What makes a great action movie? For me, it’s a sense of raw tension, that the action has meaning and drives the plot forward, that we care enough about the characters and the story that every moment of action has us on the edge of our seats with our hearts pumping. By this definition I can safely say the Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is a remarkably successful action film.

The film isn’t deep, it won’t change your life, it isn’t a masterpiece; but it also doesn’t set out to accomplish any of these things. It’s goal is to entertain, and my goodness does it. Whether it’s a fight scene set during an opera, a blood pumping underwater breath holding scene, or a motorcycle chase that is pretty much the definition of intense, “Rogue Nation” knows how to keep an audience engaged and, better yet, enthralled.

I’ve heard classmates voice their skepticism about the flick’s quality, justified perhaps by the fact that it is the fifth installment in its franchise, which brings to mind Hollywood’s lack of originality. Churning out mindless sequel upon sequel. The Mission Impossible series subverts this stereotype by simply hiring a new director to direct each installment. From 70’s darling Brian De Palma, future Star Wars director JJ Abrams, and even The Incredibles director Brad Bird giving live action a try (and quite successfully I might add), each director brings a new direction and a new voice to the series keeping it fresh and entertaining, even on it’s fifth installment.

This particular director (Jack Reacher head Christopher Mcquarrie) mixes awesome action set pieces, fun comedic moments (usually from the mouth of Simon Pegg or Ving Rhames, two very talented comedic actors), and some effective, though admittedly sparse, touching drama. The performances all around are good; Jeremy Renner is great and newcomer Rebecca Ferguson was fantastic. Tom Cruise of course plays… well, Tom Cruise but hey, the man’s good at it.

Overall, Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is a well made, creatively shot and edited, impressively performed, and all around an entertaining ride. I strongly recommend it. It won’t change your life, but you’ll certainly be glad you watched it.

I give it a strong 8/10! Recommended to just about everyone. Rad flick!