Mission Impossible Rogue Nation Reviews: 11 Early Reactions You Need To Know

By Jack Pooley /

9. ...But Ethan Hunt Is Still A Boring Character

As much praise as Cruise has received for his work here, a common complaint was that his Ethan Hunt super-spy continues to be under-developed. Many compared him unfavourably to James Bond, noting that, "he looks great in a tux, but there's nothing going on underneath". Other comments include: "Cruise€™s Ethan Hunt has barely evolved since the first movie" and that the iconic character "continues to be little more than a startlingly capable cypher" who "never really gets personally invested in proceedings - he's the same guy at the movie's end that he is at its beginning." Still, it's a formula that's worked for the franchise so far, so it's clearly not a deal-breaker by any means. It's just a shame that such a successful franchise refuses to imbue its protagonist with much personality, instead leaving him as a blank slate for over-the-top action shenanigans.