139 replies to this topic

[SecretAgentFan]

Finally saw it - great movie!  My favorite Mission Impossible-film so far.  Rebecca Ferguson is a HUGE discovery, magnetic screen presence.  McQuarrie is a fantastic writer and director.  And Tom Cruise delivers big time once again.

 

Highly recommended.

[Harmsway]

 

.....Still, the opera scene and motorcycle chase were both incredibly well done....

Both better than in QoS then? 

Oh, yes.

 

On the whole, Rogue Protocol lacks a certain level of panache--McQuarrie is a solid, workmanlike director, but he's no great visual stylist--but it's an entertaining enough package, even if it doesn't quite deliver when it hits the third act (largely because it shoehorns in Hunt's teammates, who really don't have a lot of reason to be part of the story at that stage).

[SecretAgentFan]

I disagree, Sir!

 

The whole finale involves every team member to contribute - otherwise Hunt´s plan wouldn´t work.  And Benji´s involvement is - without spoiling this - central.

 

Personally, I absolutely embrace McQuarrie´s directorial style as effective, unfussy and beautifully unhectic.  There´s a great interview with him in "film comment" which sums up his visual approach: no hectic cutting, no shaky cam - instead a deliberate framing, letting scenes play out as long as possible.  That, in my book, is elegant, thoughtful and visually arresting.  In other words: I don´t need John Woo´s pigeons flying around.

[Orion]

I disagree, Sir!

 

The whole finale involves every team member to contribute - otherwise Hunt´s plan wouldn´t work.  And Benji´s involvement is - without spoiling this - central.

 

Personally, I absolutely embrace McQuarrie´s directorial style as effective, unfussy and beautifully unhectic.  There´s a great interview with him in "film comment" which sums up his visual approach: no hectic cutting, no shaky cam - instead a deliberate framing, letting scenes play out as long as possible.  That, in my book, is elegant, thoughtful and visually arresting.  In other words: I don´t need John Woo´s pigeons flying around.

I think it comes from being a writer before being a director - he carries the writer logic of a scene is as long as it needs to be into his direction

[SecretAgentFan]

It actually is the way classy directors always did it - if a sequence is not working visually the staging/lighting/script has to be altered, not hidden by hectic editing that suggests movement and tension but keeps the viewer from knowing the geography of a shot and therefore immersing itself in it.

[Orion]

Finally watched this. Brilliant film, very good espionage thriller with a brilliant ensemble who bounce off each other brilliantly and McQuarrie's direction is beautifully evocative of film noir of the 30's/40's which is only ever a good thing in a spy thriller.

[JohnnyWalker]

Saw it today, great stuff. Really made me think about Spectre, the trailer showing before it was also a plus.

[thecasinoroyale]

Saw this lastnight - good fun. Up there for me with the 1st and 4th.

 

Man, Rebecca Ferguson looks good shooting a gun in a dress and heels.  Those legs though....!   *bites knuckles*

 

Very Bond-esque, more than ever, but also very unique to that staple 'MI' brand now, the pre-titles, the infiltration scenes, the "big stunt". And for Tom Cruise aged 51 filming this? Well, we moan about DC being too old at 47? If Cruise can pull this much off and looking so involved, why can't Bond?

[SecretAgentFan]

That actually is a good point.

 

Then again, Tom Cruise is the energizer bunny.

[thecasinoroyale]

True enough - he does seem to get better with age and puts so much on screen, it's hard not to invest in him literally BEING the character and giving us what we want.

[JohnnyWalker]

To be fair Cruise is the way he is because of a brainwashing cult.

[SecretAgentFan]

That is not fair.

[thecasinoroyale]

Even if that was true which is clearly isn't, at all, then we should all have that treatment because he looks and acts super because of it.

[JohnnyWalker]

That is not fair.

Why not?

 

Even if that was true which is clearly isn't, at all, then we should all have that treatment because he looks and acts super because of it.

Not sure why that's so clear to you but treating one guy like a god doesn't excuse every other horrible thing about them.

[thecasinoroyale]

?? Oh come on Tom Cruise hasn't been brainwashed by a cult. This isn't 'The Simpsons'. And he's a fine actor over his later years and physically in great shape to deliver great thrills on screen. And let's not divert this thread into religion-bashing or whatever.

[SecretAgentFan]

 

That is not fair.

Why not? 

 

 

I don´t think Scientology enables its followers to have lots of energy.

 

As far as I know, Cruise has been extremely driven since his troubled childhood, feeling he has to be better and work harder than anybody else in order to be loved and accepted.

 

When he became famous and one of the biggest movie stars in the world, he, of course, could afford all the help one can get to stay extremely fit.

 

Apart from that, his work ethic seems to be absolutely brilliant.

 

His beliefs have nothing to do with that, and reducing him to be a victim of a cult is what´s not fair here.

[JohnnyWalker]

I somewhat agree with both of you, but he has been in a way brainwashed by a cult.

 

And so let's stop diverting the thread, Rogue Nation is great. Though the death defying stunts he did for real are not the best parts of the film.

[thecasinoroyale]

I was surprised how early on the Airbus stunt was, and it was over like that! Still good to see him do it for real though, that must have been a rush!

[JohnnyWalker]

It was great when he was running across the wing, but the hanging off the plane was shown off so much there was nothing surprising about it. 

[thecasinoroyale]

Yeah that's true, I thought that would be a finale stunt, not an opener but the fact that stunt alone was the basis of the marketing, it's a shame they showed it all pretty much in the teaser. Would have been nice to see without knowing.

 

He's not going to...no way....he's not....he is! Woahhhhhhhhh.

[Emrayfo]

It was great when he was running across the wing, but the hanging off the plane was shown off so much there was nothing surprising about it. 

 

 

Yeah that's true, I thought that would be a finale stunt, not an opener but the fact that stunt alone was the basis of the marketing, it's a shame they showed it all pretty much in the teaser. Would have been nice to see without knowing.

 

He's not going to...no way....he's not....he is! Woahhhhhhhhh.

 

Yes, completely agreed. Great stunt, but after the marketing build-up and then being over with so quickly it was a bit of an anticlimax for the PTS. I wish less had been shown in the trailer etc.

[Turn]

I thought the plane stunt was a great tease in the trailers. It left me wanting more because I still didn't know just how the hell he was going to get out of it. That trailer did so much more for me than the first SPECTRE teaser did. So I don't have a problem with the stunt being first. It actually surprised me it was the first thing in the film.

 

Besides that, how many Bond films had their best stunts in the precredits? I count TSWLM, MR and TWINE just off the top of my head.

[Matt_13]

I actually loved that they got it out of the way up front, and thought that it brought us into the titles very effectively. For me the motorcycle chase was the highlight stunt for the film, anyway. A very well shot and ferocious sequence to say the least.

[Emrayfo]

I actually loved that they got it out of the way up front, and thought that it brought us into the titles very effectively. For me the motorcycle chase was the highlight stunt for the film, anyway. A very well shot and ferocious sequence to say the least.

 

Yes, the motorcycle sequence was great. I also liked the underwater scene - genuine drama there.

[Simon]

At the risk of demonstrating my view of the modern world, has anyone come across an DVD offerings that come with the two discs that are offered on the BluRay version?  This being in the UK.

 

Am aware for Ghost Protocol, Sainsbury's had the special version which was otherwise a one-disc affair.

 

Cheers.

[SecretAgentFan]

 

I actually loved that they got it out of the way up front, and thought that it brought us into the titles very effectively. For me the motorcycle chase was the highlight stunt for the film, anyway. A very well shot and ferocious sequence to say the least.

 

Yes, the motorcycle sequence was great. I also liked the underwater scene - genuine drama there.

 

 

Both action sequences beat everything but the helicopter stunt in SPECTRE.

[saint mark]

 

 

I actually loved that they got it out of the way up front, and thought that it brought us into the titles very effectively. For me the motorcycle chase was the highlight stunt for the film, anyway. A very well shot and ferocious sequence to say the least.

 

Yes, the motorcycle sequence was great. I also liked the underwater scene - genuine drama there.

 

 

Both action sequences beat everything but the helicopter stunt in SPECTRE.

 

That said most of that was CGI while the opposition did actually hang outside of plane to film that sequence. So really the chopper bit is actually a cartoon and less of an actual actionscene.

[Vauxhall]

Watched it again this week. Still loved it. 

[Simon]

Saint mark, I am sure the stunt man involved in hanging on outside the helicopter would tend to disagree.

[saint mark]

Saint mark, I am sure the stunt man involved in hanging on outside the helicopter would tend to disagree

 

Possibly but the whole helicopter scene felt CGI while we know for sure that Cruise did do that stunt, that already made the major difference for me. Especially when it comes to spectacular stunts the 007 franchise has become more CGI and just a lot less exciting. The Craig era seems to be full of them CGI filled actionscenes which makes the MI series look better every time.