Cinematography
Do you like one takes? How about Beautiful wide shots...good.
Standout
It's Cruise. He has to get a standout mention here.
Action Packed
I think this film has maybe 20 minutes of dialog in it. Not a bad thing when everything else is as good as it is.
Best of Year
So far, Fallout is easily the best action film of the year
Rotten Tomatoes 97% Cinemascore: A
Mission: Impossible- Fallout is a worth follow up to Rouge Nation, one of my favorite spy epics, and a new contender for my favorite film of 2018 (even though it's by the thinnest of margins). Directed once again by Christopher Mcquarrie, the franchises first returning director, Fallout continues the narrative threads left in the 'fallout' of the last films events. After dethroning the mastermind behind the Syndicate, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) continues his crusade against the remnants of the rouge nation who have rallied together under a new banner, the Apostles. While doing so Hunt must track down another affiliate of chaos, who goes by the alias John Lark, in order to stop him or her from working with the Apostles and enacting a tragedy that would spiral the world into a "great suffering". What follows is another espionage epic where Hunt and company must play both sides to prevent the Apostles' nefarious hopes from coming to fruition.
The plot here is nothing original to the genre, nor does it ever attempt to subvert or create new genre trends. Instead, Mission Impossible plays to its strengths as always by delivering the goods, standout set pieces executed by its dedicated star. The stunt work and cinematography on display here is simply unmatched by any other franchise with the exception of 007 himself (Specter not withstanding). Tom Cruise commitment to the role of Hunt pays off yet again, turning familiar scenes such as free fall or a bathroom brawl into top notch nail biting action. The direction deserves as much credit too, every scene perfectly in frame, every chase scene accompanied by a percussion score and camera work as finesse as its action heroes.
Not to say the story lacks what the set pieces provide, not at all. Bringing back Mcquarrie means the return of Soloman Lane (Harris) as a villain in addition to other returning characters such as Benj (Pegg) and Ilsa (Ferguson), although strangely Jeremy Renner is absent for the second action extravaganza this year. The story flip flops between above average and fantastic which encompasses my major negative from the film. Many story threads and themes prevalent through Fallout's first two acts feel forgotten as the film ventures into the third act, and while it's there you'll find the films stand out set piece, something was lost along the way in regards to the more human side of Mcquarrie's story. Plot dynamics like Hunt's resistance to weigh the magnitude of many lives over one get only a mere mention in the last minutes of the movie rather than factor into the last act as a whole.
Overall Mission: Impossible Fallout only disappoints in the end because its first two acts are some of the best plotted action sequences in years. Fallout rewards the active viewer with it's attention to detail in every one of its set pieces, while filling its cracks with serviceable cliches to hold it all together. It's my second favorite of the franchise, just behind Rouge Nation and above Ghost Protocol, and the best action film of the year so far.
(Pay no attention to the fact this is my first post in months)
(Just move along...)
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