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Digital Trends
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
10 years later, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation is the funnest movie in the saga
The Mission: Impossible franchise might be over for good. After eight movies and almost 30 years, it feels like the kind of franchise that's difficult to summarize. It was different things at different times, and that's precisely what made it so interesting. 10 years ago, the franchise made its most significant pivot with Mission: Impossible —Rogue Nation. This was the first of four films that Christopher McQuarrie would direct. It signaled a change in how much of the cast from one movie might show up in the next. Even more importantly, Rogue Nation is the most fun film in the entire franchise. It might even be its best. Here's what makes it so good. Rebecca Ferguson, Rebecca Ferguson, Rebecca Ferguson Never has a star emerged more fully formed than Rebecca Ferguson does in this movie. Every Mission: Impossible had a female lead; some of them were quite good. Ferguson's Ilsa Faust was the first character who felt like Ethan Hunt's equal, maybe even his superior. Of course, it certainly didn't hurt that she served a much more central role in the plot than many of Ethan's other compatriots. Recommended Videos Because it's incredibly difficult to know for sure what side she's on from the moment she enters the movie, she's keeping both the audience and Ethan on their toes. These movies are at their best when Ferguson crushes her performance. There's a reason she's become the queen of science fiction in the years since. It has one of the most impressive sequences in the franchise When you think of great Mission: Impossible sequences, you likely think of Tom Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa or hanging off a biplane. What's remarkable about Rogue Nation, though, is that while it has a couple of remarkable sequences (including an invigorating motorcycle chase), the movie's most memorable set piece is constructed like a ramped-up Hitchcock thriller. The opera house sequence, where we meet Ilsa for the first time, is told from multiple competing points of view as you begin to realize all the different players involved in the scene and all the divergent reasons that they've descended on the same location. The fact that it builds to something comprehensible feels like a miracle in and of itself. This sequence is the best one in a movie filled with impressive scenes. It was a clear signal that McQuarrie would be bringing something distinct to the table. Rogue Nation might have the best ensemble cast Even if you set aside Ferguson (which this franchise learned you should never do), Rogue Nation might still have the most complete ensemble cast. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are part of every late-stage movie, but they're both excellent here, and they're joined by Jeremy Renner's Brandt and Alec Baldwin's CIA director. That cast has no weak links and makes for a movie where every character is fun to watch. Everyone plays well off of each other. Renner, in particular, is great in his two installments, making you wish that he was a part of the rest of the franchise. It lets Tom Cruise be funny Ethan Hunt is a difficult character to read partially because he represents a stand-in for Cruise. In Rogue Nation, we get the chance to see Cruise exercise his comedic chops, which is often when these movies are at their best. There's a moment where Cruise tries and fails to jump over the hood of the car. It's a reminder that Cruise wants to entertain above all else. He wants to look cool, sure, but he also loves Chaplin and Keaton and knows when to design a stunt so that he looks amazing and when to design one so that he looks like an utter fool. It's the first movie that seems to have an idea of what these movies are about First and foremost, every installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise is designed to entertain. These are blockbusters through and through, meaning their ultimate goal is to be exciting and worth the price of admission. Rogue Nation, though, begins to tease out another idea at the core of these movies. The finale of Rogue Nation forces Ethan to make a choice. The film's villain, Solomon Lane, has kidnapped Pegg's Benji, and Ethan has to either turn over data that will allow Lane to fund his terrorist activities or let his teammate and friend die. For all of the physical dominance that Cruise asserts as Ethan Hunt, these are the impossible missions at the center of these movies. Over and over again, Ethan is given a choice between saving one life and saving everyone, and over and over, he refuses to make that choice. Instead, he does things that are truly impossible. In this case, that involves memorizing a long string of numbers so that Solomon cannot make him turn over anything. Ethan becomes the desirable object, changing Lane's calculation. This incomprehensible feat is all internal, and all Cruise can do is use a steely glare to convince you that he's memorized hundreds of digits. What's crucial, though, is that you believe that Ethan would do it if it meant saving a life. This notion, that Ethan refuses to sacrifice anyone, is core to the rest of the Mission: Impossible franchise, even if it's never particularly heavy-handed. This idea starts in earnest in Rogue Nation, which weaves together all the fun of this franchise with a design that feels just a little bit weighty. You can watch Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation on Paramount Plus.
Khaleej Times
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
James Gunn says replacing Henry Cavill in 'Superman' was 'unfair'
Following the success of Superman, director James Gunn opened up on how he convinced Henry Cavill to sit out from the Superman film franchise ahead of casting David Corenswet in the latest DC Studios' superhero project. During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Superman director explained that as his deal to take over DC Studios was finalised, it was announced that Cavill would reprise his role as the Man of Steel. However, according to Gunn, it was already decided that he would helm a new Superman film with a new actor, which created an "unfair" situation for Cavill. "The day our [DC] deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back. And I'm like, 'What is going on?' We know what the plan is. The plan was to come in and do Superman. So it was really unfair to him and a total bummer," Gunn was quoted as saying by Variety. Gunn added that the miscommunication was due to a sector of the studio trying to "force" their own vision of DC, which was "never part of the equation". To solve the misunderstanding, the director decided to disclose the truth to Cavill. "So, that was really unfortunate. Peter and I [thought] the right thing to do was to sit down with [Cavill] and talk to him. And we sat down and we talked to him. He was an absolute gentleman, a great guy about it," Gunn was quoted as saying by Variety. "'The only thing I ask is that I'm able to reveal it myself as opposed to it coming from you guys.'" Gunn also hinted at the possibility of casting Cavill in future DCU movies. While Cavill starred as the Man of Steel across three DC films from 2013 to 2017, Corenswet took over the role for Gunn's DCU debut feature Superman, which released July 11. Other cast members for that film include Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho), Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner) and Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl).
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Freddie Prinze Jr reveals hopes for rebooted horror franchise
Freddie Prinze Jr has hinted at the future of the I Know What You Did Last Summer film franchise. Speaking on the red carpet in Los Angeles on Monday, he said he hopes the series will continue to get "longer and stronger". The 49-year-old actor has reprised his role from the original 1997 movie in a new sequel. He is joined in the latest instalment by co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt. Watch the video in full above.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Who needs kryptonite when the reviews are this bad? Woke Superman reboot is savaged in brutal early review as hard-to-please critics brand new movie a 'convoluted mess'
Usually it's just kryptonite that brings Superman out in a rash, but early reviews of the latest instalment in the long-running film franchise suggest our lycra-clad hero has significantly more to worry about than green crystals. The new film, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet as the fictional superhero, with Rachel Brosnahan as precocious reporter Lois Lane, will go on general release from July 11. But while it marks a new chapter in a franchise that began with the iconic Christopher Reeve in Richard Donner's well received 1978 classic Superman: The Movie, a faction of early reviews suggest some critics are already longing for it to end. MORE TO FOLLOW
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Jurassic Park and World movies ranked from worst to best according to fans
Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park franchise has been an integral part of Hollywood history since the first film came out in 1993, and it has been going strong for more than three decades. Dinosaurs have fascinated people ever since Richard Attenborough's John Hammond first welcomed us to Jurassic Park, and viewers saw Sam Neill face down a T Rex in the rain. Hollywood has been hoping to recapture that magic ever since, and the franchise now features seven films — the latest of which is now in cinemas: Jurassic World Rebirth. From the original Jurassic Park trilogy to the Jurassic World movies, viewers have had varying responses to the film. Here is how they all rank according to fans. Jurassic World: Dominion features a complicated narrative involving human clones, giant insects, and even more mutated dinosaurs. After the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom led to the destruction of Isla Nublar, genetics corporation Biosyn hopes to use their DNA to find a way to control the world's food supply. The 2022 film brought the gang back together for the first time. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern returned to their iconic roles as Dr Alan Grant, Dr Ian Malcolm and Dr Ellie Sattler one last time. But, unfortunately, it wasn't worth their time, and audiences have rightly voted it their least favourite film of the franchise thus far with a middling 5.6 rating. IMDb rating: 5.6 The Jurassic Park franchise originally ended with a whimper rather than a bang back in 2001 with Jurassic Park III. The movie centred on Alan and a group of all-new characters, who persuade him to go on a rescue mission and risk the wrath of dinosaurs once more in exchange for funding for his research. It is not as exciting or charming as its predecessors; in fact, it has become a bit of a punchline on the franchise's diminishing returns, especially because of a dream sequence in which a velociraptor speaks to Alan. The movie almost sealed the franchise's fate for good, and it has been rated only slightly better than the dud that is Dominion. IMDb rating: 5.9 Jurassic World helped reinvigorate the franchise, and its follow-up, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, helped draw audiences to cinemas. The movie swapped the dinosaur adventure story in favour of horror, a surprising turn of events that helped make Fallen Kingdom a memorable experience. The film followed Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard's Owen and Claire contending with dinosaurs rampaging in the house of Hammond's former business partner, who is hosting a black market sale of the creatures after an extinction event threatens them. The film comes in at the middle of the pack and received a decent enough rating from viewers: 6.1. IMDb rating: 6.1 The seventh Jurassic movie, Jurassic World: Rebirth, is one of the best-received sequels despite being released to mixed reviews from critics. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film is a soft reboot of the story, moving on from the events of 2022's Dominion with an all-new cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali. David Koepp, the screenwriter of the first movie, returns to script the standalone sequel, and fans were impressed with the action set pieces that restored the thrilling pace of the original film. Only the two Steven Spielberg-directed Jurassic movies and the 2015 Jurassic World reboot rated higher with fans on IMDb. IMDb rating: 6.3 The original Jurassic Park was hard to follow, but audiences wanted more, so Hollywood answered, and thus, Goldblum returned for The Lost World in 1997. The movie saw his character Malcolm work with a new team, including Sarah Harding (Julianna Moore) and Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn), at Jurassic Park's Site B island to document the dinosaurs that live there. While Malcolm and his crew hope to show that dinosaurs deserve to be left alone after being brought back from extinction, others wish to bring them closer to civilisation even if they're at risk of running riot. The film was an enjoyable adventure even if it wasn't quite the same as the original, but it received a favourable 6.6 rating among fans. IMDb rating: 6.6 After the failings of Jurassic Park III, it seemed like Spielberg's beloved franchise had reached its end until 2015's Jurassic World proved there was still life in it. The movie introduced Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as Owen and Claire, staff at the new Jurassic World theme park. The dinosaurs are still dangerous, but the idea of being entertained by them is still appealing, so the public has flocked to the park, but it all goes wrong when a mutated dinosaur goes rogue and starts wreaking havoc. Jurassic World helped bring the beloved franchise back from the brink of extinction and proved an entertaining romp that did just enough to breathe new life into the series. IMDb rating: 6.9 Nothing can compare to the original Jurassic Park; it's undeniable. Spielberg's original 1993 movie is perfect in almost every way, from the exciting narrative to the awe-inspiring action sequences and countless memorable moments. There are few films like it. The movie follows Dr Alan Grant, Dr Ian Malcolm and Dr Ellie Sattler as they are brought to a remote tropical island where John Hammond reveals that dinosaurs are no longer extinct and asks for their help to endorse the park to open to the public. The movie became an instant classic, and it should be no surprise that audiences view it as the franchise's best film by a mile. IMDb rating: 8.2
