MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT - THE BEST YET?

NON-SPOILER REVIEW
Mission Impossible Fallout has been one of the most anticipated summer movies of 2018 and I gotta say it was quite worth the wait. It might be a bit premature to say this, but in my (esteemed) opinion this is the best M.I film ever. For a franchise which has spanned a number of sequels, M.I seems immune to sequelitis (maybe this Scientology thing is the way to go after all) and at this point I just want more! Your mission should you choose to accept it, is to simultaneously hum the Mission: Impossible theme song as you read this review...

Guess who's back?...Really, Guess
The IMF is back bitches!
Fallout is a direct sequel to 2015's Rogue Nation and picks up two years after the events of that film. The remaining members of the Syndicate are still at large and wrecking havoc where they can, under the new moniker of 'The Apostles'. Like all the prequels before it, the movie is centered on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team and the imminent 'fallout of all their good intentions' (particularly Hunt), as all their goody two shoes, hero acts threaten to come back and bite them in the ass. Fallout sees the return of most of the series and Rogue Nation's cast, including Sean Harris' Solomon Lane which interestingly, was the first time the series featured a reoccurring villain. Syndicate boss Solomon Lane, captured at the end of Rogue Nation, returns as a capable nemesis for Hunt. The deluctable femme fatale and breakout character of Rogue Nation, Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) also returns, and Henry Cavill (Superman) joins the cast as CIA Assassin August Walker.


The Enemy of my Enemy of my Enemy
Her Tailor Tinkered, Soldier, Spy
What would a spy movie be without spies who switch sides like underwear and ultimately plan to outsmart the next guy? Fallout plays heavily on the deceptive core of espionage as we know it, as there are more crosses and double crosses in this one than you can almost keep tabs on. Just when we think we know everything about the spying game, Mission: Impossible tends to reinvent the wheel (just how many times has the mask thing caught you off guard?), there are quite a few elaborate twists and turns that exist to mesmerize , but its all good - you might expect them, but you'll hardly see them coming.

The Hammer
The Man, The Moustache
After all the uproar Henry Cavill's moustache caused, due to the Justice League reshoots, we finally got to see it in all it's glory and the verdict?...not bad Superman, not bad at all. Cavill's character; August Walker is pretty much everything Ethan Hunt isn't; young, tall (no pun intended) brash, impulsive and cold, a man willing to do whatsoever he deems necessary; Basically he serves to be this mirrored image of Hunt, where Hunt is cautious to prevent or minimize collateral damage, the end justifies the means (any means that is) for Walker. A fact alluded by CIA chief Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) when she says 'I'll rather use a Hammer than a scalpel', and man does he smash things right from the get-go. Walker is sent to shadow Hunts activities and as expected their difference in philosophy puts both men at dangerous odds. Personally I thought the character could do with less transparency and a little bit more depth, but I won't beat on this one too much.

Faunt...get it?
We meet again Mr Hunt
Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) was without a doubt the best part of Rogue Nation. The kickass MI6 agent, turned Syndicate Agent, turned MI6 agent was easily the most exciting aspect of that film, remember the iconic yellow dress sniper scene, or the shoes-off scene where she rescues Hunt or that intense bike chase?...well you probably get what I mean by now, when a woman is made for you, she's made for you. Hunt and Faust's romantic connection is so subtly done, its not shoved in our faces, but its there, in the air and you can smell it in any of their scenes, ultimately it doesn't take a genius to figure out the attraction and she eventually betrays her usually cool icy facade when she tells Hunt 'You should have come with me'. Faust is pretty much between a rock and a hard place by the time she reunites with Hunt, Hunt being the rock and MI6 the hard place, but its great to see how that dynamic plays out since she's pretty much the ying to Hunt's yang, and what better way is there to save or destroy the world if not together....right?

International Man of Action
What's MI without a bike chase?
Tom Cruise's penchant for doing death defying stunts by himself is in many ways what makes him the respected action film hero he's become (he shattered his ankle on a building leap during production) and also synonymous with the M.I franchise, and in this and many other ways he's become the soul of the series, there's just something about a man dedicated to his craft. Like its predecessors, Fallout boasts of many gasp inducing scenes from Cruise's bike chase through the streets of Paris to his epic helicopter chase above the mountains of Kashmir, (which I consider the iconic action scene of this film). Verily, verily I say unto thee, there's never a dull moment with Mr Hunt.

Fallout culminates the experience of every M.I film before it, and in so doing, gives Ethan Hunt further depth than he's ever had before. If you ever forgot he was human, there's a hammer wrapped in wool reminder to knock that back into you. It also borders on nostalgia and may prompt a revisit to the earlier films. In a time when the action genre often misses the mark more often than not, Mission: Impossible Fallout continues to do the genre and the MI franchise proud. A shining beacon in the dark; which despite its twists and turns ends up as a cohesive, well rounded action film which rather than just entertains the audience with elaborate stunts, huge explosions, car chases and fist fights, also intrigues the mind, and warms the heart. I would recommend to any and everyone. Bring on M.I 7.

RejectRating: 9/10

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  2. Great article. Tom Cruise to me has to stand out as top 3 action stars of all time. The movie was dope from beginning to end.

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