Latest “Mission Impossible” installment might be the best one yet

Tom Cruise may be 54 years old, but it’s hard to tell in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation,” in which Cruise clings onto an airplane as it takes off, swims underwater without an oxygen tank and enters a high-speed motorcycle chase.

The box office giant film series, a spinoff from a 1960s television show, released its first installment nearly 19 years ago featuring Cruise, whose emerging star power was only heightened by the film’s smashing success.

As of late, critics have complained that the film series has lost some of its original zing and thrill, but “Rogue Nation” somehow manages to restore faith in the series. While watching the “Mission: Impossible” series, it seems that Cruise has somehow managed to escape nearly all life-threatening situations, but in “Rogue Nation” Cruise seems to escape his age, somehow managing to hurtle himself around with the same vigor as he did over a decade ago. The mission for Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, in “Rogue Nation” is possibly one of the more daunting missions yet — eradicate the Syndicate, a rogue organization of criminals hailing from all over the globe.

Similar to the other “Mission Impossible” movies, “Rogue Nation” is action-packed and leaves you on the edge of your seat for the entire 2 hours and 11 minutes. This time around, however, director and writer Christopher McQuarrie worked on “Rogue Nation” to deliver an engaging film filled with plot twists and thrills. Many of the scenes will leave you wondering “How did Cruise manage to pull that off?”

For instance, one action-packed scene took place in the rafters of a Vienna Opera house. According to an interview with the New York Times, the film had a deal with the Vienna Opera that allowed them to shoot around and in the opera house, but the film had to use a recording of the Vienna Orchestra produced in their preferred venue. So, after the film was edited, the film crew returned to record additional opera music.

The audience will see some familiar faces including Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg (who thankfully provides comedic relief to an overall intense film). Rebecca Ferguson, the newest actor in the film series, plays an impressive spy who is able to hold her own in the film. Throughout the film, the audience is torn on whether to trust Ferguson. Sean Harris, the actor who portrays the film’s villain, plays his part well with an effective mixture of creepy and sinister.

Overall, I would recommend this entertaining film to anyone who is into action movies or a fan of the “Mission: Impossible” series. I think it’s one of the best installments yet — there’s a reason why this film has grossed over $400 million in the global box office.