Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is perfect movie action fun #FandangoFamily

A film series almost 20 years old shouldn’t be getting markedly better is the convention wisdom.  However, that is exactly what’s going on with Mission Impossible.  The first one was OK, the second one was lame, the third was good, the fourth one was great and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is a fabulous experience. It’s the best one in the series and is probably the most fun you’ll have at the movies this summer.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation succeeds on a couple of levels, namely its trailer is action packed, draws you in and-at the same time misdirects you. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was similar in the nature of showcasing massive stunts, that the audience assumes is the finale, but in fact gets the movie going.

The first couple of films fell into the trap of setting up something in order to have a big stunt or special effect. This film is just the opposite in that the big stunt pieces set up other things and move the story forward. My wife and I weren’t bored at all during the movie; it’s quickly paced and is one of the quickest 131 minutes you’ll spend in air conditioning in the summer.

The action pieces in Rogue Nation are big. Much has been made of Tom Cruise doing his own stunts. But what I found refreshing about the film is that there was no CGI. If it was there it was fabulous and blended seamlessly with the action.

Remember when CGI was first used in a James Bond film? It was on that horrible tsunami scene in the Arctic. Granted, prior to that the Bond films had some poor special effects with miniatures. However, the Arctic tsunami scene was so bad that it made fans who grew up on real stunt work rethink going to the movies.

The opposite of that is what you get with Rogue Nation. You can all but feel the air on your face and see the skid marks on your clothing from the car chases. What separates a good action film from a great movie though is the plot, dialogue and acting combined with the action.

Rogue Nation gets the story and acting down too. The one plot device that they (keep) using is having Ethan Hunt leave the IMF for some reason or another. That happens again in this film, but because the series has evolved into an ensemble movie it’s OK. Benji (Simon Pegg) has the double takes and comedy, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) has the authority/action thing, Luther (Ving Rhames) has the best friend/action angle and Alan Hunley (Alex Baldwin) nails the blind authority figure who doesn’t trust his agents.

Without the presence of Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) the movie wouldn’t have half of the get up and go that it has. She’s the spy that might be bad or good and keeps popping up in the way of Cruise’s Hunt. She’s athletic, believable and a treat to watch on screen.

Between the chases and exotic locations the dialogue is witty, quick and occasionally laugh out loud funny. Most of those moments are provided by Pegg.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is rated PG-13 for action and a scene where Faust is shown changing clothes with her back towards the camera. There might have been a curse word or two, but if it was there it was immediately forgotten.  The movie is also NOT available in 3D! That is awesome. We saw it in IMAX and the big screen really does the big action in the film justice.