[Review] ‘Mission: Impossible- Fallout’ is Fine, But it’s No ‘Rogue Nation’

There have been 6 Mission: Impossible films starring Tom Cruise now, and they continue to be landmarks in action achievement and stunts. There is no possible way to argue that point [DON’T @ US].  Chrisopther McQuarrie‘s handling of the franchise also cannot be overstated.

First and foremost, I must say that Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation has been my favorite of the MI franchise, and although Fallout can’t really measure up, it’s still good.

The 6th film in the reboot franchise picks up after the action of 5, Cruises’ Ethan Hunt begins to experience the ‘fallout’ of his previous missions and assignments all leading towards the possibility of a nuclear attack that would take out 1/3 of the population. There all callbacks to previous films in the franchise, and the return of a notable character in Hunt’s world.

Without spoilers, the film is almost too predictable. Motivations and twists are telegraphed in the beginning, to the point that when the thing is revealed later on, you almost say out loud “yes, and?”

The addition of Henry Cavill was a nice idea; the bathroom fight (with his reloadable arms) reminds us all that he’s a born-and-bred action star, no matter how you feel about Justice League.  I will counter that his work in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a better highlight of this, though.  Was the mustache worth the CGI chin?  Mostly.

Rebecca Ferguson is still the greatest thing to happen to the series, and she is the highlight of Fallout for me, despite rather marginal use of her prowess.  (Seriously, her motorcycle awesomeness in Rogue Nation and character introduction will not be topped for awhile.)

Score: 4 out of 5, viewed in Dolby Atmos (seriously recommended for this flick), will see again

The Good:

As I said above, the stunts alone are why we continue to flock to these flicks. Cruise is a master of the genre, he continues to redefine what an action star can and must be in this current age of silver screen creations. McQuarrie’s vision and continual use of fantastic car chases and intriguing action sequences as always delight.

A pretty great performance from Alec Baldwin, like surprisingly so.

Also, rubber masks.

The Bad:

Again, another repeat of the same type of twists, perhaps teased too well in the beginning lead to less-than-optimal payouts further into the film. You don’t really go into the MI films hoping for awe-inspiring stories, but every so often, they surprise you with the depth of plot. This doesn’t really have that.

All in all, see it in a theater with a good sound system, it makes all the difference.

Mission: Impossible- Fallout opens in theaters world-wide on Friday July 27th 2018.