MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews

^ I meant the first one. Haven't read the 2nd one yet.

I was just about to write "tell me one more time you read that review in under 5 minutes!"

Haha. But really though I haven't seen JayDee do intro essays? At least I'm not purposely taking it from him then, as I didn't think about him or his reviews when I did either of these.

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I meant the length of the review haha.

Well, my longest review ever made comes in at about 3350 words, which was my Age of Ultron review, but that still isn't close to be beating JayDee's review of that same film, which also happens to be the longest review written on this forum, ever. Daamn.

I love your reviews for Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Our opinions on the two films are flip-flopped, though. My admiration for Before Sunrise has grown in accordance with its role in the trilogy, but I'm still a much bigger fan of Sunset and Midnight. To me, some of the dialogue in Sunrise is too philosophical, too "written," whereas the writing in Sunset feels much more natural. I disagree with the consensus that Sunrise is the most romantic of the trilogy since I don't think the characters even really know what love is at that point. By the time Sunset rolls around, they've seen enough of life and know enough about relationships to realize how idiotically naive and hopelessly idealistic they were nine years ago. The emotions carry more weight now. For me, Sunset blows by in the blink of an eye. We have the theme of regret, and also the feeling that time is running out. They've already missed out on nine years together; they realize now how precious every moment is; yet during the entire movie we feel like the hourglass is running empty since Jesse has a flight to catch, which adds to that fleeting feeling, that sense of desperation to see these two kindred souls finally come together and stay together. We get to see everything in real time, too, which adds to the authenticity of the moment. The chemistry between Hawke and Delpy is even stronger by that point since apparently they had become close friends in real life. The moment in the car that you referenced, when both characters are finally pouring out their hearts, and each of them goes to touch the other but doesn't, is, in my opinion, the single most romantic moment in the trilogy -- and one of the most romantic scenes ever. The passion is unbelievable.

I can't wait to see your review for Before Midnight. I'll wait and share my thoughts on it then.

It depends on how you define romance really, because I don't neccesarily think that Sunrise is the most "romantic". Perhaps in the sense of your typical sweet on sweet romance I think it's the best, because you feel how young they are and simply falling in love. To hell if they know what love is, it's sweet and you can see they love each other. To expand on love, well that's what the sequels are for. Always a new perspective and a new milestone in the evolution of a relationship. No doubt that Sunset goes down a deeper more natural route, as stated in my review. I liked that, but Linklater later perfected it with Midnight (though the scene in the car is indeed amazing, as stated). Midnight might have the best discussion on love and relationships, when they all sit at the table and discuss. And overall I think Midnight is the one where Linklater portrayed love and relationships the best. Anyways, you will hear about all that in my review of course!

I'm so glad to hear that you not only loved, but loved the reviews of Sunset and Sunrise, Spaulding! Somehow I thought they must've been bad since they haven't got much love. Well, Sunrise is starting to pick up, bur Sunset is kind of behind (both are behind in temrs of comments). Though I do understand people may not have the time for such long reviews! Glad you did though, and that you enjoyed reading them!

Thanks as always Spaulding, you are one of the people who makes me want to keep writing. I always love your responses!

Nice reviews, but too many pictures of that mutt, Delpy.

Gross!!

Now now cricket, there's nothing wrong with Julie Derpy's face.

Woah! Mutt? Too far, cricket. Too far.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

She's just one of those actresses that I find annoying. Andie McDowell and Laura Dern are 2 others.

The Story
After practically being deleted from every database during their last mission, it has now officially succeeded the CIA to pull Ethan Hunt and the rest of the IMF out of action shortly after another challenging task was executed outside the powerful hands of the authorities. The methods of the IMF weren’t exactly long-fused neither were they death proof, but in return they cleaned up the type of criminally dangerous waste, which no other organization in the world could get even get close to. Consequently, they then handed it over to a group of individuals who had no idea of what a threatening state the world was just in a few minutes ago. And even so, the authorities see no reason to have the IMF exist anymore and instead choose to transfer these highly trained agents to sedentary desk work or tedious routine task – all of which lies miles away from being a member of an active task force. But of course, Ethan Hunt has always been the more self-reflective and self-merchant type of person, and even though the CIA has a short fuse in this matter, he stubbornly refuses to give himself up. Because Ethan Hunt still has one mission left to accomplish – to continue his quest to to eradicate the untraceable force of agents called The Syndicate.

This generally unknown organization contains a handful of top trained agents, who all live with nonexistent identities, in the sense that they are all former expertized agents, who have either left or been dispossessed from their prior professional position, only to go independently undercover for the service of The Syndicate. Hunt quickly realizes that this is a mission too impossible to perform as one-man force, causing him to catch up with his former colleagues from the otherwise obliterated IMF to carry out what could very well be their last mission. But despite of the super team fusing once again as a joined division, they are nothing but a small piece of a much larger puzzle, which doesn’t follow the rules neither understand simple human values. Everything is being controlled by this mysterious man named Solomon Lane, who is one hell of a cold-blooded and cynical character, who operates firmly behind the facade with his sharp intelligence and not the least proficiency to persistently be unpredictable. But how do you take action against a non-existing organization that merely makes their own set of rules and operate almost entirely below the surface of the action?

'Mission: Impossible' is a film franchise that really understands how to both respect and renew a classic concept of spy-fi spectacularity! Furthermore, the producers seem to take their time with these films, which is surprising for today’s standards and the success of the franchise. Often there is many years in between the next sequel and always have a new director jumped in to helm the next movie. This tactic results in several films from the same franchise, which never really look or feel the same, since it is new people with fresh ideas who are coming in every time, showing their own personal vision for what the true definition of a spy film actually is according to them. But they all share certain similarities, of course, and you are never in doubt when you are watching a ‘Mission: Impossible’ film. All these films seem to be covered in undercover excitement, hi-tech enchantments, innovative action set-ups, and of course a thrilling point-and-shoot dialogue technique, which mostly hits its mark within its genre. But there is most certainly also a limit to how long you can surrender to so-called “impossible missions” and relive intricate story structures, before the fuse slowly but surely begins to burn out. This will probably leave you asking, if this mission has in fact failed in its attempt to pull itself home, in a completely intact condition, from all the fast-paced action and menacing villains, without even the slightest scratch to spot? If so, does this mean that director, Christopher McQuarrie – after overtaking the impossible mission task of creating success for the fifth time in this spy universe – sadly has to witness the IMF officially be pulled completely out of service? Is this really the end the line?

'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' is, in many ways, a solid sequel to a successful series that started almost twenty years ago, even though the recipe no longer seems to be the deadly cocktail of which it started out to be. This fifth film in the franchise might not always mix all the explosive chemicals correctly, but nevertheless the chemistry that exists between the characters certainly remains a perfectly cooked compote if you ask me, while also being the perfect team to put an end to the hostile conspiracy of The Syndicate. Simon Pegg in the role of Benji is still highly amusing and entertaining, while Ving Rhames makes a marvelous return as the master hacker, Luthor Stickell. Tom Cruise is, at the age of 53, still as convincing in the guise of the team leader, Ethan Hunt, as he was back in the first film – both as an accomplished actor and as a stubborn stuntman. The highpoint, quite literally, with Cruise hanging on the outside of a huge military aircraft, which actually does take off with the actor, arrives surprisingly early in the film. In return though, this latest mission receives precisely the proper dose of that "daredevil drug", which we all need and look for in actions films, and the film is certainly elevated with action and anticipation right from the start! However, this grand opening does leave the audience a bit too turbulent and adrenaline-fueled for some of the subsequent events to ever come near the kind of turbo boost given by the sheer wind power of that one opening scene. Afterwards, it almost feels like the plot flies straight past you like a turbojet, without being particularly clear about the how’s and why’s. This certainly does eliminate parts of that intense feeling of excitement, which you often get when the plot is in place and the heroes and antiheroes announced. But although the film obviously agrees with itself when and where it is dressed to kill and ready for action, the audience is still lacking a little more information about the mission taking place. Otherwise it may end up becoming rather difficult to decipher the kind of emotions or investment we need to bring forward – whether it is the good or the evil side of things – because we are simply not fully aware of who they are and why they are there. The action will look like a visual clutter and the emotions will come off as flat and faceless.

Mini-MovieMeditation – You often felt a bit confused about which side Ilsa was on, and although it might be intended for us to feel unsure of who she was with, it could have been done better. On the other hand, it fits in with the story and atmosphere of the other films in the franchise, which are centered on fraud and secret missions.

This is generally how the film moves forward through most of its runtime, without ever properly presenting its audience with some facts and figures to play with or to pull apart. Obviously, I’m well aware that the story centers on a secret syndicate, which seems to operate totally outside of everyone's points of view, while our beloved team, after all, seems just as much in confusion as we are. But while it is great to feel like part of the team, the actual advantage of movie magic lies with the fact that the viewer never have to be a constant part of anything. You can just drop in and chill inside the cave of all the criminals, overhearing and understanding a few important plot points, only to return to the ongoing mission shortly after. What I’m trying to say here, is that the story is missing a thread of consistency through it all, which would help maintaining both the understanding and excitement through the film. The best we have to go after is a harmless paper sketch of the assumed enemy... So of course we are looking forward to finally be introduced to the villain, but here the film drops even lower to the ground, unfortunately. It should be mentioned though, that the 'Mission: Impossible' films has hardly ever had the strongest line-up of villains through its time, probably with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman being the best example we have seen so far.

Now when the series has shifted all the way to the fifth gear, I had honestly hoped for a little more hostility from the enemy side, but neither the main villain or side villains are anything to marvel at. Sean Harris plays the role of the man behind the syndicate, Solomon Lane, and beyond the hilariously ridiculous name, his persona is entirely amusing enough on its own. I must admit I find it pretty tough to take his “villainous portrayal” seriously, when it is obviously supposed to be this vicious opponent who is simply oozing with intimacy, holding all kind of power in the palm of his hand. Only he is not. It is a little hard to be intimidated in any shape or form, when the best Mr. Harris can provide us with, is nothing but a miserable imitation that is somewhat reminiscent of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone – a bad attempt nevertheless, but that is how I heard it during most of his scenes. Overall, it is an utterly failed attempt at creating an intimidating accent, probably made to make the audience break out in cold sweat, not break down due to cramps from persistent laughter. But as you say, exaggeration promotes understanding, because even though I never cried with laughter I did pull a smile once or twice during certain scenes, where I was quite sure that I should have been mute and stiff from fear instead.

I was previously pointing towards the action-packed opening act in which director, Christopher McQuarrie, shows us that he actually understands how to create a sturdy sense of height freight of the uppermost air level. Therefore, it is probably only appropriate to discuss something, which the franchise has been performing with close-call perfection, all the way from the beginning – I’m obviously referring to the complex and compelling action arrangements! Tom Cruise had to climb even higher than with his previous insane outings in the series, where he, during the fourth film, climbed more than 800 meters up the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa. Now he just raised the bar five times higher for his newest daring stunt – both in terms of the illustrative height and the actual height – and Cruise doesn’t need any wingman to steer him in the right direction; he does it all on his own. There is no doubt that when you are in possession of a scene with Tom Cruise clamped to the side of a plane, it is going to look extremely cool no matter what. But when you actually do it for real, without any use of computer effects or green screen, but instead flies the actor one and a half kilometers above the ground with a camera attached to the wing, there is no doubt as to how genuine it feels within the finished film. You sometimes debate when and where a movie and its plot really “takes off” – well, with M:I-5 you literally don’t have to wait long before you breathe in fresh air in your gut, while tightening the cheeks of your butt, because this stunt is phenomenal.

This movie is clearly loaded with some heavy action-cinematic artillery, plenty of which is in fact filmed using practical stunt work and effects. This brings me to the expert execution of the various action sequences and how well they really work, when they are actually carried out in a convincing manner. Unfortunately though, there are certain places during 'Rogue Nation’ - also among the real genuine stunt work – where they added the use of computer effects to heighten and tighten a certain scene. This was something that annoyed me quite a bit, since you know damn well there are people who worked hard to make it look as realistic as possible, so when you notice how it has been soiled in CGI or maybe even cut to pieces in the editing room, you feel a little disappointed. For example, Tom Cruise trained himself up to hold his breath for more than six minutes, yet the director chose not to film the scene with minimal cuts, preferably just one long take, which of course would have been ideal but perhaps also out of range with the safety procedures in Hollywood. Seriously though, I actually heard they weren’t too happy with Cruise holding his breathe for too long during the underwater sequence. Well of course Hollywood, just throw the man on the side of an airplane with no chance of ever getting to him if he is ever in danger during flight, no guarantee that he won’t get hit with flying animals or small particles, no guarantee that the wind won’t hit him unexpected and smash him into the side of the plane… Of course not… But please, don’t you ever put a man who is trained to hold is breathe for more than six minutes into an organized water tank with cast, crew and professional divers and safety personnel, because clearly not one of those ten to twenty people would ever be able to safe him from drowning, mainly because they would argue who would have the honor of doing so and which of the many extra air tanks they should use to supply him with oxygen… I see your point, Hollywood, I totally do.

Anyways, what I was trying to say with all this real versus fake thing is that it is a shame when we don’t get to experience the complete authenticity of it, because it has either been drizzled with data-dust or edited into inedible insignificant little pieces, which don’t even show half of the glory present when filming. It really adds something to the feeling of real danger when you can see it is real. Oh, and by the way, in what is perhaps the true climax of the film we see an intense car chase through the narrow streets of Morocco, with Hunt and Benji behind the wheel, which all make for some exciting scenes. Within these sequences there is nothing wrong in terms of setup or execution, but after all it fails anyway, since the director chooses to end Ethan’s hunt rather abruptly – actually extremely abruptly. The scene fortunately ends with a funny line or two, only to be continued by a motorcycle chase, but the way in which the first act ended is so far fetched and ridiculous not to mention physically impossible that you simply lose grip of realism and therefore also in the sense that a true risk is present within these characters. There was a similar but less obvious thing happening with the scene on the plane during the opening, where I would also shake my head a little bit. Cruise is no superhero, I don’t want to see him or his crew pull off stunts, which are already impossible, in even more impossible manners. You obviously have to suspend your disbelief with action movies and such, but there is no reason to explicitly show the actors basically dying or breaking all their bones only to have them walk away unharmed… This is ‘Mission: Impossible’ not ‘The Fast and the Furious’!

Mini-MovieMeditation – I loved the intense underwater sequence, the car chase and the opening scene with the plane! So when the plot began to feel a little messy or boring, then you would often see a wild action scene straight afterwards, which would get the film back on track!

But where the film doesn’t exactly get back on track is during the finale... Every single film in the franchise has had some kind of giant action sequence in the end, which this one hasn’t. I definitely don’t mind that the director wants to deliver something else, a different kind of tension, where he wants to terrorize his audience in adrenaline-fueled ways, which doesn’t come from explosions but from the exposition of the villains and the exposing of our heroes who are left in the dark without weapons or any help from above. The scene sort of pays homage to the first film in the series, where the opening scene consisted of a confused chase through a town where nobody knew who and what was chasing them. This is kind of the same thing, only much inferior and less intense. I recently read that the director regretted that he cut the ending down before its release, which makes me a tiny bit relieved, since I just couldn’t figure out exactly why the scene felt so abrupt and so jumbled, almost like it was out of place or like the camera suddenly was out of film and they had to hurry a happy ending. There is also so much during this finale, which relies on pure coincidences and it really takes you out of the film. Ethan could literally have died in three places during the ending. But of course, it is called ‘Mission: Impossible’ and we are used to see Ethan pulling off the impossible, only here it isn’t him who has to rely on his own skill, but the mind of a rather unpredictable villain and his many henchmen. I really hope to see an extended edition released on physical and digital platforms later this year, because I really wish the ending could come more naturally, especially since McQuarrie really wants to be different and daring with this one...



The Acting
It is never the easiest of missions in the world to judge the acting within the action genre, because often there is so much happening that the actors are too exhausted to ever have a room to breathe, if you know what I mean. But of course you will just need to put on your coolest shades and simply turn a blind eye to certain scenes, while trying to focus on those short moments in time, where the actors have the ability to show off their acting skills – when they aren’t jumping around on top of buildings or running from huge explosions that is. Tom Cruise has played the role of the everyday action hero countless of times throughout his career, so it should not be a surprise when I say that it has almost become his specialized skill by now. The fifth mission in Ethan Hunt’s shoes does give him a little scene where he can put the pedal through the medal; both in terms of acting and actually doing so. That said, the interrogation scene in 'M:I-III' is still the most emotional and accomplished one in the series, where Cruise can really drive his act all the way to the edge, together with a fantastic Philip Seymour Hoffman to keep things extra tight.

Ving Rhames as Luthor Stickell also returns, but he seems more like a quick addition to the team at the last minute, rather than the faithful right hand to Ethan Hunt who he actually is and has been throughout the entire series. That doesn’t change that is still so god damn cool, calm and collected, which makes for some fun scenes where “Laidback-Luthor” really gets to shine! Simon Pegg as Benji is always a lovely sight, although he isn’t as sharp as in the previous film. I noticed that he even repeated one or two jokes, but with a different set-up, which seems kind of lazy from the writers. That said, I have noticed that the franchise keeps referring to itself, spoofing itself and refurbishing itself as the series goes on, but there is a difference between homage and sabotage. I still believe wholeheartedly that he is the perfect actor to add that extra layer of liveliness and help ease up the more serious as well as unserious elements. This makes the film an even better and more entertaining experience along the way, instead of maintaining a boring pompous attitude, now that the film would rather want to be a good old dosage of dominating popcorn entertainment travelling at full speed!

Mini-MovieMeditation – Simon Pegg’s character was very entertaining and he had a lot of funny lines. He acted really well and made many of the more serious scenes a lot more fun. I think that the overall acting was generally quite good, even during the many action sequences.

Rebecca Ferguson in the role of the newest babe of the series is a bomb to look at, and definitely also one hell of a tough woman with a sense of raw martial arts and smooth masterful manipulation. She is not bad in the movie, definitely not bad looking, but I would love to have seen her expand herself more during the film. I guess that is once again the writers I have to blame, for not putting her character properly into the story or giving her a clear path to follow. Alec Baldwin is a great addition to the series in my opinion, but he hasn’t got that much to do, unfortunately. He is mostly walking around like “where is Hunt!” throughout the entire movie, whether he says it, thinks it or hints at it, which is a real shame. I hope to see his character expand a bit when we get the sixth ‘Mission: Impossible’ film. Yes, that is happening, and very soon, according to Mr. Tom Cruise himself!

Finally, there is of course Sean Harris as the main villain, Solomon Lane. As mentioned earlier, Harris seems to completely miss his target in this role, with an incredibly flimsy and silly character, without having neither definition of a “backbone” if you catch my drift. He is not particularly tough or especially macho; he just seems like this little skinny fella with an urge to run around in circles with both his friends and enemies – unfortunately, however, he doesn’t actually run around, since he is mostly a deskbound douchebag who thinks he is ever so clever and fearsomely frightening, but fails to even be just a tiny bit intimidating. You can’t even cherish the chair-less moments of his, because even when he is up and moving the audience is still sitting as stiff and silent as ever. He is just such a boring and weak character to follow and probably the weakest villain of the entire franchise. Sometimes, I downright hate the guy and his presence in the movie, and I just want to round-house kick his stupid little rat-face and punch him so hard in the bollocks that his voice turns to a frequency even more off-putting than the one he already has.


The Technical Aspect
In terms of the visual presentation and among all the technical touches, the whole bombastic setup and execution feels a little like a sweaty and disordered experience inside a bomb suit, where you are constantly debating with yourself about which color of wire to cut next and in what order. This film is equipped with sweeping camera work and controlled lighting from veteran cinematographer, Robert Elswit, who was also the one shining light from behind the curtain on the previous film. But it seems as if something went south on the way to the editing room, where especially the first fight scene in the film seems completely sabotaged from any style or substance. You have no idea what is going on, even though you can kind of feel like there has been a pair of professional eyes overlooking the entire scenario along the way. To use a good example, I definitely think that the chase scene is spectacular, filmed in sleek style with wonderful warm hues and interesting realistic camera angles. Consequently, it is certainly not every scene that calls for a title change from 'Mission: Impossible' to 'Mission: Flushable' – and thank God for that. Generally, it seems like the movie only gets visually and sonically better as the movie sprints forward and put you in the zone of the action – even if things do get a little messy and a little mangled at times…

Mini-MovieMeditation – I really liked how they cut back and forth in a particular scene towards the end, where Benji sat in a rather nerve-wracking situation. It worked really well and created some good tension for the movie!

The Soundscape
If there is something that hardly fails when we see Cruise cruise around under the radar as the alias, Ethan Hunt, then it is surely a trumpeting tension-filled soundtrack that has been characterizing all these impossible missions up until now, which almost makes above-mentioned radar cast off some seriously impressive fluctuations! The iconic soundtrack is definitely not something to be disapproved by anyone, since it might be one of the very best, most appropriate and most convincing orchestrated aural odysseys ever thrown onto the movie screen! Obviously, it isn’t just about the actual music, since the way the soundscape widens itself out in the theatre and shakes our seats is also music to my ears! There is plenty of high-octane action during this mission, so there is no way you will leave the theater without feeling comfortably numb either, after all the loud explosions and noisy motorized machines that you just witnessed. 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' will certainly give every other action movie a run for its money, that’s for sure!

Mini-MovieMeditation – The music during the underwater scene was very thrilling and really made the whole scene even more exciting than it already was, and of course I really enjoyed the classic soundtrack!

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SHORT SUMMARY // Even though the 'Mission: Impossible' movies seem to ignite the fun with a shorter fuse by every time, the series is still going strong and doesn’t seem to burn out any time soon. The franchise may feel a little wobbly at points, but its many successors have yet to receive a setback large enough to have Cruise and co. come to a complete halt. This fifth mission, however, does contain a rather thin and messy plot, which can both confuse and irritate from time to time, yet it still manages to make you tense and excited about what might happen next around the corner – usually it will be some kind of breathtaking and intense action scene, but you are certainly not cheated for the pleasure of a nerve-wracking kind of calm before the storm. I’m a little sad to see the completed IMF team be reassembled so late into the movie, and that everything seems to end at a point that seems way too abrupt, unfinished and anti-climatic. The villain is once again a failed character, who just isn’t exciting in any way to follow throughout, and certainly not to listen to. Thankfully you can never go wrong with the cool action sequences and smart gadgets.

Mini-MovieMeditation – The story was mostly good and I liked how they started as a team and finished as a team. I would not say that it is a film that is made for the female audience – not to say that girls should only go to the cinema to see chick flicks, but it is probably not a movie that I would recommend to those who are not so fond of action, since this film has a whole lot of it. But it is mostly very entertaining to watch!

What all that said, there is certainly enough action to satisfy the more masculine movie-goers. The film simply has this extremely insane scenario, which pretty much screams for cold beer, cool attitudes, heated explosions and hot female bodies. So if you like your action served with a side of espionage and some refined delights for dessert, then it can’t go without saying that you might as well reach for the impossible heights… So, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to catch 'Rogue Nation' on the big screen. This review will self-destruct in 5 seconds… 4, 3, 2…

Did you count your words? Anyway haven't seen this or Ghost Protocol actually, repped for the effort though.

Somebody wants a mofie.

Great review MM.

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Letterboxd

Well it's not like Microsoft Word had a word counter or anything, so I totally had to manually count them. Worth it though.

Better check out the last two missions, especially Ghost Protocol is awesome!

The review written for my danish website was already long, but I added a few paragraphs, which I didn't do in time for the danish premiere back then.

But thanks seanc!! Appreciate it.

That's the longest movie review on this site I think. It's actually longer than some scientific papers people spend years working on. Also I think it's about as long as the past 20 reviews of animations combined I wrote in the animation thread. I don't even know how someone can write so much about a movie.

tl;dr

But plus rep for the length of this review alone.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Wow

Reviews like these make me want to scream that MM deserves more rep. This should be getting over 10 by now.

Extraordinary review there Meds, I'm interesting in seeing that film, seeing as it's getting unexpectedly good reviews throughout by critics, and your description of it, despite the final rating, has my interest.