Author Topic: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation  (Read 4799 times)

Totoro

  • Guest
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
« on: August 06, 2015, 05:03:28 AM »
Halfway through I could not tell if this was extremely silly or incredibly stupid. At the end, uh, somewhere in between?

Alec Baldwin's line about Ethan being the manifestation of destiny or something? What the hell was that about? He delivered it so straight (then seemed to be gay for Ethan seconds later) that I couldn't help but laugh.

Rebecca Ferguson, Rebecca Ferguson, Rebecca Ferguson. Wow. I think I am in love? A brilliant performance, fantastic screen presence. I got a little wary of McQuarrie giving us a few quick booty/back insert shots. Why do you gotta go mess her up? She is already oozing with natural sexuality, we do not need to be further seduced.

I hated the villain. Honestly, I gravitated between feeling like this was my last MI film I see in theaters or actually enjoying it. I fell more on the latter, but wow, talk about a lack of character motivation. Why does he want to destroy the Syndicate? What problem does he have with the Syndicate? Why did they reveal themselves to him in the first place? The first two acts ask you to swallow a lot of pills.

I also felt that this was overall pretty cheap? The effects, the set-pieces (outside of the Opera house, generally unimpressed), it all felt rather low-fi. Is this a sign of the times for Cruise?

Overall, I liked the film but I need the next to have a stronger story. Ghost Protocol and the original are still the best.

Bondo

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 23082
Re: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2015, 07:48:32 AM »
He wasn't trying to destroy the Syndicate, he was trying to take it over? As much as I could gather (and I agree they underdevelop it) is maybe he didn't realize they were serving British interests rather than generic revolutionary public interest ones? The Syndicate attacks they blame him for, killing a World Bank official, sabotaging/bankrupting an oil company, etc. make it sound like a potentially leftist/socialist antithesis to IMF's neoliberal/corporate mission. Not sure if they worried if they developed the Syndicate too far we'd root for them? I kind of want to have to have the internal moral battle of "I like their ends, not their means." Still, these shreds of plot are still more than Ghost Protocol had, even if that had a much better set piece.

Totoro

  • Guest
Re: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2015, 05:01:42 PM »
He wasn't trying to destroy the Syndicate, he was trying to take it over? As much as I could gather (and I agree they underdevelop it) is maybe he didn't realize they were serving British interests rather than generic revolutionary public interest ones? The Syndicate attacks they blame him for, killing a World Bank official, sabotaging/bankrupting an oil company, etc. make it sound like a potentially leftist/socialist antithesis to IMF's neoliberal/corporate mission. Not sure if they worried if they developed the Syndicate too far we'd root for them? I kind of want to have to have the internal moral battle of "I like their ends, not their means." Still, these shreds of plot are still more than Ghost Protocol had, even if that had a much better set piece.

True, but what I liked about Ghost Protocol is that I felt it was more of a team movie. Everyone had their time to shine. I was waiting for Renner to be involved in an action scene or throw a punch. He didn't here at all. Neither did Rames. Pegg did his thing, sure. So did Ferguson, but she was a femme fatale, sometimes helping, sometimes not. This was mostly the Tom Cruise show. The film suffers for that.

I would also argue that the cinematography/editing/direction of Ghost Protocol makes it better as well. I would take almost any set piece from GP as well over any here as well.

philip918

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 4580
Re: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2015, 05:21:26 PM »
I was waiting for Renner to be involved in an action scene or throw a punch. He didn't here at all.

My guess is he will do even less in the next M:I film. Ghost Protocol was conceived of as a more ensemble-style film because the thinking was the franchise needed new blood and Renner would step into the lead role. But Cruise doesn't seem interested in vacating that spot any time soon.

 

love