Movie Reaction: Mission Impossible: Fallout

Formula: (Quantum of Solace * Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation) / Casino Royale

Every attempt I've made to start this Reaction has been derailed by the Fast and Furious movies, so I'm going to lean into it rather than fight it. Everything about the Mission Impossible franchise that is so damn impressive can be said about the Fast and Furious franchise. Both have been going on for two decades*. They each have a singular star and have a bench of supporting characters. They both reinvented themselves in ways that have kept up with the times. They've embraced the rise of the international markets. And, both have accepted that no matter what they do with the story, the reason people see the movies is for the spectacle of the action sequences. They are different than the Bond movies which rely so much on the iconography even as they adapt with the times. The Bourne movies have proven themselves less adaptable.

*22 years for MI, 17 for Fast and Furious. Close enough.

What separates Mission Impossible from Fast and Furious is how intentional it all feels. Fast and Furious was never intended as a major franchise. It was about cars and Paul Walker. They retooled a few times until they found something that worked. Mission Impossible began when Tom Cruise was at the height of his power. He was looking for "his" franchise. While we didn't know it at the time, he probably was thinking 20 years down the line when he decided on Mission Impossible. From the beginning, he wanted to bring in new filmmakers. He's been patient too. The three year turnaround from Rouge Nation to Fallout is the smallest gap between any of the Mission Impossible movies. Unlike many action franchises, there are stark differences between each installment, even if all you remember is a big action sequence in a given chapter.

Almost by design, there's little that I really have to say about Fallout. It picks up pretty directly where Rouge Nation left off. After a botched operation, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team have to infiltrate a crime syndicate in order to stop a bunch of Plutonium from getting into the wrong hands. Because he botched that last operation, Ethan is assigned a CIA watchdog (Henry Cavill). Criminal mastermind Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) returns for this. Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg are back too. There are some additional complications like who Ilsa Faust (Ferguson) is really working for and Vanessa Kirby as an underworld broker known as the White Widow. I don't know how much of the story I could really untangle if I tried. It's not that it's particularly complex. I just didn't care that much. The important part is the action.

Christopher McQuarrie becomes the first repeat director in the franchise with Fallout after doing such a good job with Rouge Nation. His evolution with Tom Cruise from Jack Reacher to Rouge Nation to Fallout has been impressive. He builds some jaw-dropping set pieces here. He increases the complexity along with the size: a balance many directors forget. With a lead like Cruise, who wants to do as many of the stunts as possible, that makes it possible to do so much more. I'm so conditioned to assume that everything is computer generated at this point, that the fact I even questions if some stunt I'm watching is really Cruise adds a great deal. As excessive as they are sometimes, I enjoy the shots of "Yep, that's actually Tom Cruise flying that helicopter" or "Yep, that is definitely Tom Cruise hanging from that mountain".

Kudos to the production design and cinematography. Fallout is second only to Skyfall for impeccable location scouting and the number of cool shots in an action movie over the last decade. Maybe Blade Runner 2049 too. It's a short list though. There's always something to look at in this movie and the use of space is great. Something like the bathroom fight scene used in all the trailers could be difficult to follow, but McQuarrie and company set up the layout early and inconspicuously so that when the fighting begins, I can follow it all.

Mission Impossible: Fallout isn't likely to be a movie I'll revisit all the time. It's not even my favorite of the Mission Impossible movies (Ghost Protocol still holds that distinction). I can't find much at fault with it though. It's an exciting 2.5 hours. If anything, it's almost too exciting. There's enough shorthand with the characters that none of them get in the way. Mission Impossible is the best pure action franchise around these days and Fallout is an exciting next chapter.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend