August 1, 2018 3 min to read

Mission Impossible: Fallout

A stylish, non-stop thrill-ride with plenty of twists, brawls, and cunning to make 147 minutes breeze by effortlessly. I hope it's not the last we see of Ethan Hunt. -KV

by Kleon Van

As someone who has seen his fair share of spy-thrillers, I’m a sucker for any iteration of Mission Impossible. There’s something about the tastefully-paced action sequences, fancy gadgets, and quirky humor that just does it for me (from MI3+)… Mission Impossible: Fallout follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt as he’s haunted by the events of the previous movie, Rogue Nation. As he’s more human than he should be as an international spy, that quality is the difference between him and other zero-sum spies. He fights for who he loves and always wants to do the right thing… maybe to a fault. After losing plutonium cores during a mission (due to prioritizing the life of his long-time partner Luther, played by Ving Rhames), he goes off to the ends of the Earth to stop yet another catastrophe.

Accompanied by Luther, familiar face Benji, and brazen new-comer August Walker, they go off to Europe to buy the cores back. August Walker, a no-frills CIA agent played by Henry Cavill, contrasts heavily with Ethan not only in fighting style, but in operational strategies. He’s a no-holds-back type of dude who goes in guns-blazing. Later on, after a breath-taking bathroom brawl, they meet up with Rogue Nation returnee Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson. The tension with Hunt is palpable, as her intentions are hazy. Thankfully, the implied romance isn’t heavy-handed, as you know both Ilsa and Hunt have a mutual respect that transcends their operational motives.

With twists and action scenes galore, the movie continually builds momentum until the last act, where they realize Soloman Lane’s real intentions. You gotta give Tom Cruise credit where credit is due – the man is dedicated to his craft. Supposedly he trained for HOURS because he wanted to fly the helicopter himself. Every Mission Impossible has a crazy-Tom-Cruise stunt, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Overall, I’d put this movie on the same pedestal as Avengers Infinity War, which isn’t an easy feat. Darker than previous films, Mission Impossible: Fallout effortlessly and stylishly intertwines adrenaline-pumping scenes, witty comedy, and breath-taking locations as my favorite movie of the summer.

The Good: A quote from Twitter describes this movie to a T – “Boy Fallout really drags on for the first 45 seconds.” Even with how long it is, each scene passes with a swiftness that feels natural. Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is yet again incredibly easy to watch on-screen as he scrambles (and succeeds) to save the world (yet again). Steely-eyed August Walker was a breath of fresh air who oozed power. The rest of the cast was great as well, especially Rebecca Ferguson’s Faust(wow what a fox). Like any other Mission Impossible movie, there are twists galore, but they never seem forced and are never blatantly obvious. You take each one, especially the ones by the IMF team, with a coy smile; as if you’re a part of the team itself. The action set pieces are breathtaking, the fights are gut-punching, and Ethan saves the day again, what more could you want? Mission Impossible continues to be one of the most consistent and enjoyable action franchise out there, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

The Bad: Admittedly, the movie is a bit formulaic and similar to the previous films. There’s a mole somewhere on the team, Ethan yet again saves the day within seconds of doom, he commended by his friends, and life goes on. On a side note, where was Jeremy Renner and why wasn’t his absence mentioned even in passing?