Post by architect on Jul 23, 2015 22:46:12 GMT -5
The embargo has officially lifted:
EMPIRE ONLINE (4/5)
Latest director Christopher McQuarrie has decided the only way forward for the unflagging spy franchise is the direct pleasures of old-fashioned genre entertainment. Resisting the vogue for narrative sprawl, and the bad habits of former Missions, this is a thriller that aspires only to be a great thriller. Set up the dilemma, throw in the characters and watch them try to figure it out. No need for backstories, real-world relevance or, worse still, irony.
Indeed, if there is a sure signal that McQuarrie knows exactly what he is about, it is the theme tune. No silly-arse Limp Bizkit remix, just Lalo Schifrin’s shimmering ’60s vibe like a burst of electricity. This, ladies and gentleman, is a Mission: Impossible movie.
Which decodes as being really complicated in simple ways (or vice versa). The plot rests on the scaffolding of three distinct acts, each one an intricately coordinated set-piece located in a city centre, all escalating into furies of high anxiety and real-world stunt work. Storytelling that is preposterous (a badge of honour for the IMF series) but never incoherent.
[Plot description and spoilers redacted]
The final act, in London (cue: lamp-posts, telephone boxes and pea-soupers), may not quite match the dash or wit of what has come before, but still gathers at least two prize twists, Syndicate-worm Sean Harris’ statutory megalomania and Tom Hollander as the Prime Minister for some le Carré-lite intriguing to get us satisfyingly over the finish line. That is just it — the story is finished. Nothing, well almost nothing, is left hanging. Mission: Six can be whatever it wants to be. One recommendation, though — get McQuarrie back as writer at least. He makes the impossible look easy.
Verdict
Easily, almost nonchalantly, best in franchise, Rogue Nation dispenses with the dead weight of realism or relevance for state-of-the-art thrill-making in a classical mould. The series has finally found its voice.
EMPIRE ONLINE (4/5)
Latest director Christopher McQuarrie has decided the only way forward for the unflagging spy franchise is the direct pleasures of old-fashioned genre entertainment. Resisting the vogue for narrative sprawl, and the bad habits of former Missions, this is a thriller that aspires only to be a great thriller. Set up the dilemma, throw in the characters and watch them try to figure it out. No need for backstories, real-world relevance or, worse still, irony.
Indeed, if there is a sure signal that McQuarrie knows exactly what he is about, it is the theme tune. No silly-arse Limp Bizkit remix, just Lalo Schifrin’s shimmering ’60s vibe like a burst of electricity. This, ladies and gentleman, is a Mission: Impossible movie.
Which decodes as being really complicated in simple ways (or vice versa). The plot rests on the scaffolding of three distinct acts, each one an intricately coordinated set-piece located in a city centre, all escalating into furies of high anxiety and real-world stunt work. Storytelling that is preposterous (a badge of honour for the IMF series) but never incoherent.
[Plot description and spoilers redacted]
The final act, in London (cue: lamp-posts, telephone boxes and pea-soupers), may not quite match the dash or wit of what has come before, but still gathers at least two prize twists, Syndicate-worm Sean Harris’ statutory megalomania and Tom Hollander as the Prime Minister for some le Carré-lite intriguing to get us satisfyingly over the finish line. That is just it — the story is finished. Nothing, well almost nothing, is left hanging. Mission: Six can be whatever it wants to be. One recommendation, though — get McQuarrie back as writer at least. He makes the impossible look easy.
Verdict
Easily, almost nonchalantly, best in franchise, Rogue Nation dispenses with the dead weight of realism or relevance for state-of-the-art thrill-making in a classical mould. The series has finally found its voice.