7. ...But The Romantic Possibilities Are Kinda Awkward
Surprisingly, Rogue Nation
"makes no mention of Hunts wife Julia, played by Michelle Monaghan" , creating something of an awkward romantic problem for the movie: without divorcing Hunt from Julia, it's unable to capitalise on the Cruise-Ferguson pairing for all it's worth. Sure, not every movie needs a forced romance (again, just look at Mad Max), but several critics noted how strange the choice was here.
"It leaves Hunt in a bizarre limbo of being given a potential love interest, but nothing really happening" , said one outlet, while another complained about
"a complete lack of romantic heat coming from Cruise." It seems like a romantic pairing in this instance would've been a slam dunk if the movie could've just let go of Julia, but instead, it creates the air of sexual tension without being able to capitalise on it whatsoever, which is an extremely strange methodology for a Hollywood blockbuster.
