2018 Summer Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) hangs on the edge in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

The popular Mission: Impossible series, based on the television show that aired from 1968 to 1973, has come a long way since the 1996 original. Audiences weren’t expecting a spy thriller that required them to pay close attention. Tom Cruise makes a perfect protagonist in Ethan Hunt, who would eventually go to new heights. Due to the film’s success, five sequels were made; using a different director in each of them to generate a different style.

Mission: Impossible II is a typical popcorn flick from director John Woo. It is ridiculously stupid, but it still kicks ass. To be fair, Cruise’s hair is easily the best character in the entire movie. Mission: Impossible III goes back to serious mode. And it marks J.J. Abrams first feature-length film. The handheld camerawork and the constant close-ups definitely show it’s an Abrams feat. However, the series has improved with both Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, with clever writing, brilliant sets (Hunt scaling the Burj Khalifa probably being the most memorable in the series), and awesome characters. Not to mention the technology evolving and becoming more advanced. Christopher McQuarrie has taken over for Brad Bird as the director of the most recent two entries. With Fallout, he returns to bring another terrific thrill-ride (with a brain) to the silver screen.

After a failed mission, Ethan Hunt (Cruise), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), and Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) race against the clock to disengage three nuclear bombs containing plutonium, used by a terrorist group known as The Apostles–the predecessor to The Syndicate, led by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Along with CIA agent August Walker (a mustachioed Henry Cavill), the IMF must prevent mass destruction, or else they will be disavowed.

The cast brings great work into their performances. From the comic relief of Pegg’s Benji to the suave nature of Rhames’ Luther to the fierce energy of Ferguson’s Ilsa and Cavill’s Walker to the slyness of Alec Baldwin’s Alan Hunley, Tom Cruise’s Hunt will always be the heart and soul of the franchise.

Cruise never ceases to amaze me; not only with his acting abilities (particularly Hunt’s spy knowledge), but he risks his entire life to perform his own death-defying stunts. On the verge of 60, he’s still in incredible shape. Whether it would be running and jumping off rooftops, doing a HALO jump–in one long take!–during a lightning storm (rendered through CGI, of course), riding a motorcycle through the streets of Paris, or chasing the villain through the mountains of Kashmir in a helicopter, he can do it all!

Speaking of action sequences, the helicopter chase is the best you will see all summer. With McQuarrie’s clever use of camera angles, fast-paced editing, gorgeous setting (kudos to Rob Hardy’s cinematography), and Lorne Balfe’s thrilling score, it makes for one white-knuckling moment that I will never forget. This movie also contains the most brutal bathroom fight, some of the most intense chases, and so much twists and turns.

Fallout is everything a Mission: Impossible movie should be: edge-of-your-seat suspense, a sense of humor, and thoughtful storytelling. Not only is it the best in the series since Ghost Protocol, it’s easily the best blockbuster of the summer. Fingers crossed for more M:I films.

4/4

2015 Summer Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) rides a motorcycle again in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”

In 1996, an action hero has been introduced. His name is Ethan Hunt. An agent working for the IMF (Impossible Mission Force); going on one impossible mission after the next. Each mission has been fun despite hitting a few bumps in the road. In Mission: Impossible, he’s a slick, sophisticated agent. Hunt gives a different side in Mission: Impossible II as more of a James Bond playboy. Then he goes back to being the cool agent as he ever was. In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, he takes part of the most impossible mission of his career.

There is an international threat called the Syndicate. A network of highly skilled operatives setting terrorist attacks who intend to take down the IMF. Meanwhile, CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) stands in front of the judge to disband the IMF. Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team – old pal Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), field agent Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) – join forces with agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who may or may not be on Syndicate’s side. Their mission – which they accept – is to take down the Syndicate.

Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher, writer of Edge of Tomorrow) provides enough laughs, action, thrills, and exposition into this incredibly ambitious flick. Like before, the movie shows how hard the mission is with things going wrong in the process.

Cruise embraces the action movie role. If you thought Tom Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was insane, he does plenty more death-defying stunts in Rogue Nation. At one point, Hunt is hanging on the side of cargo plane (which took eight takes). The next point he is swimming underwater – in a quiet and terrifying sequence – without an oxygen tank. He and Dunn drive through Casablanca from motorcyclists. With surprises along the way, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation puts you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Pitch-perfect summer movie entertainment!

4/4

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) climbs the tallest building in the world in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”. Yes, Tom Cruise did his own stunts.

Brad Bird, known for his work for The Incredibles and Ratatouille, gives an impressive live-action debut with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. He literally brings the series to a whole new level.

After escaping from a Moscow prison, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) joins his new team of IMF agents – field agent Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), and agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) – to stop Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a Swedish nuclear activist. They enter the Kremlin. Hunt and Dunn hide behind a projector in a hallway to find the archives of Hendricks. Halfway through the mission, a bomb destroys the Kremlin. Hunt is accused of the attack. The President initiates “Ghost Protocol”, which allows the IMF to be disavowed. In order to clear their name, they must track down Hendricks to prevent him from starting a nuclear war.

Out of all of the movies, Ghost Protocol is easily the funniest, the most exciting, and the most entertaining. The scenes in which Hunt climbs the Burj Khalifa (“Your line’s not long enough!” “No shit!”) and chases Hendricks through a sandstorm are action-movie gold. It’s insane how Tom Cruise can do what no other actor can do: performing stunts. Throughout the series, Cruise performed most, if not, all of his own stunts. He’s probably the best action hero. His chemistry with his teammates are excellent, especially with Simon Pegg who have some really funny parts together. The characters have some great back-stories.

This movie actually proves how impossible the mission can be. For instance, when Hunt wears a special type of gloves that can stick to any surface. When the light shines blue, it sticks (Blue = Glue; Red = Dead). His gloves start to malfunction. It makes the scene all the more suspenseful. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is, in my opinion, the best of the series.

4/4

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible III

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team in “Mission: Impossible III”

Now we’re back on the right track with Mission: Impossible III. J.J. Abrams brings the series back into its full glory with actual spy stuff.

Retired from the IMF, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is now married to Julia (Michelle Monaghan). However, he gets assigned by John Musgrave (Billy Crudup) to save IMF trainee Lindsey Ferris (Keri Russell). She has been kidnapped by an evil arms dealer named Owen Davien (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Once Ethan and his team – his old pal Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Declan Gormley (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Zhen Lei (Maggie Q) – save Lindsey, a tiny bomb that is implanted into her skull detonates. When the team abducts Davien in the Vatican, he mentions a nuclear device called the Rabbit’s Foot. Then, Davien escapes and captures Julia, which leads them all the way to Shanghai. For his theatrical debut, Abrams knows what made Mission: Impossible a great movie. Ethan Hunt, again wonderfully played by Cruise, going back to be the spy he used to be, not a 007-esque playboy. Hoffman is an excellent villain, even though there is minimal background of his character. The action, especially on the bridge, is suspenseful. Everything looks real. The series seems to be getting better and better!

3.5/4

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible II

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) rides through the flames in “Mission: Impossible II”

Take out the brains, the mystery, the wit. And add in some over-the-top fun. You get Mission: Impossible II, directed by John Woo.

We introduce Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) rock climbing in Utah. His mission is to destroy a deadly virus called “Chimera”. Meanwhile, a group of terrorists led by Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) are after the virus so they can get rich for infecting the world. He relies on his fellow hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and international thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton) for help. Since there is a cure called “Bellerophon”, Hunt must get rid of “Chimera”. All this leads to an awesome action-packed finale. Mission: Impossible II isn’t necessarily a spy film rather than a straight-forward action flick. This is definitely a John Woo movie. We have slow-mos, doves, and handguns. This is also more of a James Bond movie. Instead of a slick, sophisticated spy, Ethan Hunt is more of a playboy. There are times where the movie becomes too silly. Nevertheless, it’s a fun movie.

3/4

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) breaks into the vault in “Mission: Impossible”

One of the rarest qualities in any summer blockbuster is to allow the audience used their brains. That is the case for Brian De Palma’s 1996 adaptation of the TV show Mission: Impossible. Tom Cruise stars in a compelling performance as Ethan Hunt, a sophisticated spy for the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). He and his fellow teammates are assigned by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) to retrieve a cover list in Prague. The mission goes horribly wrong. Ethan goes on the run as a fugitive, and he gets help from computer hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and helicopter pilot Franz Kreiger (Jean Reno) to prove his innocence. As he goes on this seemingly impossible mission, mysteries behind the failed mission begin to unravel. Featuring exciting missions, great action (the scene on top of the train), and excellent performances, Mission: Impossible might be too complex. But it’s still a fun ride. That scene in the vault of the CIA building is freaking tense!

3.5/4