Mission Impossible 5

[Totenkindly]

Did anyone else see this yet? I saw it in IMAX yesterday.

it's kind of ironic, because I've typically liked Brad Bird (Iron Giant, Incredibles) but I really did not enjoy MI4 that much. Meanwhile, I've been kind of hit-or-miss with McQuarrie -- I really hated Jack Reacher, for example, and it even had Tom Cruise in it, but... I really liked MI5.

I think the beats just felt off in MI4 for me. The scenes felt thinner, it was a different tone (throwing Pegg into the field -- I felt like he worked better behind the scenes at least in the ways he was being used as comic-relief), it just didn't hold my interest as much.

MI5 was paced really really well, the beats were solid, Pegg actually gets at least one good dramatic delivery (amid the wisecracks) that he just perfectly nails in terms of nuance, the villain feels more compelling and capable, and... a bit different, Cruise looks older here. His face isn't as tight, you can see him aging... and he plays into that. Ethan is still really damn good at what he does, but he's not completely in control as he's always been; even while typically coming out on top, he struggles a little more. I think this is great.

I also have to say that Rebecca Ferguson really makes the movie. She's incredible. From what I understand, she did intensive training and did a ton of her own stunts / action sequences. She also manages to be engaging while remaining impenetrable, and it's hard to really tell what she's up or which side she's on until the end.

Some of the set pieces are just great, especially the opera house sequence; and then of course there's a car/motorcycle chase that is pretty harrowing based on the directing and editing. (But there's of course numerous other sequences as well.)

 

[Crabs]

I've debated whether or not I'm going to see this in theaters. I was disappointed by MI4, as well; even though it currently has a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which boggles my mind. And how does the first one have a 62%? It's the best one in the whole series! Can't trust critics these days.

I liked Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Star Trek, but didn't think he made a good addition to this franchise in Ghost Protocol. It's interesting how the first movie had much more depth and intrigue than the Pierce Brosnan era of 007 and now the tables have turned. James Bond is darker, grittier and dare I say, more realistic than the last few installments of Mission Impossible, which have been all flashy effects with mediocre suspense, imo.

 

[Totenkindly]

I've debated whether or not I'm going to see this in theaters. I was disappointed by MI4, as well; even though it currently has a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which boggles my mind. And how does the first one have a 62%? It's the best one in the whole series! Can't trust critics these days.

I liked Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Star Trek, but didn't think he made a good addition to this franchise in Ghost Protocol. It's interesting how the first movie had much more depth and intrigue than the Pierce Brosnan era of 007 and now the tables have turned. James Bond is darker, grittier and dare I say, more realistic than the last few installments of Mission Impossible, which have been all flashy effects with mediocre suspense, imo.

I agree with all that, including your views of Bond -- I appreciated the shift starting with Daniel Craig back to a grittier Bond setting, with a Bond a bit more similar to the book version rather than some highly stylized witty sex god spy caricature.

I enjoyed MI1 and MI3, although I like JJ Abrams in general so that helped with MI3. He kind of brought a human touch to the circle of agents working together, you could tell they had a connection. And I was impressed how chilling Hoffman could be, despite not really being much of a physical threat himself.

I can't vouch you'd like MI5, I'll just say I definitely liked it better / found it more inventive than MI4. They pulled Pegg back a bit and while he still contributes some humor, it just seemed to gel better this time around.

 

[Crabs]

^ Hoffman did make a good villain. And Keri Russell was a good protégé. I wonder if that led to her role in The Americans. MI3 is thus far my second favorite in the series. I'll probably cave in and see Rogue Nation sometime soon.