Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Mission:Impossible - Rogue Nation/Dir. by Christopher McQuarrie/Paramount/Rated PG-13/131 min.

Movie trailers have a horrible habit of showing the best jokes and the biggest stunts months before the release of a film.  There are far too many times that I find myself in the theater watching a movie for the first time and trying to force a laugh for the gag that I've already heard 15 times or generate a thrill about the action sequence I've seen in it's entirety for weeks.

I was a little worried that this would be the case with the newest Mission: Impossible movie because the studio has been spotlighting the heck out of a pretty darned impressive stunt:  Tom Cruise hanging from the side of an airplane in flight.  There have been commercials, making-of commercials, interviews, all focusing on this admittedly jaw-dropping stunt.  Imagine my surprise when the movie starts with that scene.  Yes, within five minutes, they showed what I had already assumed to be the movie's most impressive action sequence, so where could they go from here.  Oh my, where could they go indeed.

The first Mission: Impossible movie was serious and dark.  Something a little more akin to The Bourne series.  The second was serious and ridiculous.  Something a little more akin to the more absurd moments of the Brosnan Bond movies.  Then, the third movie did something unexpected.  It made the characters just as important as the stunts.  It made the plot just as important as the exotic locales.  In an odd way, numbers 3, 4, and 5 all feel like a complete trilogy, almost completely separate from the first two.  They're fast paced, character driven, and each one has embraced a lighter tone than the installment that proceeded it.  Not that M:I is turning into Rush Hour style action-comedy, but they are definitely enjoying the dividends that sharp, smartly placed humor can reap.

Picking up with the mission that was revealed at the end of Ghost Procotol, Rogue Nation finds  Cruise's Ethan Hunt searching for a mysterious organization uncovered to be responsible for all of that film's mayhem known only as the Syndicate.  Unfortunately, the last film ended with a nuclear bomb (albeit disarmed) causing havoc in San Fransisco, and the government sees it as the last straw.  The proof that the IMF is an outdated organization that has operated without oversight for far too long.  At the head of the anti-IMF campaign is the director of the CIA (Alec Baldwin).  After an oversight committee dismantles the organization, the remaining agents are absorbed into the CIA and Hunt is declared a rogue agent, much to the chagrin of his friends Brandt and Benji (Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg respectively, two actors who should appear in every M:I movie that Cruise has it in his ability to produce).

The Syndicate, which the CIA still doesn't believe exists, seems to contain a beautiful British agent named Ilsa Faust (terrifically played by Rebecca Ferguson), who seems trustworthy because she keeps saving Hunt, but seems untrustworthy because, well, she kinda seems to be trying to kill him too.  

As previously mentioned, the movie kicks off with an amazing action sequence with stunt work that not only proves that Tom Cruise is in better shape at 53 than most people ever have been, but also that he is completely, indisputably insane, but his insanity has resulted in some amazing movie set pieces, so, shhhh, no one tell him.

It would seem that there's no where to go but down from there, but each action scene ramps up the stakes and Cruise plays these scenes not as an indestructible superhero, but as a human who could possibly die at any moment.  This not only makes the scenes more intense, but it also makes the character of Ethan Hunt more impressive.  He survives not because he's invincible, but because he simply will not quit.

This game of "who can you trust" is in play more than it has been in any of the other M:I movies and it is employed well.  McQuarrie does a great job keeping the pace moving and throwing in twists right when they're needed.  The plot does go to the happy coincidence well, but not anymore than any other spy movie.  It also has one laugh-out-loud unintentionally funny scene.  It involves death by a seemingly unassuming woodwind instrument.  Actually, after seeing that typed out, it's certainly possible that it was intentional.  After all, all of the other bits of intentional humor land beautifully.  I've certainly never laughed during a Mission: Impossible movie more than I did Rogue Nation.

This movie is one of the best action movies of the summer and a terrific installment in this long-running series.  If the quality of this one is any indication, we're going to see Tom Cruise running like an Olympian and risking his life as a stunt man for years to come.

Grade: A-

Movie Review: Ant-Man

Ant-Man/Dir. by Payton Reed/Marvel Studios/117 min./Rated PG-13

You remember that kid in elementary school?  The one who knew they were a little odd, but had the good humor to acknowledge it before anyone could make fun of them?  In the Marvel playground, that kid is Ant-Man.  Originally conceived in film form by grand high master of all nerd-dom, Edgar Wright and shepherded to completion by comedy mastermind Payton Reed, Ant-Man completely understands that it has the silliest concept, the silliest powers, the silliest title of all the Marvel Universe, and it owns it.  Filled with bright colors, zippy humor, and inventive action sequences, it's exactly what you'd want from a summer popcorn flick.

The film begins in 1989 with some of the best special effects put to practical use as we see Michael Douglas, looking exactly as he did in the late 80's, playing Hank Pym.  When I say he looks exactly as he used to, I mean it.  This is no weird dead-eyed Jeff Bridges in Tron.  No, it's simply Michael Douglas 26 years younger.  The effect is stunning, but I digress.  Pym is determined to keep his "Pym Particle", a formula that allows the space between atoms to be removed so items can shrink, out of anyone's hands other than his.  After an accident involving his wife, something we learn more about later, he doesn't want his tech being used at all.

Fast-forward to today as his protege and usurper of his own company, Darren Cross (played with joyful villainy by Corey Stoll) announces that he's figured out the key to this technology.  With Pym's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) playing double-agent and gaining info about Cross' plans, Pym realizes that he needs someone to break into the lab, steal the tech, and destroy the data before Cross can use it for his own nefarious ends.

Enter modern-day Robin Hood, Scott Lang (played to perfection by Paul Rudd).  Scott spent some time in prison because of his last steal-from-the-rich-to-feed-the-poor escapade, one that involved breaking into a facility thought burglar-proof (Lang makes sure that people know he's not a robber because he never hurts people).  Estranged from his ex-wife and his  deeply-loved daughter, Lang is determined to go straight and put his life of crime behind him.  Pym has other plans.

One of the things that separates the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the rest of the movie superhero throng is that the superhero part is usually a side part of a different story in a different genre.  So far, we've seen MCU tackle WWII drama, fantasy, action-comedy, sci-fi epic, political thriller, and now with Ant-Man, the MCU take on the comic heist film.  More a comedy in the vein of the 2003 remake of The Italian Job than the more seriously toned The Sting, Ant-Man finds as much of its humor from the heist planning as it does in self-referencing its own absurdity.  Most hysterical is Michael Pena as Luis, a right hand man that likes to tell stories and anyone who has enjoyed the humor of Kid History or Kid Snippets on youtube will very much appreciate the way the movie re-enacts his stories.

An aspect of the film that could have ruined it, but actually becomes a strength is Lang's ability to "communicate" with ants.  These scenes are treated with such humor initially, easing the viewer into the admittedly goofy superpower, that by the time it is really needed for the plot, the audience has simply accepted that this is a man with an arsenal of ants at his disposal.  We even come to care about the little pests (not that I'm going to welcome them into my pantry any time soon).

Much has been made of the troubled production of Ant-Man and, unfortunately, the movie doesn't emerge completely unscathed by those troubles.  While a thoroughly enjoyable film, the evidence of "too many cooks" (the cliche, not the disturbing Adult Swim sit-com spoof) is found in a certain feeling of disjointedness.  When it works, it works smashingly, but every once in a while the seams between ideas show in a way that is unusual for a Marvel film.  Reed has done a wonderful job with the profoundly thankless task of taking over for one of the most beloved names in genre film (Wright left the production because of creative differences with the studio, mostly involving fitting the story into the overall arc of the MCU), but the scenes and the lines that tie these events into the MCU really do feel forced.  Ant-Man was obviously conceived by Wright as a stand-alone film and whenever there's a mention of the Avengers or a Stark, it feels a bit out of place, the exceptions being a terrific stinger at the end of the credits and an action sequence early in the film that's fun enough to gloss over the obvious cross-pollination of characters.

Any superhero film stands or falls on the strength of its lead and Paul Rudd is the ace up Ant-Man's sleeve.  Rudd is one of the rare actors that feels just at home with sincerity as he does with sarcasm and that versatility makes Lang one of the most relatable of the Marvel clan.  He's not a billionaire or a war hero or a alien/god, he's just a flawed dude trying to do right by his daughter.  It's going to be very fun to see Rudd act off the core Avengers in future movies.

Not the surprise success that was Guardians of the Galaxy, but so much more intelligent and downright fun than it could have been, Ant-Man is a welcome addition to the MCU.  Now that his origin story is out of the way, there are a million different directions they could go with this character and I'm very excited to see which ones they choose.  This goofy kid on the MCU playground certainly has the potential to be the most fun of the whole lot.

Grade: B+

Movie Review: Minions

Minions/Dir. by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin/Rated PG/Universal Pictures/91 min.

There has been a trend emerging in the world of animated film of giving side characters their own feature films.  Many critics have slammed this trend, saying that these characters were designed for short shots of comic relief and don't have the substance to sustain an entire film.  Personally, I disagree.  These films succeed and fail not because of the origins of the main characters, but on the strength of the screenplay.  The Penguins of Madagascar may have failed at the box-office, but it's actually my favorite of the Madagascar films, partly because the penguins are far more interesting than the leads of the other movies, but mostly because it's written with the wit and manic energy of a Monty Python movie.  Cars 2 may have succeeded at the box-office, but it's the worst of the Pixar films not because it put Mater in the narrative drivers seat, but because it's the only film Pixar has ever made where it's obvious they were more interested in cool toy designs than clear plotting and engaging character arcs.

Well, it's my sad duty to report that Minions, the new film featuring the scene-stealing, gibberish-speaking, villain-serving characters from the Despicable Me films, is more Cars 2 than Penguins of Madagascar, but it's certainly not the fault of the little yellow guys.  They're as lovable and hysterical as ever.  No, it's all because of lazy writing.  A film that, by all means, should have been the funniest of the series, generates fewer belly laughs than either of the previous films.  Heck, it actually generates fewer laughs than its main animated competition at the box-office, the far more cerebral Inside Out.

It begins with a delightful prologue detailing the history of the minions, from single cell organisms to unfulfilled pill-shaped henchmen.  You see, the minions were created with the innate desire to find the most evil villain in the land and serve as his or her devoted....well.. minions.  This opening, most of which was unfortunately spoiled by the trailers, is easily the most imaginative and exciting set piece of the film.  In fact, I almost wish the the writers would have just expanded these little vignettes to feature length.  If they had this could have been something special.  Instead, the bulk of the movie focuses on three minions, the confident Kevin, the enthusiastic but easily frightened Bob, and the head-banger at heart Stewart, and their search for a master, a search that leads them to Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock, clearly having the time of her life) and her husband Herb (Jon Hamm, doing such a great Jason Segel impersonation that they may as well have just hired Jason Segel).  Scarlet, being evil, wants to rule England and she agrees to employ the entire minion colony if they can obtain the queens crown for her.

On the plus side, the movie has such an irreverent view of history that some of the plot twists are genuinely surprising.  Sequences involving Excalibur and Queen Elizabeth fly in the face of history and mythology and decorum just enough to give the film an air of subversive glee.  The problem is that these and, indeed most of the sequences of the 2nd act, feel haphazardly constructed and retread the same comic material over and over again.  You say that the first Despicable Me movie had a funny bit involving a minion's bare backside?  Well six such bits should be six times more funny!  The first time Scarlet slowly grows from cloyingly sweet to maniacally evil in a sentence was a hoot?  Let's do that with each of her speeches then!  From a story stand-point, so little happens in this 2nd act that it becomes little more than slightly amusing filler.

The movie almost regains its footing in the final act though.  It embraces the gonzo energy of the best animated comedies, bringing images and jokes to life in a way that life-action films simply can't approach.  However, it's all a case of too little too late.

It's not that Minions is a bad movie.  On a hot summer afternoon, it's a perfectly enjoyable way to spend a few hours in an air-conditioned theater.  It's just a disappointment from this series, which has consistently brought the funny and the heart.  Minions has a fraction of the humor and none of the heart.  But, still, the minions themselves are still pretty darned entertaining.  Here's hoping that there is a better written adventure in their future.

Grade: B-