Impossible to Be This Good

I didn’t like MI:3 as much as some people apparently did. If I remember correctly, it came out at near the point of Tom Cruise’s career where the backlash at his crazy began. I don’t remember much beside his character Ethan Hunt getting pushed into a car after a missile hit another nearby car. Also, it had Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

So when Ghost Protocol came out I wasn’t planning on seeing it until I saw twitter and various blogs saying that it was worth watching in IMAX. Having some time on my hands I followed the advice and was blown away. It was a perfect, fun, summer movie. I walked away from that with the same grin and same feeling I had in 1996 after seeing the first. We saw it again.

Now the new one is out and having been so thoroughly impressed with the last one, I felt the obligation, though I wasn’t really excited about the cast or the flimsy story (based on the rumors I’d read).

The result? It was fun. Fun, fun, fun. I didn’t like it as much as Ghost Protocol but I completely recommend it. I don’t agree with Will Leitch’s assertion that it is as good as Mad Max – hell to the no. During some of the better action stuff I did find myself squinting and full-on enganged in the moment, however. I would see Mad Max a third time but I’ve had my fill of Rogue Nation. ¹

I didn’t quite say “Holy Shit” but I was entertained. Tom Cruise says the next one could start filming next summer. I can’t wait. I might just watch GP in the mean time.