10 Ways The Mission Impossible Movies Keep Getting Better
2. They're Getting Funnier
Rogue Nation is a damn funny movie.
That's not to say it's goofy or that it doesn't take itself seriously, but it's interspersed with effective gags and memorable lines that keep things light and moving along at a brisk pace. That's something that wasn't true of the first two Mission: Impossible movies, but the humor has slowly become a bigger part of the series. Rogue Nation is easily the funniest yet, with memorable action/comedy moments reminiscent of the first Avengers film.
A lot of this is due to the introduction of Simon Pegg's character, but he's not the only one who gets to shine. Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames are hilarious, and although he's usually more of the straight man, even Tom Cruise himself gets some amusing gags. There's a great little play on how short the actor is in comparison to some of the villains he faces, and another scene where Benji is insisting Ethan can accomplish something while he silently reacts.
These newer Mission: Impossible films understand that they have to be sincere and treat things with a sense of gravitas, keeping the stakes as high as possible, but at the same time, there's a limit to how somber a summer blockbuster like this should be. That's something that has gotten more prominent over the years, and the series is better for it.