Regardless of how you may feel about Tom Cruise, you can’t deny his star power. Having made it big with 80s hits Risky Business and Top Gun, Cruise has become one of the biggest actors today. Why else would 2017’s The Mummy be such a big hit in China? Regardless, he is still beloved for his charming personality, boundless energy, and willingness to do tons of crazy stunts. Since the mid-90s, Cruise has enjoyed a lot of success thanks to the Mission: Impossible franchise. In spite of the franchise’s fluctuating quality, it’s still a very popular and profitable franchise. Fast forward to 2018, 22 years since Brian De Palma (Sisters) crafted the original spy thriller. The sixth film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout reunites much of the cast we’re used to, as well as some new ones, to bring us one of the most action-packed spectacles of the year.
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Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is tasked with retrieving three plutonium cores before a terrorist group called The Apostles get them. This group plans on using them to create nuclear weapons to, as they put it, tear down the old world. Hunt brings in his regular teammates, Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), but he is also assigned a new team member, CIA agent Walker (Henry Cavill). He’s been assigned to keep an eye on Hunt and his team after a mission gone wrong. Along the way, they also run into former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who may or may not be on Hunt’s side. In the midst of this is anarchist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) who has a personal vendetta against Hunt. What follows are car chases, motorcycle chases, on-foot chases, and a helicopter fight as our heroes race against time to save the world once again.
Compared to the many other action films this year, this one gives many of those a run for their money. Everything in this movie works so well. For one, Cruise is awesome as always and proves why he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Half of the fun of this movie is just seeing all the crazy stunts he performs. Plus, it’s great seeing him, Rhames, and Pegg working off each other and having a good time. You really get a sense of the camaraderie these guys have given their history together. Cavill is also memorable as a tall and broad-shouldered guy who can easily go toe-to-toe with Cruise. Ferguson is also great as a conflicted agent torn between her feelings for Hunt and her mission. Another stand-out is Vanessa Kirby as The White Widow, who has a very femme fatale quality, but also has great comedic timing.
What can really make or break a movie like this are the action sequences, and this does not disappoint. The movie is filled with tons of intense action set-pieces that are well-filmed and well-choreographed. As mentioned earlier, many of the stunts on display here are real. For instance, Cruise really does pilot a helicopter, run for miles across rooftops, and drive a motorcycle through traffic. It’s just amazing to see how they top themselves between movies. But of course, the action sequences don’t really matter unless you like the characters or the story isn’t interesting. Like I said before, the acting is phenomenal across the board, and there is so much going on that you’re never bored. The plot will make you guess and question what’s happening, but not in a way that leaves you confused. If you’re smart and pay attention, you’ll be able to follow along just fine.
Normally, this is where I’d get into the negatives I have with the movie. Thing is, unless something comes to me, I really can’t think of anything wrong with this movie. I guess maybe some of the villains aren’t very well-developed and maybe the plot is a bit convoluted. Honestly, many of those are nitpicks that absolutely do not take anything away from this movie. This is still a really fun, exciting, and intense action spy thriller. Even if you’ve never seen the previous films, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is still one of the best action movies in years, and it reminds us how to properly do big summer blockbusters.
