‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Review

The Mission: Impossible franchise has actually gotten better in its later stages. Ghost Protocol really brought the franchise back into the mainstream and it only got better with Rogue Nation. It also helps to have Tom Cruise doing his own stunts, adding a higher sense of realism to the films. Luckily, Mission: Impossible – Fallout continues the streak of great action films in this franchise.

Plot

After the results of Rogue Nation, multiple sources of plutonium are still floating around. A secret terrorist organization is planning on using the plutonium to blow up three major cities. 

The plutonium goes missing and it is up to Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the IMF to find it before it gets into the wrong hands. With corruption and betrayal making it hard to know who to trust, the IMF find themselves in a race against the clock to save the world.

Characters

Once again, Cruise is excellent as Ethan Hunt. He has a strong dedication to his job and saving the world, however, he battles with questions between right and wrong. He is willing to save others even if it means letting the bad guys escape. Cruise does all of his own stunts and it really adds a raw, grittiness to the action scenes because no CGI or editing has to be used to make it look like it’s him.

He is surrounded by a great supporting cast as well. Simon Pegg adds some levity to intense scenes but still plays a vital part in the story. Rebecca Ferguson reprises her role from the last movie and she is able to play a strong, independent character while still having very strong chemistry with Cruise. Ving Rhames is always great during these movies and his friendship with Cruise during this movie is a definite strong point.

Henry Cavill plays the villain and while he does a good job, he never really felt very menacing. He just seemed like a generic Mission: Impossible bad guy, but I did like his character. He does a good job during the fight scenes. 

Also, the mustache didn’t make much of a difference so not sure why he couldn’t shave it off. Sean Harris reprises his villainous role from the last film and I thought he was a lot more menacing and interesting than Cavill’s character. His voice is somewhat creepy and he always sounds like he’s one step ahead.

Direction

Christopher McQuarrie does an amazing job at directing this movie. These are some of the most intense, raw, and adrenaline-fueled action scenes I have ever seen. There is a helicopter sequence that is jaw-dropping, not just from what is occurring, but from the way that it is filmed. The action scenes keep you locked in and keep the movie going at a good pace.

It is a long film and while the pacing is fine, it can feel a bit lengthy at times. The story is relatively simple, however, there are a lot of twists and betrayals that come in a traditional Mission: Impossible film. It is surprising and provides some more intrigue in the plot, but the narrative can feel a lot more convoluted than it really is. 

It became a bit hard to follow at times simply because of how much changes so quickly. There are a lot of exposition dump scenes as well, where characters spout information at one another and sometimes these scenes feel unnecessarily complex.

While the film does tread familiar territory that is seen in this franchise, McQuarrie keeps it fresh with different set pieces and original action scenes that feel unique to this film alone. The plot has been done before, but the way the narrative is told and executed has elements of originality.

Final Thoughts

It is hard to believe that the Mission: Impossible franchise is six movies in but still finds new ways of creating amazing action sequences and developing the characters further. Fallout is not the best in the franchise (my favorite is still Rogue Nation) but it is definitely up there and I would not be surprised if it becomes somebody else’s favorite. Despite a lot of exposition, this is a high-octane, energy boost from beginning to end.

Rating: 9/10