Aaron's Thoughts
If Ghost Protocol is the film that supercharges the creativity & action filmmaking of the franchise, Rogue Nation is the film that supercharges the casting of the franchise.
Ferguson feels like the first person who brings the same energy & charisma to the franchise that Cruise does (and no, I’m not counting Hoffman in MI3 because he was a poorly written villain only opposite Cruise on screen for a few minutes). It takes a special person to go toe to toe with Cruise during action sequences & it’s something they finally get right with Ferguson. Léa Seydoux gets them on the right track in Ghost Protocol, but Ferguson is a home run
We also get the best villain of the franchise in Solomon Lane. I think Hoffman gives the best performance as a villain in MI3, but Solomon Lane feels much more fully realized & authentic. Terrifyingly authentic. He’s a much better physical representation of the syndicate than Gabriel is of the entity.
It also finds a way to build on the action filmmaking & creativity of Ghost Protocol with possibly my favorite set piece in the franchise, the opera fight. A legendary sequence that is impeccably edited. That scene & the closing motorcycle chase automatically make it better than 95% of action films.
