THE LOWDOWN
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and a group of terrorists known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
THE GOOD
You know there are some celebrities that people always have some “go-to” statements when they hear their name? Well Tom Cruise, for some reason, is part of that list. Yes, he did eat his baby’s placenta. Yes, he is (or was, or who really knows anymore) a promoter and frontman for Scientology. And for some reason, more than that he is not taken seriously by the majority of the movie going public anymore.
There was, however, a time when we loved Tom Cruise. I believe in my heart that we STILL love Tom Cruise. He does no wrong on the big screen. Granted. Eyes Wide Shut was a bit much for pockets of people. But. I maintain. He does no wrong. On screen and behind the scenes.
With all the Mission Impossible films including Fallout, he does his own stunts. And yes, it is a credit to his age, and his commitment to his craft. But also, they make for some really great action sequences. It is indeed, these sequences, that show us that this film pulls out all the stops.
In a time where big budget superhero films are dominating the box office – action films are a close second to put your money on. But only the really, really good ones. Like this one. Mission Impossible: Fallout, is what some are calling, the best action film of 2018.
What I like about Fallout, is that yes, there are 4, maybe 5 or 6 Mission Impossible films out so far, and you can watch the latest in the franchise and still feel like you are not the spare wheel in-between a private joke.
Also.
Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby add class and integrity to the film. Their performances are subtle and superb at the very same time.
What more do you want?
Action (done right) – Check
Tom Cruise at his best – Check
Scenes that will win you over one act at a time – Check.
Fallout has got all the check boxes ticked.
THE BAD
Here’s the deal. I really enjoyed this film. So, I didn’t have much to complain about. But. I did do some scratching and got a feel for what others had a different opinion on when watching Fallout.
- Some felt that the villains were not up to standard. Henry Cavill was a bit stock standard with little context to whom his character was and even less more around why he hates Ethan Hunt so much. I have never really been a fan of Henry Cavill’s performances, so I wasn’t expecting more than 2-dimensional acting on his part.
- On that note, should we ask ourselves “Has Alec Baldwin had his time on the big screen?” I mean, he has more than proven himself to be a great comedic talent on television – but it almost seems like reusing an old hat for an improper fit here.
- Some have felt that the plot was rather thin – but in the film’s defence, you should watch all of the films to enjoy the franchise and what it has to offer.
RANDOM PERSONAL SIDEBAR
When I was around 5 or 6 years old, I watched Cocktail with my sisters and found Tom Cruise to be my personal hero. For years, I demanded to have a haircut just like the one Tom Cruise would don and would endlessly comb it in his 80’s lady-killer style – thinking it would bring me closer to being Tom. That. And we also have the exact prominent nose shape. It was like it was meant to be. A Tom Cruise doppelganger every time I looked into the mirror. Ah. Memories.
You can get your copy of Mission Impossible: Fallout now on DVD and Blu-Ray from Next Entertainment