The largely forgotten, wholly under-appreciated Tom Cruise action franchise has managed to remain under the radar in the superhero-movie era yet has done what perhaps no franchise has ever done: get progressively better with each installment.
Well, let’s say the first two films, 1999’s Brian DePalma-headed spy flick was uneven but often good, and its sequel, directed by John Woo, was somethof a mess. After that, each film has gotten better with a rotating cadre of directors: J.J. Abrams brought the franchise to respectability through reinvention of the franchise with Ethan Hunt having a secret wife. Brad Bird showed us he can do for live-action what he did for animation (“The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles”) in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” and Cruise’s “Jack Reacher” director Christopher McQuarrie helms the fifth installment.
And it also pulled off another rare feat, adding stars of increasing caliber. Think back to the first M:I, the sidekick role was played briefly by Emilio Estevez, then Ving Rhames. Rhames returns for this film, but now we have names like Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner playing those roles, and Alec Baldwin has also come aboard.
Will “Rogue Nation” be able to surprise yet again? Trailers look pretty spectacular, with the money shot being Cruise hanging off of the side of an airplane in what reportedly was a practical effect. “Ant Man” has dominated the past two weeks, overwhelming Adam Sandler’s “Pixels,” “Minions,” and Jake Gyllenhaal’s boxing flick “Southpaw.”
Primed to hit number one? Maybe. Is Cruise back as a bankable action star? Eh, doubtful. But we’ll always have Ethan Hunt to save us.
