Mission: Impossible - Fallout

This review may contain spoilers!

Of all the action film series Mission Impossible is probably the one to most consistently deliver; Fallout is certainly no different. I would give Mission: Impossible - Fallout an 8/10.

This is a really well-made sequel, it balances quite an introspective theme for the narrative and the protagonist. The entirety of Fallout is spent posing a response to the consequences of Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible III; how has Hunt distancing himself from Julia and keeping his most significant antagonist, Solomon Lane, affected his life and how can the decisions he has made in the past come back to haunt him? The feature follows Hunt, who is tormented by nightmares of Lane enacting vengeance upon him. It's a more vulnerable depiction of the character, similar to how he was in the third Mission Impossible and it certainly makes how he responds to the events of this film interesting to watch. This series balances a great light-hearted tone with tense, monolithic action sequences and Fallout goes to great lengths to keep topping our expectations.

Visually, this is probably the most impressive Mission Impossible feature to date. There's an impressive display of symmetry from the camera making this a smooth and well-crafted film to watch. The editing goes to great lengths to complement this, timing moments of comedy well or heightening dramatic reveals with the way a scene is cut together. The score for the Mission Impossible films are iconic for a reason and this one is no different from the rest, the traditional theme upping the ante in several key moments.

Ving Rhames, who played Luther Stickell, is the heart of these films in a lot of ways; Rhames does a great job in depicting the friendship that exists between his role and Cruise's and through this you can see the years of tough experiences they've lasted together. Simon Pegg, who played Benji Dunn, can generate some nice comedic dialogue and knows how to bring the film to a more light-hearted tone; seeing Pegg assist Cruise throughout chase scenes or daring moments of action is one of the highlights of this character. Rebecca Ferguson, who played Ilsa Faust, presents an agent torn between her better interests and her need to survive extremely well; Ferguson has a very natural presence in these films and fits into the main cast extremely well. Sean Harris, who played Solomon Lane, is one of the best antagonists Mission Impossible has ever seen; Harris has a quiet way of presenting terrible wrath that makes him an extremely dangerous role. Angela Bassett, who played Erica Sloan, has the cold, stern manner of an intelligence agency leader; Bassett flips between an open, negotiating manner to a hostile persona in a snap which makes for an interesting role. Vanessa Kirby, who played White Widow, is a very two-faced role who has a kind appearance but boasts a darker side; Kirby builds up a dispassionate criminal who is merciless in her profession. Michelle Monaghan, who played Julia Meade-Hunt, is a welcome return to the Mission Impossible series; Monaghan's chemistry with Rhames is immediately re-established and leads to some very heartfelt scenes. Wes Bentley, who played Patrick, is fairly entertaining as the clueless husband; Bentley's earnest performance is quite funny in juxtaposition with the scenes he is in. Alec Baldwin, who played Alan Hunley, Baldwin takes the time to have a lot more fun in this feature which is a welcome sight; Baldwin's connection to the main cast is very strong and his departure really makes an impact on the rest of the film. Kristoffer Joner, who played Nils Debruuk, is another interesting minor antagonist; Joner plays quite a depraved role who maniacally celebrates at his supposed victory over the IMS team.

However, the best performance came from Tom Cruise, who played Ethan Hunt. Cruise plays his famous character in a manner that is quite interesting to watch this time around; Ethan is notably more trapped in his own mind. There is an underlying arc for this character that shows how tortured he is by the decisions he has made in the past and a lot of this film is guided by the character reacting to his own fears. I think its great how introspective Cruise gets with this storyline, he holds a mirror up to his role and exposes all the weaknesses. This is a great Mission Impossible film, though not my favourite it has some of the best acting from Cruise in the series to date.

This film suffers significantly from a distinct lack of an interesting major antagonist; Walker has a tendency to play to a very obvious narrative and he feels like a glorified henchman to Solomon Lane, who really should have played a stronger role. The integration of Julia was an awkward aspect as well, the pained revisitation from Hunt's past is clunky and awkwardly handled. The presence of a romantic sub-plot doesn't necessarily play strongly into this film but the inclusion of Julia should've been handled with greater grace than it was.

Henry Cavill, who played August Walker, gives a very wooden performance throughout the feature; Cavill doesn't strike a strong leading antagonist and is often eclipsed by the rest of the cast, particularly Harris.