Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015) – Review

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Desperate time, desperate measure,” said Ethan Hunt confidently.

Among other long-running action franchise, perhaps Mission: Impossible is one of the most consistent to date.

With 5 different directors and one Tom Cruise, each entry was fermentation of unique directing and fresh, joyriding action spectacles. Yet, one thing for sure, this franchise only gets better as it goes.

Started with Brian de Palma’s action-packed espionage thriller with muddled conflict, off to J.J. Abrams’ revitalizing entry followed by the much appraised Ghost Protocol by Brad Bird’s most monumental Burj Khalifa scene. However, Rogue Nation is, so far, the peak of all.Kicking off quickly with that popular airplane scene (seen in the trailers and posters)—with stunts from the actor himself—the movie already pre-highlighted what way it will go through.

Immediately after the exhilarating opening, Rogue Nation introduced its worthy foe—the 007-esque rival organization to IMF, The Syndicate, which an agenda to ruin IMF into dust as well as to commit political assassinations for their benefits. Ethan (Cruise) with his doomed IMF team (Renner, Pegg, and Rhames) must work along for their most dreadful and personal mission.

Basically, this movie could be broken down into three major sequences spread over three major acts. Begin with straight-forward conflict presentation, followed by a series of ceaseless action set-pieces and concluded with pile of twist that doesn’t sound like a conclusion.

What Christopher McQuarrie in Rogue Nation is jolting. Working as writer- director, McQuarrie crafted a multi-faceted action thriller with pile of layers full of astonishing twist. Sometimes, those layers are overlapping each other, which might mislead audiences; yet, his treatment to characters to feel more personal leaves the movie digestible.

The latest addition (and probably most important) is a female badass, Ilsa Faust (Ferguson)—a typical double agent whose motivation is unclear. Ilsa’s not just a damsel-in-distress or the like; her presence provides depth to the plot. And, fortunately, she’s not a typical Hollywood love-interest; she’s perfectly an anti-bias character which might be a recurring one in the future.

Worthy foes are presented in the form of Syndicate, led by Sebastian Lane (Harris) along with a henchman, Janik Vinter (Jens Hulten)—which, I must say, forecasting 007’s forecoming foes, S.P.E.C.T.E. Yet, they’re not the only one—Chief Hunley (Alec Baldwin) from CIA is also a worthy nuisance.

Rogue Nation exhibits ample of action spectacles—ranged from high-profile chase to underwater quest; perhaps, none of them is as monumental as Burj Khalifa scene in Ghost Protocol, but rest assured, collections of those set-piece might top it in a different way.

With complexity in plot and heart in characters, Rogue Nation proves its worth as a top-notch summer blockbuster movie. Once again, rest assured, Tom Cruise’s charm of action is not deteriorating at all.

VERDICT: Rogue Nation is not just a one-sided action spectacle frenzy; it’s a franchise that finally finds a heart and gets better as it goes.

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015)

Action,Thriller Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie Written by: Christopher McQuarrie, Drew Pearce Starred by: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Ving Rhames Running Time: 131 mins Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and brief partial nudity

Image Courtesy: IMDb | Official Site


Di antara franchise lain yang tahan lama, mungkin Mission: Impossible adalah salah satu yang paling konsisten.

Dengan 5 sutradara berbeda dan 1 Tom Cruise yang sama, setiap entry-nya adalah fermentasi penyutradaraan unik dengan adegan aksi non-stop. Tapi yang pasti, franchise ini makin gila seiring berjalannya waktu.

Dimulai dengan thriller spionase Brian de Palma sampai J.J. Abrams, lalu diikuti kesuksesan Brad Bird lewat Ghost Protocol dengan adegan Burj Khalifa yang fenomenal. Tapi… Rogue Nation tetap yang terbaik.

Diawali dengan adegan pesawat terbang yang populer di trailernya, film ini langsung tancap gas.

Rogue Nation langsung memperkenalkan musuh besar IMF, The Syndicate, yang bertujuan menghancurkan IMF serta melakukan kudeta politik. Ethan (Cruise) dengan timnya (Renner, Pegg, dan Rhames) harus kerja keras dalam misi mereka yang paling bahaya sekaligus paling personal ini.

Basically, film ini mudah saja dibagi dalam 3 bagian. Dimulai dengan pemaparan konflik tanpa basa-basi, disambung dengan adegan aksi non-stop, lalu ditutup dengan twist demi twist yang “tanggung.”

Pekerjaan McQuarrie sebagai sutradara sekaligus penulis lumayan mengesankan—merangkai sebuah action thriller dengan tumpukan twist serta lapisan cerita yang cukup rumit. Kadang lapisannya saling overlap sehingga membuat penonton cukup bingung; tapi untung McQuarrie punya fokus yang matang pada karakternya, sehingga pelan-pelan jaring laba-labanya bisa terurai.

Tambahan yang paling mengena tentu saja tokoh Ilsa Faust (Ferguson)—agen ganda tipikal dengan motivasi yang blur. Ilsa bukanlah tipe love-interest Hollywood; dia punya andil yang cukup dalam menggali plot. Karakternya yang anti-bias nampaknya sangat mungkin muncul kembali di lanjutan MI nantinya.

The Syndicate juga cukup memusingkan—dipimpin Sebastian Lane (Harris) dengan henchman-nya, Janik Vinter (Jens Hulten)—mirip dengan SPECTRE yang akan muncul di 007 yang akan datang. Makin menyebalkan karena bukan mereka saja yang punya agenda, Chief Hunley (Baldwin) dari CIA juga punya sendiri. Kompleks, bukan?

Kalau menengok adegan aksinya, mungkin tak ada yang se-high profile adegan Burj Khlaifa; tapi percayalah, Rogue Nation punya ensemble action yang 100% mampu melampaui pendahulunya itu.

Dengan plot yang kompleks dan karakter yang lebih punya hati, Rogue Nation membuktikan diri sebagai film top-notch di musim ini. Sekaligus membuktikan bahwa pesona Tom Cruise bukannya menyusut, tapi menguat.


This Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation review is written and translated into Bahasa Indonesia by Paskalis Damar.

8 responses to “Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015) – Review”

  1. mettelray Avatar
    mettelray

    It delivered exactly what it was supposed to deliver.. action with a hint of entertainment!

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      True that! And all of them are lovable!

  2. Tri Fajar Avatar
    Tri Fajar

    Memang keren franchise yg satu ini, apalagi anggotanya Ethan Hunt ditambah lulusan Avenger yg sekaligus agen rahasia juga di warisannya Bourne. Hehehe

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      Dengar-dengar, sebenarnya Renner dipersiapkan buat backup Cruise kalau suatu hari dia nggak lanjutin. Rumor sih

      1. Tri Fajar Avatar
        Tri Fajar

        Pantesan pas nonton berasa dua orang itu kedudukannya setara.

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