Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation

[skizzerflake]

I guess I should give up now. I looked at IMDB reviews for Rogue Nation and see these “10” reviews - “Best Cinema Ever Anywhere”, etc, and I know that I’m outvoted. We saw it last night, and while I enjoyed it and was on the edge of the seat for 2 hours, I have to admit that “best movie ever” isn’t exactly how I would describe it. My quotable would be more like, “A little confusing, but not a bad roller coaster ride” or something like that. The damnation of being in the middle of the pack.

In case you’ve been hiding under a log, the IM force has been disbanded by a snarling crew of politicians who meet in a dark room with desk lamps shining on their faces, due to some minor blow back from previous missions, one of which left the Kremlin on fire. The CIA, led by nefarious Alec Baldwin (Alan Hunley) is going to subsume the IM force, including its superhero, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his wise-cracking crew William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames). When the flick begins, the IM force is about to become goons in a room full of goons staring at computer screens.

Fortunately, just in time we have a new super-villain - Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), who is compiling some sort of massive amount of cash, assassinating world leaders and who is the leader of The Syndicate, a shadowy group consisting of a number of spooks from around the world, all of whom are thought to be dead….but they’re in The Syndicate now. We also have a British agent, the ravishing and deadly Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who works for the Brits… or does she work for evil Solomon… or does she have her own agenda? We will find out. Most of the action centers around a super-advanced server farm in Morocco which plays host to critical information needed by the Syndicate, or whoever is about to defeat them. Needless to say, it will take a superhuman effort to stop this evil plot, but, even though the IM force is disbanded, you can’t keep a good bunch of pals from doing what’s right to save the world as we know it. You also can't keep Ethan from being superhuman.

I won’t tell much about how this works out but because it would be a spoiler and, because there are so many twists, double crosses, triple crosses, quadruple and quintuple crosses, that I’d need to fill many pages. I will say that, even if you don’t get all of the twists and turns, you always know that you should root for Ethan…he’s always the good guy, so forget all the rest. Will there be some romantic friction between Ethan and Ilsa? Maybe, but I could not get past either how robotic Ethan is and how deadly Ilsa is…that would make a strange bed scene. As for acting - really, what do you expect…no better or worse than it has to be to deliver the short lines. Not much acting goes on here, especially the Android known as Tom Cruise…just the usual clipped lines in an action movie. As for action - quite excellent, edge of the seat stuff, not as digital as it might have been, a lot of it looking like more traditional and dangerous FX and, quite good. As for plot, as I said, confusing, but really, all you need to know is that Ethan is good and Lane is bad. The rest is just there to confuse you. If you’re in the mood for a summer action movie, this will probably make you happy. I’m not one of the fan boys who will pronounce it to be the new Citizen Kane, but you could do worse, in fact, many summer movies have been much worse. I’ll give this one a solid 3.5. To be a 4, it would have to have some content, but the hyperkinetic relentless action keeps reminding you that you’re not in the theater for content. It does have at least one rubber mask scene, and it still has the great 10/8 beat Lalo Schrifin musical theme (recite to yourself quickly, over and over, 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2 1-2 1-2). Writing and direction is by Christopher McQuarrie, who must have been a very busy man making this movie. Go and enjoy it.

 

[andyblackcat]

Nicely written skizzerflake, I think you've given the whole film plot away with all the double to quadruple crosses backstabbing of IMF agents. I seen a handful of films with cliches of the above of double crossing and twists. I won't mention any.

I didn't mind the first MI-1 thou daft and silly at the end with helicopter being pulled though the channel tunnel, lol.

MI-II I got bothered with all the slow-motion at times and soundtrack wise didn't like it as much I hoped for as the first IM-1 soundtrack was cool, with vault scene that gets the tension, the cinema audience at the local went silent for some 10 mins.

IM-III "JJ" a little lens flare and too bloody LOUD that really put me off.

Not seen or tempered to buy MI-IV.

Give me the old original shows I enjoyed watching those on a Sunday afternoon. The stories was great and no over the top ludicrous action stunts of hanging on the side of airplane, that I'm sure once up at certain altitude your lose breath of thin air and hands starting to freeze and basically fall off.

So how does he mange to hang on? I think once a large pocket of air wind gets into his coat its gonna pull him off the plane. I guess I have to think about buying IM-VI late in the year, if its not too much of near-field mix as I refuse to spend £20.00 on bluray near-field mixes and not bought a bluray now for a little over 3 months.

 

[andyblackcat]

Been to cinema first time since I BOYCOTTED around 2013.

Mission Impossible rouge nation. Before I bought ticket asked if it was in Dolby Digital as I not been in the smaller screens since mid 1995 and not often been in the smaller screens so wouldn't know if they might be Dolby Stereo 424.

£8.45 not too bad I thought the sound playback would be bad but it was good, I could feel the bass mid LCR direct and partly in the wooden floor. The LCR HF horns was comfortable not harsh or toppy, easy listening. Not sure if they where JBL behind the screen but I noticed for the surrounds x4 JBL control 28 two per side wall spaced apart 1/3rd back and on the back wall an usher checked and was JBL control 25 which is a model down from the 28.

I stood on the back seat and noticed DLP projector and image wasn't bad a bit a grain like texture at times and other scenes looked soft so might been a bit of 35mm and digital. If I squint my eyes softly I can make grain look like a DNR picture but I don't like DNR being used on DVD or bluray at all.

Also notice with light switched off in the projection box, I think a dts decode with small green LCD display and easily spotted a Dolby CP750 and I think the fader was at "7"? Maybe. So if the film was played at "7" which sounded easily above 85db in the bass and maybe +90db but the HF horns must have been around 85dbA peak or so as the level was comfortable which is how it should be. I don't like levels on HF horns going over 85db 90dbA starts to get uncomfortable.

Sat front row centre-line to the screen which was about roughly 12 or so odd foot or so more away.

DME over the LCR was clear I could easily hear the LR and centre DME was solid not weak sounding so no snags hearing soft sound effects to dialogue passages as well as portions of the discrete music mix.
Foley sound effects from body punches was cool like, when Ethan Hunt, is helped to escape by female, British secret service agent.

Oh the crazy plane scene I knew it was coming up at the start of the film when I saw the grass field, lol.

After seeing a real life live Bournemouth Air Show today down at Bournemouth beach, where I saw the Vulcan bomber doing some maneuvers, some vertical ones where the thrust roared like a rocket to thrust it upwards. The plane scene in the film different type of plane but the sound and engine sound frequency SPL over bass LCR had a liveliness. No subs installed in odeon screen 5, but the bass mid was satisfactory. I think I can loop the sound of that scene in my head for next 3 or 4 months and might buy the bluray, maybe, but due to near-field mixes and dubbing stages watering down the dynamics maybe a mission ImPass for bluray, its ether FAR FIELD THEATRICAL for the home or no buy.

The underwater scene to get some data file, wow that was a cool scene the heart-beating effect I could feel that and rush of water moving around the LCR and surrounds.

I'll give Rouge Nation 3.5 to 4 it wasn't STAR WARS that would get a solid 10.

The ticket office was slow. Few people lining up but the cashier was slower than snail and I seen real crowds in the days of STAR WARS for both screens 1 and 2 and lines was MEGA HUGE LONG for 3 performances each days.

Oh the lack of human dialogue panning on rouge nation gets a soundtrack rating of 2.5. Its not a summer blockbuster only cos ticket prices are dearer than the days of STAR WARS and no large crowds lining up outside like Feb 1978 for screen 1 and 2 where the lines went right around the block both sides for 3 performances per day. Think adult £1.80 and child 70p. Rouge Nation, £8.45 and box-office only one working on it and it was slow..... snail speed. Even days of STAR WARS the ticket office moved faster and there was thousands lined up and coming in. Now then!

overall picture and film I'd give it a 3 not the 3.5 or 4, I'd give it a 3 now, it wasn't STAR WARS or THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK or RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK or INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE -- with dialogue panning on 70mm six-track DOLBY STEREO SS type SR. It was just tom cruise, sounding like mega mono sound.

So odds of buying MI rouge nation on bluray seems almost impossible as I will not tolerate near-field watered down dynamic range from these lying studios. Its ether THEATRICAL FAR FIELD or the highway with bluray and if you think 4k is gonna treat you any fairer? Me sorry, ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY.

 

[markw]

Between this and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." it's like we're watching 60's TV on the big screen. Can't they come up with some original ideas?

Yes, we saw IM5 and it was fast moving with lots of stunts and action but I wonder how many more of these Tom Cruise has in him. He's getting up there.

 

[andyblackcat]

Between this and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." it's like we're watching 60's TV on the big screen. Can't they come up with some original ideas?

Yes, we saw IM5 and it was fast moving with lots of stunts and action but I wonder how many more of these Tom Cruise has in him. He's getting up there.

I thought rouge nation was total load of bollocks!

Oh the plane scene starts right at the start of the film everyone and he pulls the chute that has some dodgy chimerical weapons and then cuts to mission impossible theme.

Fast and fast then slows downs for tom mono sounding like cruise dialogue.

I'd sooner watched ICE STATION ZEBRA at the cinema in 70mm with directional dialogue panning as it sounds better than atmos junk mixes.

I could have gotten my £8.45 back as lack of no subs in a cinema screen in this day and age. My home cinema isn't that tight budget and I have subs and bass shakers. I could have easily gotten my £8.45 back and brought cat food and tom cruise, wouldn't have seen one penny.

Yeah total load of hollywood bollocks up on the screen.

I might buy some of the original mission impossible tv shows on Laserdisc as I can't trust bluray with watered down dynamic range no longer.