Review of Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) by Omar L — 12 Aug 2018

It's tough to rate the Mission: Impossible movies; do you rate them on their own merits, or how they serve as part of the whole franchise? Do you look at Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt as an evolving and aging character like Jason Bourne or as an ageless character like James Bond? Taken on its own, this movie is an incredibly entry in the world of action. Christopher McQuarrie is now adept at framing his shots and using the camera movement to add motion and kinetic energy to chase and fight scenes. Cruise, as usual, is impressive as a man constantly on the move. Henry Cavill (and his mustache) is a memorable antagonist in this entry.

But over the years, we have had to raise the bar on our expectations, not just from an action movie, but from a Mission: Impossible movie. Rogue Nation was spectacular, with smart writing and wonderful addition in Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa. Here, the actions of John Lark don't seem to stand up to scrutiny when put alongside his goals. Throughout the movie, I was asking myself over and over "if he wanted this to happen, then why did he do this...?" I was hoping for a payoff, but that never came, meaning that the villain is more incompetent than he should have been. That disappointment is enough to bring my rating down a few notches. Here's hoping that the next installment is better.