts

This is a movie that has to be seen to believe. Sure I can say it is good, but to say more as to why it is amazing would probably spoil it for the viewer. Go see this film! I'm urging you. If you love sci-fi and hope for studio heads to take more chances on original films, then please support this film. It has a really good story, really good characters, and incredible action for action lovers. Plus, must I reiterate to Tom Cruise haters that he dies a lot in this movie?

SCORE: 8.9/10 - The best Tom Cruise Sci-Fi since his collaborations with Steven Spielberg