Review of Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) by Lane Z — 29 Jul 2018

It has taken on average 3.5 years for Tom Cruise to release Mission Impossible movies since the first came out back in 1999. For my money over the last 20 years, this is the best action franchise in Hollywood still making movies. I stated it after I saw Ghost Protocol and again after Rogue Nation; Tom Cruise - love him or hate him - is Hollywood's best action hero. Much like those other two film I just mentioned, Fallout earns its 5-star rating and cements the franchise as one of the best.

Cruise is an anomaly. Both revered for his acting chops but seared for his off-camera beliefs and actions in his private life, I think he has mostly leveled out as a pretty genuine guy since he left the day-to-day spotlight a handful of years ago. He is the best action star Hollywood has for this generation. He's a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Every stunt (all done himself), every thread, and every interaction in the movie is tailored to his vision. The movie is a mirror to Cruise as an actor: exhilarating, cool, humorous, and a bit dangerous. His stunts are breathtaking. From the HALO jump in the opening third to the car chases, foot chases, and motorcycle chases in the middle to the unbelievable helicopter fight scene in the final third, Cruise leaves it all out on the table. There's a point where he says to his team on the ground he won't let them down. I have full confidence he meant for that to be a nod to the audience as well.

Also back for the first time is repeat director and famed Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie. He filmed Rogue Nation, so it was only right he return to wrap up a story over the two films we saw begin in the former.

While I won't harp on the plot too much, we get a brief recap of what the team has been up to in the two years from the end of Rogue Nation to the start of Fallout. After that, it's off and running with twists, turns, dips, and dives of a classic spy thriller to keep track of where everyone stands.

Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rames, Simon Pegg, and Alec Baldwin are all back. The only conspicuous actor missing was Jeremy Renner due to a scheduling conflict, but I found it a tad off putting he wasn't even mentioned because he did survive Rogue Nation. Also back is the villain, Sean Harris, as the vile Solomon Lane. We get introduced to three new players as well: Angela Bassett as a CIA big wig, Henry Cavil as her CIA operative, and Vanessa Kirby as a new broker for bad guys (pay close attention to her story for those easter eggs). All of them are tremendous in their roles.

Overall, if you are looking for the summer blockbuster that was promises but hadn't delivered because of a slow and tired Hollywood output, look no further. MI6 continues to bring the pain and will almost certainly lend itself to a seventh film down the line. It's just a shame we have to wait another 3.5 years to get the next.