Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Movie review time and boy oh boy do we have a big one. ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ has garnered some huge reviews and praise leading up to its release last night. Did we like it? Read below (yes, we did) to find out and make sure to rate the movie, and all 2018 movies, in the links at the end of the post.
Jeff (96/100): ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ is one of the best action movies ever made.
The hype for this movie has been huge and it delivered in every single way possible. I preach being accepting of anyone’s movie opinions because it’s all subjective. With that said, I will judge the shit out of you if you don’t like this movie.
Christopher McQuarrie’s ability as the writer-director to make a huge, flashy action movie and tie in a compelling and intriguing story and script have to be commended. ‘Fallout’ puts most other summer blockbusters to shame by delivering the action people want but also stretching it out into an actual good movie.
The story and script are intricately put together, which only comes around once and a while with a movie like this. I personally love the small details that require all of your attention, even though I am okay with a “turn your brain off” movie now and then. You won’t see a majority of the twists coming and, when they do arrive, you’ll be grinning and wanting to applaud (though, avoid doing this as it is a weird move in a theater). Some may find it a bit long, but it was so well paced that I didn’t care whatsoever. As I alluded to before, this movie delivers greatness with the action as well. Every scene looks incredible and is perfectly shot to allow the audience to soak in every bit of the action. I can’t stand when action movies whip and shake the camera around too much, because it just becomes a mess on screen. Not to mention every scene in this movie looked as realistic as possible effects wise. The chases, the now well-known bathroom fight scene (iconic Henry Cavill GIF below) and more will have you right on the edge of your seat. The cinematographer Rob Hardy deserves some praise because ‘Fallout’ is a visual treat.
While those action moments are all dynamite, it is the much-anticipated helicopter chase battle that will actually blow you out of your seat. The fact that Tom Cruise actually learned how to fly a helicopter and do this scene is just lunacy.
Cruise also actually did the HALO jump scene in the film, because he is obviously a madman. I wish I could go on, but I need to save everything else for you to just go and see.
The acting in the movie is fantastic, up and down the cast list. Obviously, Tom Cruise is great, but also Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and the rest of the cast all bring unique elements to the story with their characters. I liked Henry Cavill, and he is a beast in the bathroom fight scene, but I felt his delivery was a little wooden at the beginning of the movie. This is just a small complaint, though.
I did feel the antagonist’s motives were not quite as fleshed out as I would have liked. This can be easily countered by saying it is a sequel with a continuing storyline that was fleshed out in the past. Despite my slight issues, I still felt the antagonist was great. This might be the only thing keeping me from scoring it even higher.
A lot of movies have lived up to the hype recently for me, but based on the way the audience reacted last night, ‘Fallout’ should live up to the hype for almost everyone who sees it. See ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ as soon as possible and see it in IMAX if you have the option, you will not be disappointed. This is one of the best movies, maybe the best, of 2018.
KenJac (96/100): The ‘Mission Impossible’ films started getting exponentially better halfway through their lifespan, and ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ is the pinnacle of this renaissance. A perfect summer blockbuster, it grabs on to you within the opening 15 minutes and never lets you go. The bussy man Tom Cruise proves yet again that he is the Tom Brady of action and espionage thrillers, laying it out for some death-defying stunts that are so incredible that they may ruin CGI for you. Cavill is a suitable mustachioed terminator, and the returning cast all do as perfect a job in their respective roles from ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ as possible.
Again, major props to Tom Cruise for laying it on the line in these stunts. The HALO jump, The motorcycle and helicopter chases, and all of the fight choreography were off the fucking chain. He had some dramatic moments as well which he pulled off without going overboard. Ving Rhames brings the heart and Simon Pegg brings the comedy, with Rebecca Ferguson proving again to be the perfect counterpart to Cruise. Sean Harris gave another chilling performance, and Alec Baldwin stepped into this slightly bigger role with grace. Henry Cavill, who was a big draw for this movie, pulled off the stoic and unempathetic August Walker pretty well. My complaint was that he was maybe written a little too doofy for my taste, as I expected him to be ruthlessly efficient. I feel bad that Angela Bassett and Michelle Monaghan had relatively unrewarding roles, but they did what they could with the time they had. Vanessa Kirby had no such trouble, as she is hard to forget as the femme fatale “White Widow”.
I really can’t give writer/director Christopher McQuarrie enough credit for what he was able to do with this movie. In a franchise like this, you learn to never trust anything, believing you can predict every twist and turn. He proves you wrong, giving you so many “A-ha!!!!” moments that you don’t know what to trust. I appreciate his dedication to the practical effect in this as well, because it made this movie feel so preposterously authentic. These movies revolve around something called the “Impossible Mission Force”, which is so fucking campy that it has no business feeling as credible as it does. He gives you everything you loved about ‘Rogue Nation’ and amplifies it to an insane degree, making this an absolute must see not only for the summer but for the year.
My biggest complaint is that it was a tad too long and probably could have lost 20 minutes. I’m not complaining, but there was definitely a point where you think “Damn, they aren’t even at the final setting yet.” Also, as I mentioned, I wish Cavill was written better. He’s by no means an outstanding actor, but I think they could have played to his strengths more. That’s basically it for negatives! The cinematography was ridiculous, especially in one muted long-take with an incredible track (Lorne Balfe killed the score) playing throughout it. The fight scenes and visuals were all magnificent, all complimented by distinct sound and film editing.
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So, I guess we liked it indeed. The movie is #OfficiallyButtered already with the audience giving it a 97/100. Our guy Trillballins, who will release his review on next week’s Lights, Camera, Barstool (subscribe here), can give it a 0/100 and it will still hit the 69/100 threshold to be #OfficiallyButtered. Donnie Does is also our guest next week for what will be a fun episode.
As always, make sure to rate this movie and all 2018 movie in the links below.
July (Mission: Impossible – Fallout): https://goo.gl/forms/czBxbSMjxAUC6CiI3
January: https://goo.gl/forms/nNzX19HbebeQMUAA3
February: https://goo.gl/forms/DWG9TJMISLzUunsu2
March: https://goo.gl/forms/k0dL5ozOrhwJ2Bk03
April: https://goo.gl/forms/Z218hqWq3XGyqi9C3
May: https://goo.gl/forms/f5aYcpJHnBMmkcs52
June: https://goo.gl/forms/1sfizEF3LCTcXFrh2