Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Tom Cruise is one of the few actors who has been able to retain his star-power throughout the decades. From Top Gun to the continuing Mission: Impossible franchise, there is a span of nearly 30 years, and yet the number-one movie at the box-office still features the words: Tom Cruise on the poster. The actor’s presence returns for yet another incredibly enjoyable Mission: Impossible entry.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is one of the first direct sequels in the franchise, making use of much of the events in the previous film Rogue Nation, with the returning faces of Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) as the villain, and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) as an inconspicuous ally. Solomon’s terrorist organization the Syndicate is in tatters, but they have been able to acquire the knowledge to create nuclear weapons; it is up to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team to stop the Syndicate (now calling themselves The Apostles) from getting the necessary plutonium for a bomb.

Somehow the Mission: Impossible franchise has evolved to keep itself relevant and the audience on their toes. The result is a film with an incredibly refreshing plot that has so many twists and turns you nearly lose yourself in figuring out who’s who. The subsequent action and chase scenes are filmed courageously with continuous shots and don’t rely on cutting up the footage to dizzy the audience. The stunt work, therefore, is incredibly curated and impressive to watch. Between the thrilling narrative and white-knuckle action scenes, you’ll hardly notice that the running time is over 2 hr and 30 mins.

The addition of Henry Cavill to this film’s cast adds a certain rivalry to Cruise’s action-hero persona, and contrasts to show that Ethan Hunt is and aging man. The aspect of growing old is not explored to the extent that Skyfall did with James Bond, but it nevertheless is a question to ask: how much longer can Tom Cruise continue to dangle from helicopters or run across rooftops?

7.7/10