Movie Review: "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation"

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

PG-13

4.5 Stars out of 5

Director/Writer                 Christopher McQuarrie
Cinematography               Robert Elswit
Music                                  Joe Kraemer

Tom Cruise                         Ethan Hunt
Jeremy Renner                  William Brandt
Simon Pegg                        Benji Dunn
Rebecca Ferguson             Ilsa Faust
Ving Rhames                      Luther Stickell
Alec Baldwin                      Alan Hunley
Sean Harris                         Lane

 

“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” is the fifth in the Mission: Impossible series using the movie format, all starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. It is possible that this entry is the best to date. But how does one separate out one movie in such a series; a series that features missions labeled as impossible and has a hero/superman that specializes in just such missions? One cannot look to great acting (unless one considers stunts as a sub-category of acting) or thoughtful writing featuring deep underlying themes that illustrate human needs. Moral quandaries that drive the human condition are not going to be part of the discussion. And yet Christopher McQuarrie as both writer and director has created a film that manages the pace of the thrills and intervening set up scenes in such a manner that the excitement and tone are so superior to its contemporaries, that Rogue Nation definitely stands above most movies in the action/spy genre.

Like the preceding entries in the Mission Impossible series, Cruise as Ethan Hunt leads a team that consists of two colleagues, Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames); both seem to be hackers or electronics experts of some sort; the nerds that support their heroic and athletic leader, Hunt. In each entry, Hunt and pals must confront some arch-villain intent on destroying the existing world order. They must penetrate some impenetrable fortress employing a rich variety of awe-inspiring stunts (often done by Cruise himself), use all sorts of advanced electronic gear and at some point, they must wear masks that allow someone to impersonate someone else (ala Scoobie Doo). All of these elements will be used in Rogue Nation; so why does it stand out? For movies of this sort in general and in the case of Rogue Nation in particular, the movies that stand out will also introduce some amazing stunts/chase scenes that appear almost as a highly choreographed dance that maintain the tone and intensity of the movie, they will have unusual co-heroes (extra points for female heroes), and most particularly for Rogue Nation, such movies will introduce some embedded tropes that help illustrate some aspect of the story. Rogue Nation nicely does this latter point by using Puccini’s 1924 opera, Turandot; an opera describing a princess and a suitor that must past three riddles in order to marry her or face death if he fails.

Obviously, to over-interpret the use of Turandot in a spy movie is a move that should be avoided by the amateur critic, and yet, I still think it is a nice touch. In this theme, Rogue Nation brings in a female character/spy/superhuman in the form of the amusingly named Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). It goes without saying she is very attractive, showing off her leggy beauty at almost every turn. One clever aspect of her character is to whom does she owe her true loyalty: Hunt’s IMF team, the British spy agency MI6, or to this movie’s arch villain, Lane (Sean Harris)? What Lane wants as the villain is of no note in this movie, though quite frankly I did puzzle over it as the movie progressed, and I never came to a conclusion. He’s just a bad guy, and Ilsa either works for him or pretends to – it really doesn’t matter very much. Adding to the pseudo-complexity of the movie is the sub-plot that CIA Chief Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) has convinced the US government to shut down the IMF group, their leader William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Hunt/Cruise.

As the movie rolls through the Hunt stunts and the complicated machinations of Lane and Hunt as they oppose one another, the female Ethan Hunt character, Ilsa Faust proves to be in every way Hunt’s equal in skill and intelligence. She saves him, compromises him, helps him, and proves to be at least superficially of unknown loyalty; but we know, don’t we? And of course Ethan Hunt knows her true self, no matter that she periodically appears to be at cross purposes with him. I do like the apposition of Faust to Hunt. It’s not mind bending in a particular way, but it helps set Hunt and Faust up as the supermen they are and to hint at some impossible love in the making. Being godlike in their abilities, there relationship must remain pure, platonic and unrequited, or so I imagine.

In any event, “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” is a very entertaining movie for a movie in this genre. From the amazing opening stunt on the side of an airplane to the one in the depths of some kind of memory storage unit underwater (requiring Hunt to hold his breath for three minutes – surely no one but Hunt, Faust and other supermen could do that?), to the best chase scene (this one on motorcycles) I have seen in years, this movie delivers its quotient of amazing stunts. There is cleverness in the presentation of the gun fight within the Vienna opera house and in the allusion of Turandot’s story to the competing spy-craft of Hunt and Faust. But best of all, is the way the excitement introduced by the stunts, chase scene and fights are presented to the audience in such a way that the tension brought about by these elements are paced so skillfully throughout the movie. For aficionados of this genre, “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” is a great example of the action movie.

Movie Review: Star Wars - The Force Awakens

Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

PG-13

5 Stars out of 5

Director                                J.J. Abrams
Writer                                   Lawrence Kasdan, J.J.Abrams, and Michael Arndt
Cinematography                 Daniel Mindel
Music                                    John Williams

Harrison Ford                     Han Solo
Mark Hamill                        Luke Skywalker
Carrie Fisher                       General (nee Princess) Leia Organa
Adam Driver                       Kylo Ren
Daisy Ridley                        Rey
John Boyega                       Finn
Oscar Isaac                         Poe Dameron
Lupita Nyong’o                  Maz Kanata
Andy Serkis                        Supreme Leader Snoke
Domnhall Gleeson            General Hux
Max von Sydow                 Lor San Tekka
Simon Pegg                        Unkar Plutt

 

Imagine the social and financial pressures on J.J. Abrams as he labored to bring to life part VII of the Star Wars saga. After Disney purchased Lucas Film (which included the saga) in 2010 for $4 billion, one knew the drive to successfully re-boot the series would soon begin. George Lucas had ideas for parts VII through IX and a recommendation for the director of VII; only his director recommendation was adhered to, and thus Abrams got the job. Based on the financial success of VII (fastest movie ever to reach $1 billion) or the endless discussion of the movie’s fans on the internet, one could easily believe that Abrams has done what the studio and the fans wanted: created an exciting addition to the Star Wars saga, one that has left the fans desperate for the next entry. However, Abrams has accomplished more than just excited the fans, he has more than pleased the critics as well. “The Force Awakens” may well use a script that is to some extent derivative to part IV – A New Hope (1977), but he and fellow writer Lawrence Kasdan (writer for parts V and VI) have infused this new edition with humor without destroying tone such as in part I and the lamentable Jar Jar Binks; has brought back beloved characters from IV – VI; has utilized FX to wonderful effect, has created a series of mysteries that will keep the fans sitting on pins and needles until part VIII comes out; and has directed his cast of returning stars and stars-to-be with easily the best acting in the series to date. “The Force Awakens” is a treasure and a fine reminder of the wonder that the movies can bring to the public.

“The Force Awakens” reprises many themes from “A New Hope”, beginning with a secret message entrusted to the care of a “droid”. Max von Sydow as the experienced and world-weary version of Obi wan Kenobi has come into control of a map that promises to lead to the missing Luke Skywalker. Von Sydow’s character, Lor San Tekka gives the chip containing the map to a Resistance fighter pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) on this movie’s desert planet, Jakku. Poe must quickly give the chip to this movie’s version of R2D2, BB-8, as the encampment where the transfer of the chip has taken place is quickly over-run by a platoon of vicious storm troopers; storm troopers now working for the Empire’s replacement, The New Order. BB-8 flees into the desert, while amongst the storm troopers a clearly troubled trooper pauses during the ensuing slaughter. This trooper soon to be known as Finn (John Boyega) catches the eye of this movie’s version of Darth Vader, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). BB-8 will soon be saved as he runs into the wasteland by Rey (Daisy Ridley), a feminine version of Luke in part VII. Finn and Rey will join forces to get the chip to the Resistance. Along the way, they will encounter each of the three principles from parts IV through VI (Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill as Luke). They will also meet several new characters; one of the most significant being Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) for the good guys, while the emperor has been succeeded by Snoke (Andy Serkis). To avoid too many spoilers, I will go no further in describing the plot; sufficient to say, there are lots of light sabers, TIE fighters and action for all lovers of this series of movies.

That Abrams and Kasdan have chosen to bring in so many elements from “A New Hope” has created some level of criticism, but since they have done it so artfully, I actually applaud their efforts. By using part IV as a kind of framework to build on, Abrams and Kasdan have a kind of launch pad from which to introduce a series of new characters and many new mysteries: who are Rey’s parents and why was she left on Jakku, how was Snoke able to lure Kylo Ren to the dark side, and the central adult component to the theme of the series - in a universe of competing dualistic forces, can one force ever achieve a final victory over the other. The mythic elements that Lucas used in the parts IV through VI were the thoughtful parts of movie series that otherwise was merely another exercise of moving the Western genre into the Space Opera genre. When Lucas was able to bring in the elements of a fallen father figure, his savior-like son, the fight of good and bad, and a variety of similar themes again using the dualism concept, he was able to elevate the Star Wars saga to a higher level of art than mere Space Opera. Sadly, he lost this thread when he used parts I through III as little more than an introduction to part IV. Having re-launched the series with such expertly controlled use of humor, action plotting, acting, and reference to father/son relations during the struggle between good and evil, it will be very interesting to see if part VIII can continue the momentum.

“The Force Awakens” is an excellent addition to 2015’s string of science fiction-based movies. Like “Mad Max: Fury Road” or “Ex Machina”, “The Force Awakens” has shown that intelligent story telling can fully utilize the science fiction genre to tell a story in a novel manner; and in the case of “The Force Awakens” can tell the story with good use of humor, great music (John Williams comes back for part VII), excellent special effects and some very competent acting to tell the story in a fashion that can be both commercially and artistically satisfying. 2015 may be the year when the leading contenders for best picture at the Oscars will all come from the science fiction genre. “The Force Awakens” is a movie just about anyone will not only enjoy, but may well love.