by Edward Baillargeon
Mission: Impossible has been one of those franchises of action films that has been consistently enjoyable, have gotten better as they progress, and are excellent ways to see Tom Cruise almost killing himself doing all sorts of insane stunts by himself, and running because Tom has to run. Although the franchise had a bit of a rocky start, they have consistently gotten better and better with the past few films with an ever rotating line-up of directors chosen by Tom Cruise himself with their own unique style like Brian De Palma for the first, John Woo for the second, J.J. Abrams for the third, Brad Bird for the fourth, and Christopher McQuarrie for the fifth. But before I continue talking about Fallout, I do want to give my quick thoughts on the previous 5 films first. The first one had two amazing action sequences, but was notched down by too many dragged out scenes of exposition. The second one has memorably over-the-top action and overuse of slow-mo. The third is where things to start to improve with great action and one of the best villains in the franchise. The fourth film, Ghost Protocol, is where the franchise truly finds its footing and becomes great with memorable action and great use of characters, same goes for the fifth film, Rogue Nation. But back on to this one, now for the first time in the series a previous director is brought back to direct the next one as Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. Hunt finds himself in a race against time, hunted by assassins and former allies while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout is not only the best film in the series yet, but maybe even one of the best action movies OF ALL TIME. The story is engaging right from the start and has several twists and turns so where you don’t know what’s going to happen next.
Every cast member is excellent in their respective roles in this movie with some returning faces for fans. Of course Tom Cruise gives it his all as Ethan Hunt always getting into insane action set pieces and situations that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Other great returning supporting also come back like Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Michelle Monaghan, and the ever delightful, and one of my all-time favorite actors, Simon Pegg make excellent returns. Some of the newcomers are also really good like Angela Bassett of Black Panther fame as Julia Meade, the new head of the CIA, The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby as black market arms dealer White Widow, and of course Henry Cavill, well-known as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, as CIA assassin August Walker. And yes, for those who disappointed that we couldn’t see Cavill’s mustache that was digitally shaved in Justice League because Superman isn’t allowed to have a mustache, you finally get to see it and it’s glorious.
And now, let’s get into the real reason why people love seeing these movies, the action sequences. Well let me say that these are not just the best action set pieces in the franchise, but also some of the best IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA. They will have you on the edge of your seat with every punch, kick, gunshot, and insane stunt feels real and tense. Another amazing plus is that most of what you see in the action is all real and not CGI or green screen which shows that Tom Cruise, whether you love him or absolutely hate him, has guts and dignity from breaking his ankle from jumping from one building to another, riding a motorcycle (without a helmet) in oncoming traffic, doing a HALO (high altitude low opening) jump out of a plane 25 thousand feet in the air, and even learning how to actually fly a helicopter and hang off of said helicopter is insane. Every sequence in this movie is memorable, entertaining, and intense from the bathroom fight to the helicopter chase is amazing. Also, another piece of advice is that this movie is a must-see in IMAX. If you have an IMAX theater close to you that is.
Overall, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the best film in the series, one of the action movies ever, and one of the best must-see movies of this summer. If you are a fan of Mission: Impossible, action films, or you just want too see Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise and doing Tom Cruise stunts, this is a must-watch. If I were to rank the series from worst to best it would be 2, 1, 3, Rogue Nation (5), Ghost Protocol (4), and Fallout (6). I’m going to give Mission: Impossible – Fallout a 10/10 with the Edward’s Seal of Approval and my highest recommendation.
