MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it…I wonder, did you ever choose not to?”

Here’s a fun fact for you: The Mission: Impossible franchise has been around for twenty-two years. That really isn’t bad for an action franchise with no reboots or re-castings, is it? Especially considering Tom Cruise is in his fifties now and seemingly gets in better shape for each film he does.

Here’s another fun fact for you: I quite like the Mission: Impossible franchise. I admit, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the first two, but I enjoy watching them none the less. They’re always fun and as the stunts get more and more ridiculously brilliant so do the films. In Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise climbed up the outside of the Burj Khalifa. In Rogue Nation, he, among other things, dangled off the side of a plane while it took off. In Fallout, he does a lot of crazy stuff, and the result is a hellishly fun film with some of the best action scenes in modern movie history.

Shockingly, the plot of the movie is something along the lines of this: Ethan Hunt and his team of IMF agents have to take down a rogue agent before some nuclear bombs go off. And that there is by far the funniest part of the entire franchise: Each film has the exact same plot. I mean it, really think about it, and you’ll see. And yet, despite the fact they all have the same plot, they each feel incredibly different and unique in their own way. Perhaps it’s due to the fact all of them have a different director, aside from Rogue Nation and this one, which makes sense given that Fallout is a very direct sequel to its predecessor. So no, it doesn’t really take this surprisingly old yet youthful and energetic franchise in any new directions, but it very well may just be the best instalment in that franchise.

I saw a review on YouTube which summed up my thoughts pretty damn well, so I’ll paraphrase it here: Most action films are ‘fun’. They’re a fun time at the cinema and you’ll have fun watching them. But you’ll get home and you won’t remember them a week later. You’ll just remember they were fun. A good example of this is the previous entry in this franchise, Rogue Nation. It’s fun, but it’s not memorable.

Ok, we’re back to me now…

Fallout however, does something most action films don’t these days. It doesn’t compromise in order to make a fun film. Is it fun? Yes, very much so. But it’s also a damn good film and this is helped hugely by the fact the story, characters, action and stakes all mix perfectly. The main story is simple enough but it’s the characters it uses that add the complexities of the film, and because of this it shines. The action scenes go on for longer than most movies would allow, and again, this helps the film shine. Just when you think the chase is finished, the movie throws another scene at you before it lets you breathe. It keeps you tense just long enough that you’re completely involved in the action, but not too long that you’re bored of it.

On top of this, the movie brings a healthy amount of humour. It doesn’t layer it on excessively in a successful attempt to ruin the atmosphere, and thinking about it that’s something the franchise does very well. It sprinkles humour in sparingly, sometimes from characters you wouldn’t expect, almost as if it’s telling you it’s ok to breath now, everything’s calmed down.

But be careful, everything’s just one ankle-breaking jump away from kicking off again.

Of course, Tom Cruise returns in this instalment and he’s as good as Ethan Hunt as he’s ever been.

His character actually gets more of a story this time round and the film highlights some of the stuff he’s been through over the franchise and you get a sense of how this has affected him over the years. It works surprisingly well, too. As said, he’s great throughout and he more than excels in the action scenes, of which the film has I would say the perfect amount.

And while you can't really beat hanging off the side of a plane, a helicopter has to be pretty damn close.

I’d say the best performance of the film for me however came in the form of Henry Cavill’s August Walker, the CIA agent sent to tag along with Ethan and his team.

Cavill, or Cav-Stache, as I will refer to him for the rest of this review, given that thing growing on his upper lip, really gets a chance to show his range in this film. It’s not his first spy movie, but he plays a very different character than he did in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. he brings both the ferocity and bravery needed to compete with Tom Cruise for top spot in the film, and the chemistry, or should I say rivalry, between the two is one of my favourite aspects of the film. They’re not there to get along, but the contrasts between them help build their characters more than you would think they would.

Cav-Stache is present for the majority of action scenes throughout the movie and much like Cruise he fits right in. The bathroom fight especially shows off just how much of a character Cav-Stache brings to the movie.

The rest of the cast is good too, and returning faces Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames bring a good amount of chemistry and comedy to the film, which at times comes as a blessed relief to the tense and high-octane world of spies and espionage.

The team from the last film is back together, and they work as well on screen together as they always have.

One final aspect of the film which stood out for me was the soundtrack, composed by Lorne Balfe. While everyone can hum the theme tune for Mission: Impossible, Balfe goes above and beyond and brings a very emotive and powerful score to the film, which shines brightest, or should that be loudest, when it’s allowed to play at full volume while all other noises are quietened down for a moment or two.

All in all, Mission: Impossible – Fallout may just be the franchise’s best work yet, which considering it’s been over twenty years since the first film, is not bad at all. The action scenes bring the movie to life in a way that more action movies should, and the film doesn’t compromise the rest of the runtime for a fun ride. It’s a long movie, but the quality of the film more than makes up for that. It’s tense, and at times adrenaline-pumping, but it also knows when to calm done for a moment or two to let the characters, and the audience, catch their breath. The cast do a fantastic job and the soundtrack that backs them is better than any this franchise has had before. It doesn’t take the franchise in any new directions, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.