Nightmarish Detour Review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT (2018)

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT is the latest film from director/co-writer Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and is a high-stakes race-against-time as Ethan Hunt and his IMF team find themselves framed after a mission goes wrong. The film stars Tom Cruise, reprising his role as Ethan Hunt, along with Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and Alex Baldwin (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation).

In MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is tasked with a mission to find a group of terrorists, known as The Apostles, led by the enigmatic John Lark, who have stolen three plutonium cores for nefarious reasons. However, when Ethan and his IMF crew meet with a nuclear weapon’s expert to extract the plutonium cores, the meeting quickly goes sideways, with the plutonium cores disappearing just from under his fingertips. Due to this misstep, the CIA demands that one of their operatives, August Walker (Henry Cavill), shadow Hunt on his mission to meet with The White Widow (Vanessa Kirby), an arms dealer who may have the plutonium in her possession. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game filled with action, suspense, twists, turns, and surprise reveals that will keep fans of not only the franchise, but of action films in genre, on the edge of their seat.

I’ve always enjoyed the Mission: Impossible franchise, regardless of the fact that I think Tom Cruise, as a person, is rather peculiar. I couldn’t sit here and give you a description of all the films, cause honestly, I can’t remember most of them, but I do remember how much I have enjoyed watching them. With MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, I definitely would consider this to be the best out of the franchise, not just because of the incredible stunts and above par acting, but mostly due to the brilliant writing that keeps viewers guessing till the very end. There’s so many layers to this film that it’s important to pay close attention as each one is revealed. I know 2-1/2 hours may seem daunting for an action film, but believe me, it’s totally worth it.

Left to right: Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust and Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance | Photo Credit: Chiabella James

I think one of the main reasons I love these movies so much is because Tom Cruise stresses me the fuck out. I know that’s not the most eloquent way to put it, but he does. The amount of stunts he’s willing to do at the age of 56 is remarkable and terrifying, almost as if I’m watching a train crash and I can’t look away. Horror movies don’t necessarily scare me the way they used too (unless it’s Hereditary), but watching Tom Cruise jump from one building to another, or hang off the side of a helicopter, sends me into a tailspin. Does Scientology give him superhuman strength? As a whole, though, the stunts are incredibly impressive and the fight scenes just as glorious, my favorite being a showdown that happens in the men’s restroom with Henry Cavill pumping up his arms in anticipation of the epic smackdown he’s about to give. It’s truly a beautiful thing to watch.

As for the production value, it’s pretty damn near perfect. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking, the camera work is fantastic, especially when pulling audiences in during intense moments, and the landscape in which they get to play in, spanning from Paris to New Zealand to London, is a visual treat. As for the acting, it was enjoyable, and I loved the friction between Ethan Hunt and August Walker as they each tried to continuously one-up each other. I also thought it was great that the writers showcased how Ethan Hunt is beginning to slow down and how his age is starting to affect his decision making. He’s not as limber as he used to be and he’s beginning to make more mistakes. Of course we have Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, who play Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell, as our wonderful comic relief. The only thing I wish we saw more of was Rebecca Ferguson’s character Ilsa Faust. She’s so badass and so conflicted with her own personal tasks that I really wanted to delve more into her story; but alas, Tom Cruise doesn’t like being overshadowed so it is what it is, unfortunately.

All in all, I enjoyed the hell out of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT and consider it to be one of the best action movies of the year. It’s clear that Tom Cruise isn’t letting age become a deterring factor in his quest to be a real life superhero and I’m okay with that. I think by allowing for more female characters to take center stage in future films, whether as the protagonist or antagonist, and not just as someone who is a future and/or ex-lover of Ethan Hunt, would do the franchise a lot of good. I’m interested to see what happens next and if we will continue to get more Mission: Impossible films. I just hope that Tom Cruise begins to take it a bit easier when it comes to all of his stunt work. If you are looking for something to do to beat the heat this weekend, then make sure to check out MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUTwhen it’s released July 27th, 2018.

Shannon McGrew
Follow Me
Movie Reviews

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *