8/18/2015 - Mission: Impossible 5 - Rogue Nation (2015) - 4+/5-/10

I know people seem to be loving these free-wheeling Tom Cruise X-games thrill rides, but I found this boring, monotonous, and tedious, especially as it clocks in at near 2 1/2 hours long. Aggravatingly stakes-less, allowing for no drama or care for the characters. The last time one of these films had that was JJ's 3rd one. That was about characters, but the last 2 have been about ante-upping, be it crazy action spectacle or infeasible bodily feats.

Ultimately, though there was the occasional espionage intrigue, the plot was generally mundane and unrealistic - to the point of eye-rolling. I don't find the Simon Pegg gags funny, so that is wasted on me and this was the most Bondian villain yet, lightly whispering his lines through tight lips as he expounds on his layer upon layer of cockamamie plans. Unfortunately, this 007-lite missed out on the class, style, intensity, and, most important, the drama of its's superior spy brethren.

A positive: Fergusson is bad-ass and strong in her role. Could we just have here movie instead?

Sure there was spectacle, but apparently, the Mission of making a great one of these Cruise vehicles is, indeed, Impossible. Next time: Abort.