David Pierdomenico
The evolution of the Mission Impossible franchise has been a rather interesting one. It’s had some pretty cheesy lows, but also some spectacular highs. Fallout earns its place among the better films in the series. Not only is it a brilliant action film, but it reminds us why we like action to begin with.
The First True “Sequel”
While Fallout is the sixth film in this series, in a lot of ways it’s the first true sequel. The films follow a loose continuity with each other, as each one feels like a spinoff with its own unique storyline. Each entry could be enjoyed on its own, without ever having seen the others. And the fact that each one had a different director gave each film a signature feel. Yet, after the success of 2015’s Rogue Nation Tom Cruise and Paramount decided to bring Christopher McQuarrie back for the next film, and to even have it directly follow the events of the last one.
Fallout is titled such because it’s not just a sequel to Rogue Nation, but rather the series as a whole. It reveals that Ethan Hunt’s actions have consequences, and forces him to confront them. After he fails to recover three plutonium cores from terrorists, Hunt begins to question his effectiveness, as does the CIA. It also is the only film to have a villain return with Solomon Lane, who was caught at the end of Rogue Nation. Part of his motivation is a personal vendetta against Ethan Hunt; to witness him fail. In many ways, this feels like Mission Impossible: Wrath of Khan. But in doing so, it brilliantly humanizes Hunt in ways we haven’t seen before.
Throwback to Classic Action
The current action landscape can be rather disappointing. So many films are either Die Hard ripoffs or cheesy reboots no one asked for. There’s also a tendency to rely so heavily on CGI that films look incredibly fake. But to its credit, Mission Impossible has always opted to do things the traditional way, and Fallout is no different. They’re all shot on film rather than digital, to give it a more cinematic look. Tom Cruise, despite being in his fifties, puts every other action star to shame with his insistence on performing his own insane stunts.
It’s not all about the stunts however, despite that being a sizable portion of Paramount’s marketing campaign. What separates this from subpar action films is a blend of compelling characters, limited CGI, well-crafted practical stunts, and exotic locations they actually film in rather than a soundstage. By this point Simon Pegg’s Benji has become an integral part of the franchise, as well as Rebecca Ferguson returning as Ilsa. Once again her motives are unclear and no one is quite sure whose side she’s on.
The best new addition this time round are Henry Cavill as Walker, a CIA assassin, who is a sort of doppelganger for Hunt, only much more brutal. They provide interesting foils to each other and it’s fun to watch them clash on how to handle missions. Cavill proves that his lackluster work in the DCEU is merely the result of poor writing and directing, as he demonstrates how good of an actor he really is in this. It would have been so easy to just have his character be a mindless brute, but there’s so much more to him just beneath the surface. Angela Bassett also joins the cast as CIA Director Erica Sloan. She’s fierce, confident, looks upon IMF with condescension and derision, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. In many ways she feels like a more grounded version of Amanda Waller from Suicide Squad.
Future of the Franchise
It’s unclear whether or not the series will continue after this. After all, Fallout was at least being planned even before the release of Rogue Nation. While studios will always try to milk a successful film series, perhaps it’s best to allow this to be it. Despite performing all of his own death-defying stunts, Tom Cruise still isn’t getting any younger.
But there’s another reason why this might be a good time to end the series. It’s better to go out while still on top. Fallout is one of the better entries, and it’s the one in which Ethan Hunt must look closely at himself and the ramifications of everything he’s ever done, almost like a franchise retrospective. Hopefully Paramount won’t get greedy and allow us all to remember Mission Impossible ending with this new masterpiece.
