Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Film Review
Director Christopher McQuarrie returns to the Mission: Impossible franchise following 2015’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and delivers not only the strongest entry in the series to date, but one of the greatest action blockbusters this decade.
After the events of Rogue Nation, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) embarks on a new mission – to find and capture plutonium; a dangerous chemical that, if in enemy hands, will result in the end of the world.
Unsurprisingly, when people think of the Mission: Impossible films, they usually think of the brilliantly choreographed action and fight scenes that seem to get even better with each passing installment, and the same can be said with Fallout. The stunts in this film are absolutely brutal and incredibly breathtaking to watch, particularly a helicopter sequence. What is also remarkable is that Cruise yet again does his own stunts here. It would be a pleasure to see the stunt team behind Fallout get recognized by the Academy Awards in time for the forthcoming Oscar season.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
What is also refreshing with Fallout is that at its centre, it has an emotional punch. The stakes truly have never been higher with this entry, and you can honestly feel it through the brilliant storytelling.
The characters that we have come to love are also more developed this time around, particularly Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames). The script takes these characters to new and surprising heights, which was thrilling.
Something else that I deeply appreciated with Fallout was the bold decision to not have any music of any sort playing during several fight/action scenes. Instead, we hear loud punches being thrown, bones being broken, etc. It all adds to the visceral feel that the film establishes.
Henry Cavill as August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
There are also many times where the film could end up being cliché, but it thankfully avoids all this. Several times during this film I was surprised at the plot twists that were just around the corner.
One of the greatest elements about Fallout however is how with each passing scene during the runtime, the stakes rise increasingly higher one by one. Each scene feels more tense than the one before it, and that continues throughout.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout is one of the most thrilling action films this decade and the best in the franchise yet.
Overall Grade: A+
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action, and for brief strong language
Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Running Time: 147 minutes