Mission Impossible: Fallout (Mini Review)

This movie is simply a product made for consumption just like the recent Ocean's Eight.

Both of these franchises had a film in the last 20 years that was made by a director that wanted to leave their fingerprint on the final product. They wanted to play with the audience so that the audience will go on talking about it for years. We all remember in first Mission Impossible when Cruise almost hits the ground. This isn't an iconic image. You remember that feeling of tension that came with it. (And, just a quick shout out to sound design of that sequence). With the last two instalments of the franchise, the thrill isn't anywhere to be seen.

In the first Ethan Hunt loses a mentor, it challenges him to go outside his comfort zone and he has to deal with the emotional turmoil of it all too. Here they play it safe. To keep the audience happy. No one dies because the production companies know that the test audience will ask "does s/he have to die at the end"? When I say no one dies I mean anyone of importance because Mr Exposition doesn't count.

The dynamics between characters simply serves Tom Cruise an opportunity show off that he does his own stunts, which I commend him for. I just wish I could feel the weight to the character's actions. 2½ hours is too long for a film like this. There are too many story threads used. This just convolutes the plot. No line is given enough attention so that I care about it. The first MI film has one. Hunt tries to clear his name. I don't even know where to start with this film. When checking that I was using the word convoluted properly the example in a sentence was as follows “the film is let down by a convoluted plot in which nothing really happens". There were some plot twists that I couldn't help but smile at. The series seems to keep using homages from previous films and the mask one is one that I will always have a soft spot for.

The series needs another auteur to have a go at the franchise. McQuarrie should really just be a pseudonym for Tom Cruise or a studio film. The look of the film feels like the bastard child of Roger Deakins and JJ Abrams’s lens flares. A series of shots constructed together will always make something greater than the sum of their parts and they do as it constructs a story but individual shots are like words in a sentence. They don’t mean anything until they are strung together. In these last two mission impossible movies, it seems they are aiming for the lowest common denominator. So that the anyone in the audience can understand. There is no risk taking. There’s no Hunt trying to work out what was going on his head like the first one. No exaggerated dutch tilts. No flashbacks. Probably because people don’t realise when they’re watching flashbacks unless it says “six months ago”.

The action in the film was what kept me engaged. I was expecting a set piece that would blow me away. Just like the success of the bad guy’s plan. It never does. I’ll admit it wasn’t boring or dull but in the decade of Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick 1&2, and The Raid 1&2 I expect more. Cruise can do all the stunts he wants in the air but he needs to learn how to fight the way Keanu Reeves does in John Wick.

When you put interesting directors on franchises that don't follow the trends of the day (superhero films) you will get some excellent results. Spy films aren't the hottest thing at the moment but if Cruise and co. took played their cards right it could pay off big time and become a game changer. It happened when Steven Soderbergh did Ocean's 11 and when De Palma did the first Mission Impossible.

Overall Score: 3/10

What did you think of this film? Did you fallout of your seat?

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Writer/Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, and Henry Cavill

Cinematography: Rob Hardy

Editor: Eddie Hamilton

Score: Lorne Balfe