Mission: Impossible- Fallout

Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley, Frederick Schmidt
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is asked to do the impossible once again when plutonium goes missing. He and his IMF team must race against time to stop a shadow organization from weaponizing the plutonium and raining destruction on the world.

Review:

Tim: The sixth Mission: Impossible movie might very well be the best. That is so hard for me to comprehend. This franchise is now 22 years old and this entry feels fresh and exciting. There's no sign of franchise fatigue here. The success of this film and this franchise makes me want to explore this in significant detail- how were they able to pull this off? In a world dominated by superheroes, when pure action movies feel generic and redundant, how did Mission: Impossible- Fallout not only prove to be a must-see film, but a great movie in its own right? I loved this movie and I marvel that this franchise has never felt stronger than it does here.

One of the things I loved about this franchise is that every movie has been directed by someone different. This is an interesting approach as every entry felt unique, crafted by a different hand. For the first time in the franchise, this didn't happen- Christopher McQuarrie (who directed the previous entry, Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation) came back. My first reaction was skepticism. It flipped one of the truths about this franchise on its head and while I enjoyed Rogue Nation very much, it felt like a step back from Ghost Protocol. All my concerns were for nothing, though. McQuarrie builds on the work he did in the fifth film, where this movie feels like a true sequel to that movie. It also feels like a summary of the entire franchise this far. McQuarrie felt even more in control here as he crafts bigger, better stunts. This movie was directed so well and I give McQuarrie all the credit in the world for delivering (perhaps) the best film in the franchise.

One of the great things about this franchise is the focus on the crazy Tom Cruise stunts. There's been so many over the years, but there's this sense that you NEED to see the next movie to see what Cruise is doing. From the lasers scene in the original, to scaling the tallest building in the world, to hanging off the plane- this franchise has been about big, insane stunts that try to limit the amount of visual effects required. It gives the movie a realistic quality, even as the stunts themselves become bigger and more difficult. This film adds so many great sequences. The standout is the dangling off a helicopter scene, but the whole helicopter chase is incredible. There's some great chase sequences- from the police in a truck, on foot, in a boat. The skydriving scene is so intense. The bathroom sequence is one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen in a film. The movie ups the ante on the action scenes, which doesn't feel possible at this point. It's one of the reasons this movie is so good- in a franchise built on incredibly cool stunts, Fallout very well might be the best of any of them. That's nearly impossible to believe for a sixth film in a series.

I've loved how this franchise has built its cast over each entry. The cast is superb. Tom Cruise is once again just fantastic as Ethan Hunt. He knows this character and knows exactly how to play him. He's believable and fantastic in the role and he shows no signs of slowing down. Now, I will say that a couple attempts at humor fell flat early in the movie- it was a combination of writing and Cruise's delivery that made me cringe instead of laugh. Still, as a whole, Cruise deserves immense credit for delivering another strong performance here. Simon Pegg is always excellent and adds great humor and I hope Ving Rhames continues to show up and deliver. I loved the addition of Henry Cavill to the film. He adds this dangerous brutality to the film that I really enjoyed. Rebecca Ferguson stole so many scenes in Rogue Nation, so I adored seeing her again. Her role is a bit limited here, but her presence makes this movie better. I loved how they leveraged Sean Harris again, and incorporating Michelle Monaghan into the story was brilliant. Alec Baldwin got a couple of good scenes, too. As a whole the cast here was so much fun and a big reason why I enjoyed the movie.

I think a lot about great movies and what makes a movie great. Mission: Impossible- Fallout is "just" an action movie, but it's an incredibly entertaining one that is often gorgeous to look at (the cinematography on those mountain scenes). The stunts are some of the best I have ever seen and there's some real heart and emotion in this film. It brings all the great elements of this franchise together in a way that hasn't quite been done in the 22 years of this movie franchise's history. This is one of the best action movies I've seen in years and is easily one of the best movies of 2018.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible 2, Mission: Impossible III, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation