Mission: Impossible - Fallout Review

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Cruise Control.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to enter a series which has gifted cinema with action movies as good as any other and live up to their greatness. This at first glance appears to be a (pardon the pun) an impossible mission for Christopher McQuarrie. The Mission: Impossible series has been an odd one to say the least. The 1996 first film was a phycological thriller which was solid but wasn’t intended to be anything more than a one-time film. The John Woo sequel is the cheesiest action movie which is so gloriously bad that it’s good, the slow-motion doves being my favourite thing about it. Then Mission: Impossible 3 arrived in 2006 and changed everything. J.J Abrams delivered an action thrill ride which elevated the franchise into a realistic and captivating thrill ride. From then on is where the Tom Cruise vehicle entered the world of cinematic brilliance. Ghost Protocol (my personal favourite) and Rogue nation are two of the most intelligent, enjoyable and slick action movies of all time. These two films showed that Tom Cruise, even when going pass the midpoint of his career, was only entering his prime. To be able to match these films would be one hell of an achievement for the Series first rerunning director Christopher McQuarrie. Mission: Impossible – Fallout, not only matches the previous 2 films but amazingly it brings the series to new heights.

The 6^th film once again follows Ethan Hunt and the rest of the IMF crew’s attempt to not only save the world but save themselves. This time the gang join forces with FBI agent John Walker, played by a moustache wielding Henry Cavill, in a race against time to retrieve plutonium bombs from a terrorist group known as The Apostles before it’s too late. Right off the bat the film goes moving at a fast pace but one which is different than the crazy set pieces of the prior films. One thing I need to say is that it’s essential that you re-watch Rogue Nation before seeing this film, this is a continuation of the story McQuarrie first gave 3 years ago. Unlike the other Mission: Impossible sequels this is a direct follow up so save yourself some confusion and go catch up on Rogue Nation. The opening is unique in the effortless way it sets up the plot and the characters motivations inside 10 minutAnnihilation, brings beautiful scenery into the film. The Paris scenes make the city feel alive but it’s the action scenes in its snow-based location which will take your breath away.

es without any laziness or filler. The plot excels in the way that it never feels like it’s taking the audience for a bunch of idiots. The script is not dumbed down to make this a popcorn flick. McQuarrie has written a script which knows exactly what it is, there is no recap of the events that have happened prior to this film to slow down the high-octane plot, every character interaction feels important, and the jokes are hilarious but not distracting or overused. The cinematography is the best in the series so far. Rob Hardy, who seriously deserves an Oscar for what he created earlier this year in

Tom Cruise is an enigma. I can’t fathom in my head how at the age of 56, he is still the best action hero in the world today. The man has never looked better in a film, the character of Hunt which he has been playing for over 20 years is better than Bourne or Bond. Hunt is the action hero whose journey has been an enthralling one to follow, well besides his weird turn in Mission: Impossible 2, we’ve so much time with this character that we want him to succeed. Hunt in this film is a man who’s confused about his own life’s direction, but his main goal is to always keep his friends safe. Cruise is the action hero who we deserve. The ordeals that he puts himself through are crazy, we’ll get to that when I talk about stunts later, but what struck me is that even without all the action Cruise gives an unreal performance once again, his facial expressions always signal what emotions the character feels, even his tone of voice lets the audience know that Hunt is relying on sheer luck to pull this mission off. Cruise also produced this film, it’s far and away his best character he’s ever played. He also clearly wants to protect Hunt and not let his character be bogged won by a mediocre sequel which diminishes what came before, looking at you Damon.

The supporting cast in this film deserves its plaudits just as much as Cruise does. Henry Cavill is the MVP of the film. August Walker is a badass, a man who is the polar opposite to Hunt. Walker will try to get the job done no matter what, the shotgun arms too are just as brilliant as I dreamed. I’m really surprised by just how good Cavil is in this, for the last few years we’ve mainly seen him as is drab portrayal of Superman. In his first attempt to enter the spy franchise, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., he bombed. The film was forgettable and frankly just a chore to watch. Here Cavill takes the roles and runs with it. I want more of this from, don’t play the goody two shoes who follows the rules all the time, if Cavill goes for the more grizzled approach then this guy could be a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Simon Pegg, who returns as Benji, is yet again very entertaining and the barer of most of the laughs. Pegg deserves more recognition for this role as even his more dramatic scenes are played very well by him and he never feels out of place. Ilsa, a returning Rebecca Ferguson, is so commanding in her action scenes that if Cruise ever decides to leave than she would be my number one pick to take over. Solomon Lane is the first bad guy to appear twice in the series, Sean Harris who is now spotting a beard is even creepier than before and justifies his inclusion. I found Baldwin to be a little bit distracting but that’s because of all his SNL Trump skits I’ve seen, his performance is solid! Oh, I almost forgot Ving Rhames is back as Luther again, don’t worry he’s still as lovable as ever.

The thing that elevates this film into one of the best action films I’ve ever seen is the action. The action in this film is stunning. From the gun fights, to the plane jump, to the motorbike chase, to the helicopter fight and even to Tom Cruises signature running each action scene is immense. I was literally on the edge of my seat every time action went down. Unlike most set pieces which last about 5 minutes, this film gives set pieces that can span from 10 to even 20 minutes of sheer exhilarating film. I’ve never seen a film which had fist fighting as tense as gun fights, each fist thrown felt like a gun shot. Cruise does his best stunts yet, it came at a cost with the actor breaking his ankle on set. Amazingly that take made the final cut and added to the film. Cruise does most of the athleticism stunts but the physicality of Cavill’s performance is just as important. The helicopter fight may be the best thing this series has ever come up with and in a year, which featured a movie with all your favourite superheroes fighting Thanos, this is by far the best action you’ll see all year.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is amazing. It truly is an exceptional piece of cinema. There’s no getting around the fact that somehow a 6^th entry into a series may be one of the best action movies of all times. The only slight nit-pick I have is that Michelle Monaghan didn’t really need to be in the film but hell that doesn’t even annoy me at all. This is a film that we will leave you with a huge grin on your face. At 2 and a half hours long, you’ll struggle to find a movie that speeds through like this one does. Do yourself a favour and see this film. If you love action, then I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Mission: Impossible – Fallout congratulations, you are now my favourite film of the year.

Liam’s Mission: Impossible Fallout Summary.

Best Moment: The Helicopter fight is marvellous.

Worst Moment: I’d go with Cavill’s moustache, but that debacle is hilarious.

Best Character: AUGUST WALKER HAS SHOTGUN ARMS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

Worst Character: The people who were talking in the cinema.

Overall Rating: 5/5