The Mission: Impossible franchise manages to live up to its title because it attains a feat that franchises rarely accomplish. It does the unthinkable by getting better with each installment and Fallout, the latest entry, is the best one yet. It features satisfying action and humor while also being a deep character study. Not to mention, it is extremely well-acted across the board. Mission Impossible – Fallout basically has everything one could want in a blockbuster which makes it a perfect summer movie going experience.
Because it’s a sequel, that also means greater stakes are involved. The Syndicate, the crime organization previously established in Rogue Nation, has morphed into a group known as The Apostles. Their plan is to take three plutonium cores and use them for a simultaneous nuclear attack in three major cities across the globe. When the cores go missing, it is up to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team to try and find them. Meanwhile, they join forces with CIA agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) and once again cross paths with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who has her own ulterior motives for trying to save the day.
The stakes involving potential nuclear war prove to be grand. But the emotional stakes our main character goes through are just as drastic. Right before the plutonium cores go missing, the catalyst for their disappearance ends up being Ethan trying to save his comrade Luther (Ving Rhames). Decisions like this that Ethan makes show that while he understands that millions of lives will be at risk, he’ll still focus on saving a friend who’s at gunpoint before saving many civilians. Ethan may be a man with a mission but he doesn’t put the mission before his fellow men.
Of course, another reason the character of Ethan is portrayed well on screen is because of Tom Cruise. Even though it’s the sixth film in a franchise that’s been going on for over 20 years, Cruise could’ve easily auto piloted his way through the picture. But he manages to give his best portrayal as Ethan Hunt to date. Aside from being a charismatic movie star and an ageless vampire, Tom Cruise has proven he can add new dramatic layers to one of the most iconic characters he has played.
Meanwhile, the supporting cast manages to excel as well. Returning players Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames once again deliver with Pegg providing comic relief as tech whiz Benji and Rhames adding slight dramatic heft as Luther. As for Henry Cavill as the enigmatic August, it’s not just his mustache that steals the show but his performance as well. For him to hold his own against one of our biggest movie stars is proof that the man’s got charisma that hasn’t been properly utilized in the Superman films he’s done.
Also, not only does the supporting cast excel, but it has a much stronger female presence than the previous film. Rebecca Ferguson once again is a scene stealer as Ilsa Faust, providing the same duality that makes Ilsa an alluring anti-hero; Vanessa Kirby is a breakout as an arms dealer known as the “White Widow,” giving off waves of badassery even when she’s not throwing punches; as CIA director Erica Sloane, Angela Bassett elevates what could’ve been a throwaway role; and even though she’s not on screen much, Michelle Monaghan is a warm and welcoming presence as Ethan’s estranged former wife, Julia.
To all moviegoers out there, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out and see Mission Impossible – Fallout as soon as possible and on the biggest screen. As a fair warning, some viewers may get vertigo because some of the action scenes are quite aerial. But regardless, it is still the kind of film that the summer season is made of. After the opening credits roll with the famous theme song playing, you’ll be in for an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride.
