Four years after Ghost Protocol injected fresh new life into the Mission: Impossible franchise, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back once again with his fifth cinematic outing, Rogue Nation. With a release date moved five months ahead and benefiting from a strong marketing campaign, expectations have been high that the Christopher McQuarrie-directed actioner would deliver more of the inspired mayhem and self-aware humour that characterised the last movie. So far, it sounds like McQuarrie, Cruise and company have served up just that, what with largely positive reviews trickling down the pike, suggesting above all else that the series continues to be in safe hands, and likely won't be grinding to a halt anytime soon. Of course, it's far from perfect and has its share of issues, but on the whole, critics agree that it's a confident, well-crafted, somewhat old-school entertainment that doesn't push the boat out story-wise, but knows exactly what it is and entertains accordingly. Audiences can decide for themselves soon enough, but until then, here are some early reactions to the action sequences, new characters, and parts for returning supporting characters...
11. It's The Second-Best Mission: Impossible Film
Though some critics did go as far as to declare Rogue Nation the best of the five Mission: Impossible films, the early consensus seems to be that it falls in at an admirable second place. It's been said that it "doesn't quite have the scale of Brad Bird's fourth outing" and "fails to build on the events of Ghost Protocol", but with an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average score higher than every movie but Ghost Protocol (at the time of press), it seems that it's a solid silver medal for the film nevertheless. Given how the first three films are all relatively divisive efforts (with critical scores ranging from 58-70%), it's pleasing to see that Ghost Protocol's critical and commercial upsurge wasn't a fluke, and Rogue Nation is sure to follow in similar (if not quite as robust) footsteps.