Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Minority Report) is back for the 6th instalment in one of his most beloved franchises, Mission: Impossible. The franchise that started out in 1996 and has been going on since with each film trying to make itself bigger and better than its predecessor. And now this new film Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018, Christopher McQuarrie) is set to be the biggest one yet!
For the first time in the Series' history, the director from the previous film has returned to helm the sequel, which is really good as Rogue Nation (2015, Christopher McQuarrie) more or less found the right tone for the series in that film.
First Thoughts
This film is perhaps the best action film of 2018! Yeah! I'm calling it! The action is exciting and intense, the acting is really good and the story is really suspenseful. This was possibly one of the most adrenaline-fueled experiences I've ever had at the cinema. With every scene having nail-biting stakes.
Ethan Hunt/Tom Cruise
The star of this franchise since its cinematic debut back in the 90's, and one of Hollywood's most hardworking actors. Tom Cruise is at his best in this film. And it's quite commendable how Cruise is willing to push himself in order to entertain his audience. He's a performer and he's damn good at it. However, for this film. Cruise gets to explore more of the psychology of Ethan Hunt. What drives him, what he regrets and what he's willing to do to win. They did go into this in Rogue Nation (2015, Christopher McQuarrie) but for this film, they dive into it with more detail. There is one scene in particular where Ethan sees a life that he could have had without the IMF which was seriously powerful, and well done to Cruise for portraying that turmoil going on in Ethan. I honestly this is the best performance that Cruise has given in a Mission: Impossible film.
August Walker/Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill (Man Of Steel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E) is arguably the second best character in this film. From his action scenes to the more quiet moments. He does a really good job of playing the Yang to Tom Cruise's Yin. And not just personality-wise but also physically. In certain action scenes, it's quite clear how different Walker is from Hunt just with the way he fights, with more blunt force trauma instead of Hunt's precision. I also really liked how Cavill Played Walker as a wildcard, as he is there to keep an eye on Ethan and terminate him if necessary. And on that note, it's great to see Cavill as more of a darker character. A far cry from his role as Superman in the DCEU. So it's good that he's got range with his acting.
Ilsa Faust/Rebecca Ferguson
I didn't think there was anywhere else to go with Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) after Rogue Nation but it turns out I was wrong! She has a very interesting sub-plot in this film that carries on from where Rogue Nation left her off. Unfortunately, she does still feel like a tag-along with the rest of the team. But Rebecca Ferguson (Life, The Greatest Showman) leaves such an impression in her scenes that I'm okay with it. I also really liked her relationship with Ethan. In their scenes together it's perfectly clear that they're more or less equals and have huge respect for one another. It also helps that Ferguson and Cruise have really good on-screen chemistry. So I'd be very excited to see where they take her character and her relationship with Ethan in future films.
Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell/Simon Pegg & Ving Rhames
I've put these two together because there's not really a lot going on with their characters. Whilst Luther (Ving Rhames) has never really had a lot of character in these films I was surprised that the filmmakers side-lined Benji (Simon Pegg) in this film, who had a fair bit of character development in the previous film. Although, I will say that it's amusing how both Luther and Benji are more or less Ethan's Ride-Or-Die bros. They are his ultimate cheerleaders, to the point that it's comical.
White Widow/Vanessa Kirby
I honestly didn't know that Vanessa Kirby was in this film. In the trailers, we only get to see her for 2 seconds and I completely missed her! But she does have a sizable role in this film and, much like Henry Cavill, Kirby gets to show off her range as an actress by playing a character very different from her other roles. But she's really good at this! She wears Femme Fatale very well! I would have liked to have seen more of her character but the scenes she was in were very good.
Story/Character moments
In Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie gave audiences a Hitchcockian thriller on steroids. And now he seems to have doubled down on that for Fallout. There's more tension, more suspense and more twists. But, for this film, McQuarrie has added more character moments. There are some genuinely emotional scenes with characters that give them a little more depth, which is really good to watch. Arguably my favourite being between Ethan And Ilsa in Paris where they clearly wish to say more to each other but can't because of their work. So I applaud McQuarrie for that
Action/Practical Stunts
You can't talk about a Mission: Impossible film without talking about the action. This is without a doubt the best action ever seen in a Mission: Impossible film! And arguably the best on-screen action of this year! Whilst CGI action does look good and beautiful at times, there's something about practical stunts that really adds a level of tension to the scene. For example, the last third of the film is perhaps the most intense cinematic experience I've ever had and that was mainly down to the actors actually doing their own stunts. Or even the chase in Paris, where I was genuinely worried about Cruise's life! Honestly, the action in this film will blow you away!
Franchise Future
Whilst this is possibly the best Mission: Impossible movie to date it does raise the question: Where does the franchise go from here? After Tom Cruise has done the most daring stunt of his career, how exactly can he top it? It'll be interesting to see if he actually can. I would say that the next film should probably be the last film. Because, whilst Fallout has serious stakes and set-pieces which seem impossible to top it doesn't properly feel like an ending to the series. So I would say Cruise should do one more film and maybe consider making an ending for Ethan Hunt. Whether he wants to go happy or sad is up to him.
Conclusion
Mission: Impossible Fallout is one of the best cinematic experiences I have ever had. The action was incredible, the acting was superb and the story was intriguing. I cannot recommend this film more!
So that's my review of Mission: Impossible Fallout. What did you think of the film? Do you agree or disagree with anything I've said? Please leave a comment down below. And, if you liked this post then you can follow this blog for more content. Thank you for reading. :)
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