Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Tom Cruise is back again for the sixth time as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. What is even more interesting is the fact that it is the first time that a director was brought back for a second movie. Christopher McQuarrie directed Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in 2015 and it was probably the best movie in the series. He tried to do everything bigger and better this time around, but is it the best movie in the series?

The Bad

This can be a little be of a confusing movie at times. Most people will agree that Mission: Impossible movies stand alone pretty well. However, with this one, I think it is important that you have seen at least the last couple of movies in order to really understand what is going on. I think because McQuarrie directed the last movie as well, this movie leans on a lot of information from that film. Ethan’s past with Ilsa and Soloman Lane are both things that you won’t really understand unless you watched the last movie.

One of my favorite parts about Rogue Nation was how unpredictable it was. Over and over it kept surprising me. This movie tries to do similar things but it is a little more predictable with its unpredictability if that makes sense. (SPOILER) One example of the movie getting a little bit predictable can be found in the final action scene on the rock formation. Hunt and Walker are hanging on the rock wall trying to climb up to the detonator which is sitting on a ledge above. During this scene, the camera focuses many times on a hook that is on the end of a rope that is holding the helicopter on the edge of the cliff. It became very clear to me that this hook would be important. I actually was able to predict that the hook would come detached from the rock wall and hit Walker on its way down. It’s fun to predict things before they happen but it is far more satisfying to be surprised.

The Good

Tom Cruise proves once again that he is still one of the best action stars in Hollywood. Even at age 56, he is still hanging from helicopters as they take off, jumping from rooftops, and sprinting all over the place. One of my favorite scenes from the whole movie is the bathroom fight scene. There is so much going on and it is choreographed incredibly well. The bathroom scene then leads into another fantastic scene when Hunt meets the White Widow. There are so many other great action sequences in this movie that there really isn’t a lot of time for the audience to catch their breath. As far as I’m concerned that is a trait that only the best action movies actually have.

Another one of the big strengths of this film is the character work. It does a great job building to the storylines of characters we already know, as well as introducing a few new characters. Henry Cavill and Venessa Kirby both do a really nice job as the main two new characters that we are introduced to. Once again, I really like what they do with Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson). She is clearly someone that Hunt trusts but because she is working for someone else she becomes somewhat of a complication for Hunt’s plans.

The visuals and cinematography are top-notch throughout. I was really impressed with some of the creative shots that we were given top display the amazing action scenes. I was once again impressed with the writing of this film. They created some twists that were such classic “Mission: Impossible” twists that all you can really do is smile and clap.

The Rating

With Rogue Nation and now Fallout, this series has become one of the premier actual franchises out there. While I don’t think Fallout is quite good enough to become my favorite of the group, it is certainly worthy of all the hype and acclaim that it has been getting. Call him what you will; short, crazy, a Scientologist. Regardless, Tom Cruise is still a legitimate action star and I can’t wait to see what he will do at age 60!

7.75/10

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