Review: Mission: Impossible – Fallout is pure cinematic adrenaline

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Writers: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris.

Runtime: 2 hours and 28 minutes (148 minutes)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for violence and intense sequences of action, and for brief strong language)

The state of Hollywood in 2018 is largely big blockbusters shot on sound stages with stunt doubles, green screens, and choppily edited action sequences. There are a few franchises and filmmakers that try to retain the purity of truly stimulating blockbusters like Christopher Nolan, the John Wick series, and of course, Mission: Impossible.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the sixth entry in the 20+-year-old franchise and like a fine wine, the franchise has only gotten better with age. Evolving from a passable spy franchise to the most engaging action franchise that has yet to be truly milked by Hollywood big shots, Mission: Impossible has gone through five different directors and only one of them has fallen flat with the series’ first sequel.

These movies work because everyone involved with them including (the probably mentally unstable) Tom Cruise knows what these movies are and they don’t try to make them more than that: Pure popcorn films with great setpieces, great ensembles, and formulaic plots that still manage to deliver on all cylinders. No one is sitting an office going “Ok, how can we make one of those cinematic universes that the kids love so much with a new movie every six months?” Every few years, you get a single Mission: Impossible film and it is consistently fulfilling.

This idea has never been more present than with Fallout, arguably one of the best action movies of the 21st century. Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the first truly direct sequel in the franchise with major plot points carrying over from Rogue Nation and even Mission: Impossible 3. Picking up two years after Rogue Nation, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is assigned a mission on obtaining a handful of plutonium bombs that could devastate the world.

As he goes on his mission, he is joined by the usual crew like Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) and a newcomer, CIA operative August Walker (Henry Cavill). Hunt’s limits are ultimately tested when his morals and the mission intersect, giving him all sorts of dilemmas he must try and overcome.

The franchise has usually had nods to past entries in prior films but that was nothing more than just brief mentions to past events or story threads in dialogue. Fallout brings over antagonist Solomon Lane to help carry out the villain’s sinister plot as well as MI6/Syndicate agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who continues to serve as a double agent conflicted by her admiration for Hunt and her interests as an MI6 agent.

Perhaps the most interesting element Fallout uses to its advantage is its acknowledgment of Ethan Hunt’s loyalty to his friends. He’s someone who refuses to let a teammate die or fall behind for the mission, he’ll put the world at risk in order to let one person live. The film goes to great lengths to use that to test Ethan and put him in the hairiest of situations, creating the highest stakes of the franchise so far.

Yes, we’ve seen the world get nearly vaporized by nukes and whatnot in these movies but director Christopher McQuarrie realized that was a formula we’ve come to expect and he can’t use it as a crutch. While that is still something in play here, the tension comes from the personal investment of Hunt’s journey.

You can throw all the punches, bullets, cars, and dangerous drops at Hunt all you want (and they DEFINITELY do) but what damages him most are involving his loved ones. Don’t be mistaken, this is not some deep dive into the psyche of Ethan Hunt like James Bond’s exploration in Casino Royale or Skyfall, it’s a bit more subtle but it’s expertly handled. Fallout adds enough extra oomph to the story to give it more depth than the two films before it, almost taking us back to the roots of J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible 3.

I’d be remiss not to mention the excellent performances from everyone in the movie. Cruise kills it as always, Pegg finds a way to inject humor at just the right moments without sabotaging the tone, and Cavill is a force to be reckoned with. Cavill is definitely the standout here by acting like an unstoppable brute capable of tearing apart anyone who crosses him. His mere presence is completely imposing and I found it pretty easy to forget that I was watching Superman in a spy movie. He gives it his all and squashed all of my concerns about him being underutilized in the film.

While McQuarrie does an excellent job at giving more weight to the Mission: Impossible films, where he truly shines is in the big selling point for these movies: the action. Fallout is being advertised as the Mission: Impossible film with the most stunts and that is definitely true.

There’s not just one scene that showcases a really grand setpiece, the entire film feels like a love letter to stuntmen like the legendary Buster Keaton and true action films from a now bygone era. Tom Cruise does 100% of his stunts in this picture and it’s not a gimmick, it enhances the experience tenfold. There are some very lengthy chases and fight sequences and due to Cruise’s dedication to his craft, the lack of cutting to switch between actor and stuntman allows for more free-flowing scenes.

There is no snappy editing every two seconds, no disorienting shaky camera work to mask stuntmen, McQuarrie lets the action play out as it should and it’s truly remarkable. Whether it’s a two v. one fist fight in a bathroom featuring a behemoth like Henry Cavill, an intense HALO jump shot as one long continuous take, or Cruise speeding through the streets of Paris while weaving through oncoming traffic, there’s not an action scene that falls remotely flat.

Fallout’s use of in-camera effects and insistence on barely any CG or green screens helps simulate an amusement park ride-like feeling. You’ll hold your breath as you watch Cruise do a spiral nose-dive as an evasive maneuver in a helicopter, you’ll tighten up as you watch him jump from rooftop to rooftop in an exhilarating foot chase, and when it’s all over, you’ll release that tension and breathe again as your heart rate tries to steady itself.

The Verdict:

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is nothing short of breathtaking with its authentic and genuine thrills, engaging story, and near limitless spectacle. The film will have you clenching your fists so tight up until the very last minutes of its runtime that there will be marks in your palm from where your fingernails were piercing your skin from the incredible anxiety. This is a summer blockbuster in the purest form meant to be seen on the biggest, loudest screen possible.

It’s truly a breath of fresh air in a world that has used digital special effects as a crutch rather than another tool in a filmmaker’s toolbox. We don’t get movies like this often so do yourself a favor, go see Mission: Impossible – Fallout, reward high-quality filmmaking and treat yourself to a night on one of the most comfortable amusement park ride’s you can get this summer.