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Review: Mission: Impossible - Fallout
It isn’t often that the sixth movie in a franchise is the best installment. But it’s now the case with Mission: Impossible. Fallout is exhilarating and keeps your heart pounding the whole way through. When Brad Bird showed audiences what was possible with the M:I franchise in Ghost Protocol, it seemed like that was the best we would get. But Christopher McQuarrie debatably outdid him with Rogue Nation, and now has outdone himself with Fallout.
This movie has almost nonstop thrills. A lot of action movies will have compelling action, but then won’t know what to do with the more emotionally driven scenes. But Fallout does both well to legitimately make it one of the greatest action movies ever made.
Of course, the driving force behind this is Tom Cruise. He again delivers an amazing performance as Ethan Hunt, as you never know who is going to betray him, help him, or save him next. There were at least a good 10 different “Oh my goodness!” moments where I was just staring at the screen wide-eyed, marveling at the masterpiece that I was beholding.
Even though this is a movie about a small group of people trying to save millions of lives from atomic bombs, it felt more grounded and realistic than any other movie in the series. By the way it is shot, I found myself comparing it to The Dark Knight in how it is able to make this movie that spans about five different countries feel small and personal.
Since this is a series with high turnover in actors, having Hunt’s team be made up of familiar faces raised the stakes. As a character points out, Hunt only really cares for a few people in his life. All of them are present in this movie, which makes it that much more important that he completes this impossible mission. Add on Henry Cavill’s August Walker, and the return of Solomon Lane, and you get a cast of characters that you care about and that intrigue you.
This movie raises the stakes higher than they have ever been raised in the franchise. It isn’t just about Hunt saving the world full of people neither he or the audience know. Instead, it’s about him saving this close group of friends. It is enough to scare the audience into thinking that something may actually happen to these characters…
The franchise’s most memorable score is also present in this installment. Many action movies have the fast paced music playing during their action scenes, but it’s often generic. Fallout works the main M:I theme into what is going on, as well as crafting its own unique music, which just adds to the already high tension.
It also makes it seem like all off the action is happening quickly. This is a movie that is well over two hours long, but it doesn’t feel like it. The pacing is so quick and action-filled that there is never a dull moment, which glues your eyes to the screen.
The action, like usual, is the best part of the movie. There are maybe two dozen different action set pieces, and none of them disappoint. The minimal use of special effects is so obvious and it multiplies the movie’s quality by 10. Whether it is three men fist fighting in a bathroom, Ethan Hunt running across rooftops, or a helicopter chase, the action grips you like an Ethan Hunt chokehold and doesn’t allow you to look away.
Finally, the only negative part of the movie is the story, but only at certain points. It throws twist after twist at you to leave you wondering how plausible it all really is. But in the end, it is nowhere near enough to care, because you will just be having so much fun with the rest of it.
This is a movie that I won’t be able to get out of my head for a long time, based on sheer spectacle alone. It gives such an adrenaline rush that you’ll be wanting to start it over right away, just to experience it again.
Have you seen Mission: Impossible - Fallout? If so, let me know what you thought on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!