Numbers obtained from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes on July 28, 2018.
My rating IMDb Rotten Tomatoes
Critics Audience Critics Audience
9.5/10 86/100 8.6/10 97% 95%
Twenty-two years after the first Mission: Impossible movie was released and the franchise remains one of the strongest, most consistent, and best ones in action films’ history. Mission: Impossible – Fallout, has all the elements that made the previous ones successful, with even more action sequences and plot twists (oh, the masks!).
As I mentioned when reviewing Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, I am always excited to see Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and all the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) team in their next mission.
Fallout, as the name suggests, is a direct consequence of the previous film (Rogue Nation), with Sean Harris reprising his role as the villain Solomon Lane and Rebecca Ferguson back as the elusive Ilsa Faust.
After a failed mission in Berlin, where Ethan Hunt, Benji (Simon Pegg), and Luther (Ving Rhames) lose the plutonium they were supposed to acquire from the black market, CIA chief Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) tells the head of IMF (Alec Baldwin) that one member of her team is now supposed to join the mission to recover the plutonium, since she doesn’t trust Ethan Hunt can do it. That means Agent Walker (Henry Cavill) is part of the team, even though he doesn’t like the IMF.
As they are out to find John Lark, whose identity is unknown and who is trying to buy plutonium from the Apostles (the remains of the Syndicate, the terrorist group in Rogue Nation), they have to deal with the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby), a unscrupulous broker who facilitates the buying of the plutonium. They also have to face many other obstacles, including Ilsa Faust, whose agenda is still unclear.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who was also responsible for Rogue Nation, Fallout leaves the audience trying to catch a breath, as the action never stops and Ethan Hunt does it all: jumps off a plane, runs on rooftops, fights in a public bathroom, and even pilots an helicopter while chasing another one! It is worth noting that, again, Tom Cruise is the one doing his own stunts!
Fallout also has a little introspection, as we see Ethan having nightmares about his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and the consequences she had to face for marrying him. Moreover, it gives the audience (and Ethan) closure as to what actually happened to her.
In short, Fallout is the perfect summer movie, as well as a great spy story, with a lot of action, suspense, and even comedy (shout-out to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer for a great cameo!).
Here’s the trailer, with Imagine Dragons’ “Friction” (which, sadly, is not in the actual movie).
