Review of Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) by James M — 09 Aug 2018

Bring your adrenaline. You're gonna need it.

By all accounts, the MI franchise should have run its course by now. After all, few movie franchises succeed beyond their first three films and its main star, Tom Cruise, is now 56, a time when most people start dreaming of retirement. Yet MI: Fallout feels original, fresh and youthful, arguably the best MI movie yet.

The premise of the film is not too complicated - bad guys steal nuclear weapon fuel, good guys try to get it back. It's an old chestnut that has been the basis for plenty of action films, including the rival Bond series. Thankfully, MI: Fallout takes an original route, cleverly sculpting characters and elements from the preceding film (Rouge Nation) into a new storyline that explores the fallout from the actions of the Impossible Missions Force. It is sometimes hard to know who is a good guy and who is a bad guy, but there are plenty of clues hidden in the film to help you work it out.

Director Chris McQuarrie brings a touch of James Bond glamour to many of the scenes and Lorne Balfe has crafted a rousing music score that perfectly supports the various scenes.

The non-stop incredible action sequences are the heart of this movie and they will have you clutching your seat in angst. Cruise's decision to perform many of the action sequences as his own stunt double (just like he did in previous films) definitely pays off, giving plenty of realism to the film. You are left wondering if he was born without a sense of heights. The filmmakers have left the footage taken when Cruise jumped between two buildings, actually breaking his ankle on set, in the final movie. The cutaway shot of him limping away immediately afterwards is painful to watch (though not as painful as it would have been for Mr Cruise), but it just sums up how much Tom Cruise was willing to give to make this film as good as it can be.

Mission Impossible: Fallout is a great ride from start to finish. If MI: Fallout is anything to go by, it is clear there is plenty of life left in this franchise (they are up to the 26th Bond film, which is still going strong). Five stars.