*Originally written July 26th, 2018*
Dear, God. Where do I begin with this? It's rare that a sixth film in a franchise manages to easily be the best, but Mission: Impossible - Fallout not only manages that, but somehow also becomes one of the greatest action films ever made. I know it's just come out, but I was just in awe at the cinematic display of artistry here.
I came out of this with the same feeling I got when leaving Blade Runner 2049, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Dark Knight, that feeling that cinema is still alive. Which is so damn rare considering that 80% of what is released in cinemas these days is complete garbage. Fallout is a film so dedicated from everyone involved to giving the audience a good time, and it goes above and beyond that and more.
Fallout does so much other films wouldn't dare to do, or they'd just do it with computer effects. Here, every stunt looks and feels real, because it is. Tom Cruise fully commits himself to every outrageous and insane stunt presented to him, all while still being an absolute charisma magnet. He just oozes star material and I genuinely believe he could lead any film handed to him. From the HALO jump, to the helicopter chase, he must be an insurance nightmare for the studio.
Every set-piece is loaded with excitement and tension, and there are a lot of them. Even at 147 minutes, Fallout never drags or loses steam, it is relentless. It's one of those rare feats where the progression of the story and of the characters manages to feel organic with the action on display.
While being action heavy, Fallout still manages to tell an engaging story that is always going in interesting places. For the first time, a Mission Impossible film leads on from the events of the previous one. Everything here is a direct result of the IMF capturing anarchist terrorist Solomon Lane, leading them on a mission to essentially find 3 nuclear warheads before what's left of Lane's organisation can put them to use.
While the story sounds very surface level and basic, they did a lot with character to change things up. Cruise's Ethan Hunt is much more humanised this time around, we actually explore his motivations on why he continually puts his life at risk over and over again to save the world. Fallout avoids the trope of the lead character who feels like a superhero, able to withstand any incident with out a scratch, Hunt may not end up in the same state as say John McClane, but he feels very similar to Bond in Casino Royale, where he takes a lot of damage by the end of it.
I was surprised by the brutality on display too, it really pushes that 12A rating to edge. The fistfights in this are absolutely brutal, the sound design really helps you feel every punch landing, particularly from Henry Cavill, who is an absolute tank here, even to the point where he as to "Reload" his arms in the middle of a fight. Cavill is an actor who gets a lot of flack for being wooden and cardboard and for "Ruining Superman", but he's actually damn good here, delivering a pretty menacing role that shows him off as a complete specimen of a man.
The series seems to know it's formula now, they have their team together (Aside from Jeremy Renner, who I didn't even notice wasn't in the film). Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson all return. Ferguson given the most to and easily the most compelling arc of the supporting team. Pegg is still great as the comic relief, even if he is given more action to work with this time around. And Ving Rhames is just Ving Rhames. Bless him.
My biggest fear is how they'll top this instalment, but I've said that for the past two films and have been proved wrong. I have faith Cruise and co have something utterly batshit up their sleeve for the inevitable seventh entry, but I just hope they have a good story to go with it too, the door is left open for plenty of places to go, I just want them not to feel formulaic. Which is the last thing Fallout feels.
I'll finish by saying Mission: Impossible - Fallout is a landmark achievement in action cinema. It's pure cinema, a beautifully shot, relentless work of art that joins the ranks of Die Hard, Terminator 2 and Mad Max: Fury Road. By far the best of the franchise and one of the best action films ever made, and also my film of the year so far. Never stop, Tom Cruise. You're a maniac and my daddy. I love you.
10/10 Dans
Mission: Impossible - Fallout is out now in cinemas in the UK, with a HMV exclusive 4K steelbook also available to pre-order.
Watch the trailer below:
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