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It’s been 22 years since the television series MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE was brought to the big screen and moviegoers first saw the iconic scene of Tom Cruise being lowered into CIA headquarters from the ceiling, suddenly falling, and finding himself suspended inches above a security grid. If audiences thought Cruise dangling from a rope was amazing, wait till they see him performing mind boggling stunts in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, the 6th installment of the movie franchise.
The story starts off with the familiar opening of undercover agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) receiving a message that will self-destruct in five seconds. This time the message pertains to a mission to stop a terrorist group called The Apostles. This dangerous organization wants to buy stolen plutonium to make bombs that will create havoc in the world. Ethan rounds up his team consisting of his most trusted partners, Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg). Together their goal is to pose as buyers and get control of the plutonium in an effort to keep it out of the hands of The Apostles. But when Ethan chooses to save Luther during the operation the plutonium winds up in the wrong hands.
Livid that the mission failed, CIA director Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) steps in to take matters under control. She brings in August Walker (Henry Cavil), an agent she handpicked herself, to shadow Ethan and ensure that the mission to stop The Apostles does not fail. Not too happy about the unwanted addition to his team, Ethan sets out to correct what went wrong in his first attempt to keep the bomb-making materials out of enemy hands. The team is now on their way to meet a shadowy figure called The White Widow (Vanesa Kirby). A wealthy philanthropist, the statuesque blonde is actually a broker for unsavory powerful individuals around the world that want access to money and power. She is tasked with the job of trading notorious criminal mastermind Soloman Lane (Sean Harris) for the plutonium.
Once the groundwork is laid out, the film takes off at hyper speed and is wildly entertaining. It is very tricky to make a production work pretty much on special effects and stunts, but director Christopher McQuarrie along with his team successfully and brilliantly bring us a movie that is sure to delight action adventure lovers. There are amazing fight sequences, motorcycle chases, jumping from buildings, helicopter tricks, skydiving acrobatics, and much more that will blow previous memorable stunts from those other M:I movies out of the water. The chase sequences, taking us through London, Paris, and India, offer up some beautiful global tours to exotic exciting places. Many of the quieter moments in FALLOUT will also be a joy to watch as the game of cat and mouse unfolds. There are clever twists and turns that play out smoothly along with some snappy humorous dialogue that keep the film extremely engaging.
It is great to see Tom Cruise living la-vida-loca playing Ethan Hunt. In FALLOUT, Cruise’s stunt work is beyond amazing and he further develops the softer gentler side of a character he has been playing over the past two decades. Rhames and Pegg add just the right touch of humor and are endearing as fan-favorite side characters. Cavill, throwing in a bit of spice and masculine energy, is a welcome addition to the cast. The two leading ladies hold their own in the film. Rebecca Ferguson is a scene stealer and Kirby is mysterious and captivating. A nice touch would have been to give Kirby more screen time because she really had an amazing presence playing the mysterious billionaire wheeling and dealing with the worst of the worst.
Unlike its predecessors that had independent storylines, FALLOUT ties its tale to 2011’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION. The filmmakers did not seamlessly tie the two films together so it is recommended to see ROGUE NATION first before seeing FALLOUT. For those that don’t do this, it can and will be a bit confusing. A moment that should have been a surprise in the film was not so a nicer job at keeping a mystery alive could have been better written in the script.
This latest production in the M:I franchise is by far one of the most entertaining despite a few small hiccups. It is so action-packed, stylized, and quick-paced that anyone watching will have an adrenaline rush. What this film proves is that a mission to make an astounding jaw dropping action movie is not impossible. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go see one of the most thrilling movies of the year.
