Does Tom Cruise ever age?
That’s probably one of the first things that will come to mind once you start watching his latest adventure as special agent Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible-Fallout.”
The 6th in the film franchise, “Fallout” brings back Christopher McQuarrie (director of Rogue Nation), something that they never do in Mission: Impossible films. It turns out to be a great decision because this installment could easily be the best Mission: Impossible movie.
The chemistry between Cruise and McQuarrie is undeniable. Having previously worked together in several other films like “The Mummy,” “Jack Reacher,” and “Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation” among others, the two have clearly established a rhythm that works.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is, once again, trying to save the world from mass destruction. A group of terrorists called The Apostles are on a mission to detonate nuclear bombs strong enough to wipe out a significant part of the human race.
Racing against time, Hunt is faced with impossible decisions from the get-go, decisions that will inflict harm on others either way. Constantly forced to choose the lesser evil, Hunt finds himself reeling with the consequences which often involves the people he love.
His main moral dilemma then becomes putting the world at risk by saving those he loves.
Haunted by his past and facing current threats, Hunt relies on quick-thinking, his impossibly great endurance and loyal allies to save the world.
There’s no shortage of pulsating, heart-pumping action in this movie. It starts with a dream that foreshadowed (almost) his future. You don’t have to wait too long for things to really get started.
Cruise knows how to hook the audience and that’s he and McQuarrie were able to do really well. Once Hunt starts running and the score shifts to second gear, the fun begins.
The stunts were more than impressive: they were stunt goals. You will know that the minds behind the action sequences really pushed the boundaries.
Regardless of whether you’re a fan or not, the action scenes will get your heart racing; true to its legacy, “Fallout’s” stunts are nothing short of exhilarating.
And it helps to know that Tom Cruise did all the stunts himself. It was reported that he actually broke his ankle in one of the scenes (see if you can catch that exact scene). Not only that, one particular thrilling scene where he and CIA Agent Walker (Henry Cavill) were to jump off a plane. Behind-the-scenes interviews revealed that it was actually one of the most difficult sky dive maneuvers and they had to shoot it for hours for several days.
There was another scene that involved two helicopters. Cruise has to actually learn how to fly one and shoot at the actual location.
It’s nice to see a few tributes to the old stunts he did in the previous installments, like the one where he was scaling a dangerous rock wall and the one where he was almost killed by a helicopter.
And then, there’s the endless running.
“Mission: Impossible-Fallout” didn’t really offer something new in terms of story because it’s basically the same: Ethan needs to save the world and, in the process, puts the people he loves in peril. But it’s his resilience, faith, and love that helps him in the end.
By the time you get to the final act, you’ll start to feel the effects of all that running, falling, punch-throwing, and scaling buildings. Interestingly, however, this is the time when your entire senses are on high alert because of what’s unfolding right before your eyes.
“Mission: Impossible-Fallout” did not disappoint; not one bit. Everything about it will make you anticipate the next scene. Each scene raises the heartbeat and elevates the excitement (and some shock value), which is great because it means the movie has served its purpose.
For 22 years, Ethan Hunt has never failed to wow us with his crazy and death-defying stunts. We’ve seen him get blindsided by friends and allies but we never saw him defeated. He proved once again that regardless of age, he still has it.
And that even with 6 movies in the franchise, there’s just no falling out with “Mission: Impossible.”
Photo credits: Paramount Pictures
