Mission Impossible- Rogue Nation: Movie Review

It’s been a while since a movie review, and this movie was too super awesome to not write something about. So here is my write up. 🙂

Enjoy!

 

Mission Impossible- Rogue Nation: Movie Review

mission-impossible-rogue-nation-banner

Synopsis:

With the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt out in the cold, a new threat — called the Syndicate — soon emerges. The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust, a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.

 

What I thought:

 

Good Stuff:

Now, I’m not a long-time MI follower. I only jumped on a couple of months ago to watch Ghost Protocol (the previous one) with my brothers and dad. I didn’t have time to stick a review up for that one, but I really thought that the upcoming movie would have a hard time beating it.

 

And wow. Beat it it did.

 

Even my mom and Squink, who aren’t huge action movie people, loved this.

 

I’ll go from a story-writer’s point of view first.

 

The pacing was par for an action movie, aka: really fast, but it was still awesome. The bad guy and bad guy plan were both really well thought out and creepily efficient. One move of his in particular was really a cruel touch that made me wince for the IMF. You’ll see when you get there. Just, ow, for Ethan and Benji.

 

There are so many dead-end moments brilliantly resolved I don’t even know if I can count them. Just, from a writer’s perspective, that was the best element.

 

The gadgets weren’t as numerous as in the last one, but thankfully, there aren’t any cliché gadget cop-outs. Technology works against them the majority of the time and only the absolute necessities are provided for. Still, there are a few pretty stinking awesome things in there. 🙂 (Teeny spoilers: Flute rifle and computer book. Okay. I’ll stop.)

 

And the characters. Anyone watching can definitely reap the benefits of watching established characters in an established team totally be awesome through the whole movie.

 

Ethan Hunt is a ridiculously cool spy-dude. Pretty much he’s the one I was staring at through action parts going “Whoa, cool!”. The guy’s got some serious stunts.

And he’s actually nice to people. Good guy people, I mean. Saving any friend or innocent bystander is such an engrained, gentlemanly habit that the bad guys constantly abuse it and use it to their advantage.

 

Ilsa Faust is… confusing. I mean, not in a bad-writer way, but she’s part of the puzzle. A really well written character, but I won’t say anything about where her loyalties lie for spoiler reasons.

 

Brent and Luther weren’t given a lot of screentime, but they were still fun together.

Brent is a little uncreative and hesitant, but very single minded. A great practical member for the team.

 

Luther… I didn’t get to get a lot of info on him, really. But it’s obvious he’s really a longstanding member and friend, so he was nice to have.

 

They form sort of the tentative friendship because they both have Ethan in common. Their banter is hilarious when they’re working together. I enjoyed them a lot

 

And, my favorite character, Benji. 🙂

His reactions to everything are just so fun to watch. He’s pretty accepting of most crazy situations, but there’s always the humorous eyebrow raise or jaw drop.

He plays off the comedy of a situation well and I laughed out loud at quite a few parts.

And Benji isn’t just there for comedy. He’s still capable with a gun and amazing with technology stuff. Tech expert characters are always fun. 😉

Benji is just awesome.

 

Bad Stuff:

There is an astonishing lack of bad stuff to choose from here. Really, my eight-year-old brother was able to hang around for most of the movie.

There is one part after an underwater expedition where the girl is putting on a dress in her underwear. But her back is to the camera, no one really pays any attention (trust me, they have other things to worry about) and it only lasts for a second. Mom and Dad saw it first, so we just looked away at that part.

So, there’s that, and a short knife fight. Those were the two most questionable scenes in the whole thing.

I’d determine the age of who could watch this by how much suspense they can take, because believe me, it is really intense, high-stakes stuff. Just be ready for an adrenaline rush. 😛

 

Well, there you have it.

For obvious reasons, Mission Impossible 5 will be taking its place among my all time movie favorites.

So, have you seen MI5? Please talk to me in the comments! I’d love to discuss characters and story elements and such. 

This blog post will self destruct in 5… 4… 3… 2…1… 

Just kidding. 😛

~writefury

48 thoughts on “Mission Impossible- Rogue Nation: Movie Review”

  1. *freaks out* I just saw the new Star Wars movie and I think I’m in shock still. It was visually beautiful, shocking, very much Star Wars and at the same time it wasn’t afraid to reinvent the era of the Star Wars universe–very post-apocalyptic; after the fall of the Empire, it seems like the galaxy experienced a few years of peace and prosperity, then it all fell into decay. I really want to write fanfiction for it…
    It’s just the sort of thing the fandom needs. Of course, there will be haters but then, that happens… There are haters every time something new gets introduced. I think it’ll be good for the fandom, though.
    Oh, by the way: according to someone who knows more about it, Obi-Wan is ENFJ–which actually fits a bit better than my observation of the facts. I guess they said he was extraverted mostly because he’s always thinking of other people and is very attuned to them, despite sometimes struggling to relate to others. But he’s also very inward-focused and self-critical (though not quite to the degree that Hornblower is.) I guess he’s just more reserved than most extraverted people? So I don’t know… Actually, I was reading that post and I was like WOW that is exactly like me over and over again. Though I’m not as constantly aware of other people as he is–I just get feelings about people, which is why I’m typed INFJ, I guess.
    Also, I figured it out. The Obi-Wan in my AU that I’m working on (the one where he’s a police detective) is probably mildly autistic–he’s kind, probably the sweetest person ever, but sometimes people don’t understand that because he doesn’t express himself quite like they expect him to. He’s gotten to the point where he can say compassionately “I’m sorry for your loss” without overdoing it with flowery condolences if someone has lost a family member, which is probably the most powerful expression of compassion of anyone in their small-town area, but isn’t good at expressing what he thinks or feels and tends to struggle to communicate when he’s stressed, upset, or excited. He has a hard time with sensory overload at times–doesn’t like being touched without warning–and his memory doesn’t work like “normal” people’s, which is really useful sometimes and really distracting at others. He can know exactly what sensation will unlock a reluctant memory and once had Anakin (his little brother) shock him mildly to help him remember something that was crucial at an investigation; he remembered getting shocked by static but couldn’t recall the entire situation. Struggles with things that disrupt his mental schedule (I relate to this bit) and sometimes has to defuse his own meltdowns if he’s really having a bad day. Also he needs glasses and rides his bicycle everywhere because he can’t afford much gasoline. And wears a leather jacket which once kept him from getting scraped and cut up when someone clipped him as he was riding home from work and he spun out into a ditch, broke his helmet and knocked himself out.
    Knows when Anakin isn’t finishing his vegetables, gets fed up and visits the principal of Anakin’s school when everyone expects Anakin to be a clever kid in exactly the same way Obi-Wan was (Obi-Wan studied biochemistry and genetics in college, while Anakin is bright but more interested in engineering and the guts of car engines and getting his hands dirty and greasy), nearly has a meltdown when he’s called in to work because there was a homicide and he’d taken the day off to spend with Anakin… when Anakin’s being bullied, he starts by giving Anakin tae kwon do lessons and then tells him “You’re better and smarter than they are; don’t give them what they want–don’t fight them, outwit them.” He’s an imperfect older-brother-forced-into-parental-role, but he loves Anakin too deeply to be anything less than a parent.
    Also, Anakin is a teenager in this story and keeps trying to set Obi-Wan up with Siri (Obi-Wan’s childhood friend–a pretty blonde with a steely streak and a mean left hook), despite the fact that Obi-Wan and Siri haven’t seen each other in years when they’re re-introduced, the fact that Obi-Wan left a more profitable (but horrible environment) job as a scientific researcher in order to become a police detective, and Siri has taken over from her father as the CEO of a huge business and is a billionaire. Obi-Wan has the most adorable blush ever and blushes even over completely innocent things. (The first time he sees her in however many years, he’s riding home from work and almost tells her “no comment” thinking she’s a reporter, and then when they’re having tea he remembers exactly how she likes hers–because he remembers that about just about everyone–and then she comments “That is so sweet!” and he blushes. It’s so cute :-3 )

    1. Holy smokes, you’ve outdone yourself, Erin. I think that’s the longest comment I’ve seen. 😛
      Yeah, I thought you’d be excited about that. 🙂 Dad saw it, but I’m not overly invested. He called it an “all you can eat Star Wars buffet”. 😛
      I’m happy with my MI5. Put it on the to watch list for after you recover. 😉

      1. Yeah… 😛
        It’s a “busy” movie which doesn’t tell a story in the same way I’m used to. I wish they had held off on finding SPOILER so we’d at least know what the next quest would be about. Visually beautiful, but I’m not sure yet if it’s forgettable or not.
        😉
        *hug attacks Obi-Wan*

        1. *laughs* as far as marketing goes, they’re not going to drop this any time soon. They had 3 whole Star Wars aisles in the Target near us. And they’ve been up since July. It’s like Frozen all over again. 😛

          1. Yup. Only… a little more ambitious than Frozen. Though that’s probably a good thing. The problem is that they got a little too ambitious and tried to do too much. It was a good collection of stories, but it didn’t hang together as well as I would have hoped.

          4. She actually was the villain to start with. Hans was sort of a last minute addition villain. They actually played that decently, but it’s so hyped up that I’m sort of tired of it. 😛

      1. THAT WAS MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. 0_0
        I couldn’t believe they killed Han!
        ALSO THOSE LONG SHOTS. So gorgeous. ❤ ❤ ❤ It was just visually beautiful–a little more minimalistic than the Star Wars I'm familiar with, and with WAY better effects, but in a good way… WOW.

        1. I know. Han was my favorite part, totally. Writer-wise, he actually believably kept his character as an old man. Personally, mom has video of my running around in a vest and lisping that I was “Han Tholo”, so I’ve liked him for a while. XD
          YES. Such beautiful scenery! They had really good setting use as well. 🙂

          1. Harrison Ford really came into his own with this role in this movie. XD
            OH MY GOODNESS! YESSS!!! I WANT TO SEE THAT VIDEO!
            I also really want to make you an Oliver costume. Mostly it’s just like a regular office worker’s outfit but with some more practical things thrown in and a leather jacket. 😉 Then we could go places as the Eighth Doctor and Oliver. 😀
            (What happened to the RP with Bush and the Doctor, by the way? Just commenting, but I think that Bush would be the one (in the College study group AU) who would, if you were blasting music, come and knock on your door and politely ask you to stop, but eventually he’d get fed up and just shout at you to turn it off. (After which some of the Creepy Stalker Girls blast music deliberately so he’ll shout at them, but he doesn’t shout at them. He goes to the resident on the floor and tells them about the problem and that those Creepy Girls are harassing him, after which half their professors find out and hint that they should be working on their schoolwork rather than tormenting their coeds. He knows all the tricks already and is too smart for them.)

          2. Totally! He sort of does that for all of his characters. 😉 Something I noticed that made me smile, though. Y’know how he has a sort of lopsided smirk of a smile? The way his smile-line-wrinkles are formed to that. They’re sideways. XD
            It’s on an old tape, so I’m not sure if I could get it to you, but it’s pretty funny. XD I’m so dead serious about it. Even with my little black-ribbon-bandolier I made. Mom walks up and asks “Hey, Rose! Who are you?” and I’m goofing off and just immediately straighten up, look right into the camera and state “I’m Han Tholo.” XP
            Ooh, leather jackets! Fun! 🙂
            (Oop. Sorry. I’ll pick it back up. Oh, yes. That would totally be Bush! :D)

          3. *curls up and squeals from adorable overload*
            Yeah, when I was little if you didn’t refer to me by the character I was being that day, I wouldn’t answer at all. 😉
            😀 I can’t seem to figure out the rest of his dress sense, though. He doesn’t seem like a T-shirt or sweater type. And fashion design for men tends to be so limited! I think he’d look good dressed up in Regency clothes though. 😉 And then he and the Doctor would sort of match. (The Doctor’s outfit is actually a Wild Bill Hickock costume, it looks sort of Victorian but isn’t really historically accurate, per se.) 😛

          4. I kind of… reluctantly… saw Han’s death coming. I had the thought of “Wait… no one has died yet. Who’s gonna die? Not Han Solo, please…”
            And then he steps onto the railless bridge. When there’s a railless bridge, someone ALWAYS falls off of it.:(
            Hmm… maybe a baseball tee or layered shirt for Oliver? He seems like maybe a layered shirt person. Of course, in everyday. Regency would be great for otherwise. XD
            Okay, so have you seen Ant Man? Because Scott Lang actually sort of reminds me of Oliver.

          5. No… I had those thoughts too but for a moment I really hoped that Kylo Ren was going to accept his dad’s help. *cries*
            Yeah, I can see him in that look… Especially with extra-long women’s hoodies. They tend to be cut slim, and they’re thinner material, and who cares what they were designed for anyway?
            No… I have not. Still waiting on that one.

          6. I know, I had that moment to. But then the stab happened right as I’d let myself relax. *hugs Han* Augh, it’s so sad! 😦
            Sort of like the half zipped hoodie-thing… I could see that. 🙂 I drew a few fun Doctor/Oliver pictures earlier. That one’s just a straight on, and then there’s another where the Doctor is sitting unraveling the mysteries of life in a giant thought bubble, and then Oliver is sitting with a tiny thought bubble that says “Hmm… sandwiches.” XD
            It’s got a bit of language, but it’s really adorable. I can’t quite pin down what it is about him and Oliver… humor maybe? Sort of a down-to-earth sarcasm and the occasional humorous stating of the obvious. 😛

          7. So well filmed. (I could only see the top of your comment and thought you were talking about shots for a moment… *embarrassment*)
            OH YES! I WANT TO SEE IT! *puppy dog eyes* Please? I am always so happy when people get engaged with things I was somewhat involved in the creation of *starry eyes*
            Oliver… YESSSS and the Doctor sometimes does the Bush eyebrow raise thing, when he’s had a REALLY weird day, like an eleven on the scale of one to ten weirdness for the Doctor, which is about two million on the average person’s scale… Or if he’s hit a seven on the frankly ridiculous scale. Then you get the eyebrow, which is reminiscent of David Tennant’s, only with less “really?” and more “oh really?” It tends to be less angry-looking and more “I’m so tired of this nonsense.” It’s not just INTJs who get that look. It’s INFJs (like myself and Eight) too, when we’re Fed Up with how ridiculous the universe (but more often with PEOPLE) can get.
            Eight laughs at Oliver’s jokes, even when he doesn’t really think they’re particularly funny, mostly because he just loves hanging out with Oliver because being around Oliver (who isn’t over-dramatic like he is) is so refreshing and helps him to wind down. You wouldn’t tell, most of the time, that Eight is really wound tight, but say the wrong thing at those times and he’d suddenly lash out at you–and trust me, he has a devastating turn of phrase. He is 50000000% scarier than Bush, in my opinion.
            Oliver just helps Eight to regulate his own extremes by simply being there.
            (Also, I’m totally inserting a few jokes along the lines of Rassilon-genetically-engineered-Gallifreyans-so-that-they-don’t-smell-like-living-beings-at-all-in-order-to-intimidate-“lesser-species”, because according to the novels, Eight smells a bit like sandalwood, which always makes me laugh for some reason–like I feel it’s sort of absurd.)

          8. Totally. That was more of a slow, hearbroken clap moment, though. 😛
            Here’s the first one: https://writefury.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/20160104-143919.jpg
            It’s dark now, though (no good for taking pictures of pictures…). And I have an Ant Man doodle on the top of the other one, so I’ll get that one to you tomorrow. 😉
            *registers all that information* Sandalwood… interesting. Actually, that’s kind of fun to associate a smell with a certain character. XD

          9. Thanks… 😉
            Actually, I really more associate Eight with lilacs for some reason. (Like he went out and bought lilac-scented perfume and only wears a tiny bit because he doesn’t care if anyone thinks it’s “girly”, he just likes lilacs. ;-P )

          11. Maybe I associate it with Eight because of Barn Candles and that was my favorite scent apart from vanilla and when I was doing that fundraiser that’s when I first started to embrace the curly…
            Or I’m just trying to overrationalize it and Paul McGann would look good in purple. *head crashes into keyboard, miraculously not destroying it*

          14. Hey, I actually know how that could happen. There’s this snail shell around the Mediterranean that turns stuff purple if you crush it. Downside is, it’s really stinky. Though, if this was a prank, would it be a downside? ;P

          15. OH MY GOSH. Someone finds a bucket full of these beauties and dumps them in Bush’s bunk while he’s on watch. He goes to take a quick nap as soon as he’s off and SQUELCH X-P
            He’ll be pretty upset that they ruined one of his shirts, though… X-D It will be SO worth it. Meet me in email and we’ll write it! 😀

          18. *sees your drawing* *squeals from cuteness*
            Hey, I’m working on putting together a wordpress site to support this fan project and since you’re going to be a part of the cast I can make you an editor *throws sparkles everywhere*
            So it won’t be just news and releases. There will also be fan arts (like my “We’re all puppets” one, which is, to be completely honest, not fanart of anything in particular, it’s just one of those terrifying images my mind throws at me sometimes in lieu of actual terrifying nightmares which I almost never have any more–so I sometimes do steampunk/”Shatter Me”-esque stuff that is just intended to be a bit of a shocker.), fun stuff (such as Team TARDIS coming out and talking about their every day adventures– ;-D The Doctor fails to understand why his hat that he embellished with a tutu is terrifying to all companions), and occasionally personal stuff if it’s relevant to the story behind the story. 😉

          19. Awesome! 😀 sad to say editor invites don’t seem to work with the zilladog mail I’m using. So I can send you posts, maybe? I totally trust your judgement on the site. You know way more about whovian stuff than me, anyway. 😛

          26. I shall, then. XD I had one earlier. A little more doodley, but it’s “Oliver gets steampunked”. He’s looking rather confused about the top hat.
            What do you think about the added freckles?

          27. I like it! Of course, my art’s version is a bit more square jawed but the freckles kind of balance it out a bit. ;-D
            (May I see it please? *squiggles excitedly in my chair*)

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