7) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Worldwide Box Office: $682 Million (#8)
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation didn’t quite manage to top Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol, but you can’t fault it for trying. Of course, it’s a shame that Paramount decided to spoil the entirety of the plane sequence in trailers for the movie, as that robbed the opening of the impact it should have had, but there were still plenty of other great moments to be found here, including a thrilling car/motorbike chase and an edge of your seat underwater dive.
However, by far Rogue Nation‘s biggest achievement was the time we spent at the opera. Beautifully crafted by writer and director Christopher McQuarrie (who really took full advantage of this release to put himself on the map in a major way), Rebecca Ferguson was a highlight of not just that, but arguably the entire movie, and she alone helped to elevate this latest instalment in the franchise to a whole other level.
The final act wasn’t quite so strong unfortunately, and reports that Rogue Nation at one point didn’t have an ending – which led to production being halted to give them time to figure one out – are now pretty easy to believe. The forgettable villain was also something of a misfire, but for the most part, this latest Mission: Impossible movie made for a solid summer blockbuster and proved that Tom Cruise can still attract moviegoers.
