The
EDITORIALLY INDEPENDENT. EST. 2010 3rd August 2015
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Lion
Simon Pegg’s in this Film Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Tom Cruise is back (and not for the last time) directly following 2011’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Run time: 2hrs 11min Certificate: 12a
Katt Johnson Copy Editor
W
hen I went to the cinema I was expecting dinosaurs. Not because there’s meant to be any dinosaurs in this film but because I wanted to see Jurassic World. Unfortunately, the theatre closest to me had maybe three screens and turned out to be one of the only cinemas in the country that had stopped running it. Why? I don’t know. Probably to make room for this - the fifth instalment of the long-running Mission Impossible franchise starring Tom Cruise and, now, Simon Pegg and Jeremey Renner (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol). For this sequel, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) returns, facing ramifications from the CIA because the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) has been shut down due to wanton recklessness but he’s got one last enemy he won’t go down without fighting; the shadowy, proficient and rogue nation-y ‘syndicate’. Oo err. Potentially part of this illusive group of bad guys is Rebecca Ferguson’s ‘Ilsa Faust’ a disavowed British Agent who is either a good guy or a really, really bad guy; either way, Hunt and the team must work with her even if it may cause someone’s inopportune demise. I mentioned my disappointment earlier because it may have something to do with my lacklustre response to this film. After all, any film with dinosaurs is better than a film without them. Then again, the film’s soundtrack does win it a soft spot in my heart with its reprises of Nessun Dorma (plot relevant) floating throughout. And if that isn’t one of the greatest musical pieces known to man, I don’t know what is. Alas, a film cannot be judged on soundtrack alone and if you’re not that interested in Puccini it’s
not much of a decider so we’ll move swiftly on. Special effects - weren’t particularly low budget and there was an intense bike scene that was highly captivating but, as with most realistic (‘realistic’) action movies, nothing particularly stood out. No monsters and robots (no dinosaurs) but no wingsuit flights through canyons and ravines, or high-speed train crashes with spectacular explosions. But, finally, no jarring shots of actors looking out onto what is quite clearly blue screen – a resounding good-o. There are plenty of car chases and gun fights though, and a decent amount of room for them considering the, um, not overly-detailed plot. This gives you loads of time to stare at the BMWs which are quite obviously present and quite obviously sponsor the film. Nonetheless, they’re pretty gorgeous. So, if you get tired of looking at Tom Cruise’s face, that’s always nice. Returning to the storyline - there was a point where I sighed and thought ‘I know what’s going to happen’ which just about spoils any film. However, I was utterly mistaken and, having seen perhaps every action film under the sun, I think I can safely call that a merit to the movie (and not just my uselessness as a plot-guesser). So, not a particularly complex or innovative plot but enough for it to be a worthwhile watch. On top of that there’s this one moment (and I’m going to try not to give it away) that leaves you kicking yourself because how could you possibly be surprised - but you were because you’ve somehow forgotten the main twist of practically all of the preceding films. That was a highly enjoyable moment. Only to be topped by realising that Ferguson hasn’t just been dumped in the movie for over two hours of ‘will they won’t they’ followed by a slow sink out of frame to some soft saxophone music. One-up for that. Acting-wise it’s no Adam Sandler – that’s for sure. So if it’s a toss up between this and that atrocious Pixels thing, Cruise and co. are the way to go. Pegg’s performance is some-
Director: Christopher McQuarrie what reminiscent of his Nicholas Angel days (Hot Fuzz, Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, 2007) but that’s not Simon Pegg, Jeremy to say it’s bad (no way); simply, his Renner, Ving Rhames emotional moments Release date: July leave you think30th ing about that one time he was shouting at Nick Frost, and that scene hurt your heart a lot so it’s kind of hard to focus on the character-developing sad moments, which are few and far in this film, when your mind is firmly fixed on a wet monkey… alas, I digress; it’s probably just me. The acting is fine. No one draws you out of the film and makes you realise that you are currently watching a film and not living the unfortunate life of Ethan Hunt (except maybe the presence of that one bloke in it who looks a lot like Bill Nighy but isn’t; look out for him). Basically, it’s a far cry from its predecessor, MI:4:Ghost Protocol, but it holds merit as a standalone film compared to a lot of the trash out there. If you’re going in for this flick you know you’re only expecting blockbuster action – gunfights, car chases; proper action and [the like] – but y’know what, this film delivers that and it does it reasonably well. It’s just a bit same-y. The same as the previous Mission Impossibles. The same character archetypes for most action films. The same recipe for any decent action movie of this decade but perhaps slightly more interesting, and with a handful of genuine, audience-wide laughs. The music’s nice, the plot twists are good, the action is great, and the Pegg is fantastic. In the end, if you’re drowning in the sea of animated films about emotions or tiny annoying yellow things, you won’t be hard done-by picking this film.
4/5