10 Ways The Mission Impossible Movies Keep Getting Better

Here's something the Mission: Impossible movies have in common with the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the villains have never been all that interesting, all blurring together as generic guys in suits who want to do something vaguely evil. That was especially true of the last movie; can you even remember what the villain looked like in Ghost Protocol? It didn't matter too much because the rest of the film picked up the slack, but it could have been even better if the antagonist stood out. 

Rogue Nation provides that, and this time around the villain makes a larger impact. He has more personality, his motivations are clearer, and Sean Harris just chews the hell out of the scenery and really owns the role like a classic Bond actor would. Solomon isn't present for a lot of the movie, but Rogue Nation effectively builds him up as a threat and then makes great use of him when he does appear. Harris' intense facial expressions alone during some of the key sequences are just plain terrifying.

The villain character is a very clear case of Rogue Nation topping its predecessors and especially Ghost Protocol. Beyond just the stunts and the intricate plot, Christopher McQuarrie cares about creating a unique antagonist, and it pays off wonderfully.