Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation review: Vintage Tom Cruise in this high-adrenaline thriller

Pegg lends good support and brings out his classic dry humour on occasions.

For the fans of the Mission Impossible series, they are not going to be disappointed. Jaw-dropping visuals, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) gambling with mind games with the enemies, flirting with death and coming out triumphantly. An excellent supporting cast providing drama and adding to the intrigue in the roller-coaster ride and menacing baddie all make up for a visual treat for the franchise’s loyalists.

The scene opens in Belarus, where unauthorized Chechen pilots try to smuggle missiles and Hunt enters the scene, hangs to a plane in mid-air before foiling the opponents’ mission. He is aided by his mate Benjamin (Simon Pegg) from his private intelligence group, IMF. Meanwhile, there is a court meeting between the CIA and the IMF. Disasters from the past, which happened to be retaliation from enemy territory is, brought up in front of the board and the CIA chief officer (Alec Baldwin) proposes a case for Hunt and his men to shut down the agency completely. Also Read: Tom Cruise reveals Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Fate first look

Hunt meanwhile is cooling his heels in London and is in a book store when a mysterious man comes in, guns down the bookkeeper. Hunt is trapped and is taken to hideout and tortured by a group of henchmen. Here is when Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) enters the scene. She rescues Hunt, who flees the scene. Ilsa orchestrates the scene as if Hunt single-handedly got away from the clutches of the mob. Also Read: Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’ stands cold, grosses only $65M overseas

There begins Hunt and Benjamin trying to unravel whom the kidnappers were and their whereabouts. A terrorist brigade, led by a power-hungry Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) are on a mission to terrorize superpowers. They plot to kill the Austrian chancellor during an Opera concert. Hunt comes to the scene to thwart them. Though he manages to distract the terrorists, the chancellor’s car is bombed. The incident though brings Ilsa, Benji and Hunt together. It is revealed that the terrorist group is called the ‘Syndicate’ and Ilsa is now working as a double agent. The trio pulls off a massive underwater operation in Morocco to seize important documents. Quite unexpectedly, Ilsa runs away after seizing an important disc that Benji had custody of. Hunt, who had a near-death experience is recuperating and is unable to stop her. Also Read: Tom Cruise: Rogue Nation is about Impossible Mission Force (IMF) teamwork

From that point on, the story moves on to how Hunt and Benji get around to expose the Syndicate to the CIA and Lane and the big, bad network that the terrorist organization is supported by. There are some breathtaking chase scenes involving cars and bikes. Ilsa’s identity is also revealed through another twist in the tale. What happens to Hunt and Benji, the future of IMF and mystery surrounding Isla is what the rest of the tale is all about.

The now iconic background score that has become a signature of MI’s films is judiciously used. The chase sequences are a treat to watch while Cruise, who is also the producer, is back to his dashing best. However, he doesn’t have too many scenes where he can showcase his histrionics. Pegg lends good support and brings out his classic dry humour on occasions. The scene-stealer though is Rebecca Ferguson, who excels in stunts and is one of the crucial components of the film. The screenplay gets slightly sluggish in the middle but the exhilarating end masks the flaws of a total popcorn-fest.

Rating: ****/5