Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Ever since debuting as a film franchise, the Mission Impossible series has been doing what seems to be impossible, which is aging well since its debut in 1996.
Another thing that has aged as gracefully as the storied franchise is the action movie credentials of the 53-year-old Tom Cruise.
But whether or not the series is doing its best impression of wine, and becoming better with age is still a point of contention.
The American actor’s high-octane performance as the Impossible Mission Force’s (IMF) Ethan Hunt, still leaves the audience on the edge of their seats 19 years on, despite the slightly formulaic nature of the series.
There were no unexpected mind-shattering surprises in the fifth movie of the franchise, but all the action more than makes up for it.
Cruise leads an ensemble cast composed of longtime series veteran Ving Rhames, relative newcomer Jeremy Renner, British funnyman Simon Pegg, Golden Globe nominee Rebecca Ferguson, The Borgias’ Sean Harris, and film veteran Alec Baldwin.
The person whose performance stood out in the film is the almost comically not-action-oriented Simon Pegg.
Pegg has seen his role grow exponentially in the Mission Impossible series ever since making his first appearance as the computer wizard of the team in the third movie of the franchise.
The portrayal of Pegg as the comic relief is a foil to Cruise’s all-action Hunt, keeping the film light hearted.
Harris also does well in his portrayal as the villain Solomon Lang, leaving the protagonists in a series of almost impossible situations at every turn. Admittedly, though, I don’t expect many viewers to be a fan of Harris’s interpretation of the sometimes soft-spoken character.
There are times when the plot feels predictable, with twists not necessarily as surprising as the director may have intended it, but the magic of the film is that it still keeps you waiting with baited breath.
