Logan Sork Film Reviews
Mission Impossible: Fallout
The “Mission: Impossible” series is one of the longest running action franchises that still continues to this day. There was a time however when the franchise didn’t really have an idea of what kind of franchise it wanted to be. The first three films in the series are wildly different from one another and feel like completely different films, with only the characters tying them together. It wasn’t until the fourth entry (Ghost Protocol) where I think the franchise found its footing. All films since then have balance great action, characters writing and direction to produce some of the best action films of all time, and Fallout is no exception to this formula of greatness. The franchise once again manages to outdo the previous entry and is bigger every sense of the way. From the scope of the action to the great characters, Mission Impossible: Fallout is an excellent, if flawed, modern action masterpiece.
The film is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie and once again stars Tom Cruise as IMF agent Ethan Hunt as well as the excellent ensemble cast from the previous entries. The story follows Ethan and his crew as they must recover Plutonium stolen by the criminal organization from the previous film, The Syndicate. Their failure results in the mission being monitored by the CIA, who sends one of their own operatives (Henry Cavill) to make sure they don’t fail again. Hunts path to the plutonium leads him to cross paths with a rogue MI6 agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who is attempting to kill the leader of the Syndicate to clear her name after she has been branded as a traitor in the previous film. What follows is a fantastic action thriller with many twists and turns as our heroes must recover the plutonium before it is used to annihilate multiple cities around the world.
The franchise has become known for its use of real action set pieces over and limited use of visual effects and in this film, they are the biggest they’ve ever been. What really helps the action is not just the size of the set pieces, but also McQuarrie’s direction. This is his second film in the franchise after 2015’s Rogue Nation and it’s clear that he took what he learned from that experience and applied it to this film. My breath was taken away by the action I this film. In a world of VFX and CGI, it was amazing to see what real action looked like again on the big screen. Very few films are willing to put themselves through all the effort to get this type of genuine action. And because the action is happening and not generated by a computer of some kind, you sometimes find yourselves on the edge of your seat in awe of what’s happening in front of you, something that very few films manage to capture these days.
The cast and characters are also fantastic. Tom Cruise is excellent as Ethan Hunt as always, as he is one of the few actors willing to put himself in these situations to produce the best film possible. The rest of the team was fantastic as well, as this is the third film in the franchise to feature the same ensemble cast, it feels like the cast has finally grown into their perspective role. Rebecca Ferguson also proves she is willing to put herself through the works, as her character has some fantasist fight sequences that are white knuckled and excellent. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are also there to provide some excellent comic relief that doesn’t feel forced in the slightest, and even some heartfelt dramatic moments which help to level out the film’s impressive action sequences. Henry Cavill also excels as the film’s foil to Ethan Hunt and proves he is more than worthy to take on Tom Cruise in this film.
One of the biggest problems with the series has faced so far has been the villain. They we’re just never that interesting, resulting in a forgettable character. This film uses the villain from the previous film to fantastic results. By utilizing a previous villain, the film makers build upon his character and motivations, resulting in a more fleshed out, interesting and all together memorable villain. Sean Harris is excellent in the role as he makes for a truly menacing presence whenever he’s on screen.
If I had one problem with this movie, it’s the plot. This is a technically brilliant film, on a narrative level however, it is fairly average. This is your standard spy thriller in which a device is stolen, and the team must get it back before the world ends. There are some twists thrown I for good measure, but you can see them coming from a mile away, resulting in the twists not being all that impactful. There is also a weird decision to put dream sequences in the film, which doesn’t really add anything and only exist only to draw out the films run time. These can be cut from the film and it would be no different.
Fallout manages to overcome its generic plot however, with breathtaking action sequences, brilliant direction, amazing characters and all the thrills these ingredients can giver you. This truly is one of the best action films to ever been made. Here’s to the hope that the franchise will continue to prosper, but if it doesn’t, we will always have this fantastic piece of action cinema.
9/10