Mission: Impossible-Fallout
Welcome back my dreamers. I've had a lot of fun with my Thoughts on Things columns and have realized those are going to be a very regular thing. However, there is still business to be dealt with. Cruise Control starts now.
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation was another hit for the franchise, and became my personal favorite entry (thus far at least). Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie returned for Fallout, a first for the series, and that consistency allows for a natural step up in every way for the movie. Everything from scope, emotion and of course stunts. Mission: Impossible- Fallout is one of the greatest action blockbusters ever made.
Spoilers for Mission: Impossible- Fallout to follow.
The movie opens with Ethan Hunt, played by our guy, with his ex wife Julia, once again played by Michelle Monaghan. The two are getting remarried, exchanging vows somewhere secluded and beautiful, with only the pastor to accompany them. Unfortunately he turns out to be the villain from the previous entry, Rogue Nation.
Then everything blows up.
Turns out it was a dream. And THEN the movie starts.
By bringing back Julia, even in just a dream sequence, McQuarrie creates a since of history and also regret. Ethan had to divorce Julia in order to keep doing his job, forcing her to uproot her life and go into witness protection, and by reminding Ethan and the audience of that fact, Fallout becomes a much more emotional film than previous entries, and carries a little more heft to the proceedings.
There is one scene in particular where while undercover, Ethan imagines a plan being explained to him by the bad guys that leaves no witnesses, innocent or not. It forces Ethan's hand, and he deviates, snatching the package for himself and his team. The package of course, being Solomon Lane, the villain from Rogue Nation who popped up in the dream sequence at the beginning of the film.
His reappearance also amplifies the regret felt in Fallout. If Ethan had just killed Lane, as Lane wanted to do to Ethan, the events in Fallout wouldn't be happening. They'd probably just be on some other random mission. But McQuarrie wants the choices Ethan has to make have weight and consequences. And so, because Ethan couldn't kill Lane, and because he couldn't sacrifice his teammate even for the plutonium early in the film, he sets off a chain of events that directly lead to the endangerment of his ex-wife, Julia, in the films climax.
Tom is as good as ever here. His Ethan is weary, no doubt, but still able and determined, and has very much lost all patience for bureaucratic bullshit. Ethan rarely listens to his bosses anymore, but he's also always right, so there. It's insane that Tom is able to handle himself so well for his age. The dude is believable in every action scene, even somehow convincing us he could kick Henry Cavill's ass (more on him shortly).
The big stunt this time around was a one take skydiving sequence that is masterful. McQuarrie has quickly become one of my favorite action directors, and him and Tom seem to have a real shorthand going and I'm excited to see what else they come up with together, both within the franchise and without.
Once again, the team is a highlight. Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Alec Baldwin return and all contribute in various ways, with Ferugson's Ilsa being a franchise standout.
Oh yea, and fucking Superman is in this movie. Henry Cavill is just a big ol' bag of blunt force trauma here. His physicality is a momentous (fucking Superman) and his fight scene in the bathroom proves that he is indeed the hammer that his boss Angela Bassett says he is. I've long been a fan of Cavill (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an underrated gem), i think he makes for a great Superman (even if he hasn't had a capital G great movie yet), and it's clear he's having a blast playing a villain here. It's almost a shame he dies at the end, as I would have loved to see him in further installments.
But alas, the good guys have to win.
The movie is flat out one of the best action movies ever produced, and I cannot wait to see what else the filmmakers have in store with the presumably final two installments.
Mission: Impossible-Fallout was a critical and box office smash, grossing $220 million domestically and $791 million worldwide, becoming the franchises' highest grossing entry and Tom's biggest worldwide hit ever (War of the Worlds still holds the crown domestically with $234 million).
I had an absolute blast going through this franchise again. I know I said Cruise Control is concluding (alliteration!), but let's be real, Cruise Control never ends. We're coming up on spooky season and I can absolutely see myself watching and writing about Interview with the Vampire.
As for what's next, more Thoughts on Things of course, otherwise all I know is I'm gonna lean hard on horror for the entirety of September and October because you can't tell me how to live my life.
Until next time,
Rober Jordan Hunt.