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Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Movie Review

4 starsIf there’s anything to be said about the Mission: Impossible franchise it is that it lives up to its name by continuing to defy the odds with its little game of self oneupmanship – each new installment seemingly doing the impossible by keeping the franchise alive, viable, and relevant. One day the impossible will undoubtedly prove itself truly impossible. But for now there’s Mission: Impossible - Fallout to confirm that this 22-year-old institution just keeps getting better with age.

For the first time in its six installment run, the franchise is not handed off to a different filmmaker to mark the next episode with a new signature look, style and brand. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) returns to continue the story he began with 2015’s Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. Fear not, M:I newbies, as there’s plenty of setup in this one to get you up to speed in the trials and tribulations of U.S. government spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his dangerous nemesis, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). In addition, the plot, as intricate and deftly handled as it is, is a trivial footnote in these M:I films and exists here solely as a set-up for the next incredible stunt, or mind-blowing action piece. And there are plenty of those to come.

"everything we expect from an M:I movie"


We learn that Lane is still in custody, having been captured in the previous film, but has since deployed a league of loyal henchmen who call themselves The Apostles, and are planning to cause chaos to world order by blowing up a series of nuclear bombs. But in order to do so, they must first get their hands on three plutonium cores that have gone missing.

Meanwhile, Hunt and his team of fellow agents, consisting of jittery tech-guru Benji (Simon Pegg), loyal-to-a-fault IT guy Luther (Ving Rhames), Hunt’s ex-wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan), and the agency boss played by Alec Baldwin, are also racing against the clock to beat the bad guys to the missing nuclear material.

When Hunt and his team aren’t able to get their hands on the bombs, they are forced to make a trade with the bad guys: Solomon Lane for the nuclear weapons. But things get complicated when one of Hunt’s old girlfriend’s gets into the fray along with the micro-managing CIA head Sloan (Angela Basset), and newly inserted agent Walker played by Henry Cavill.{googleads}

McQuarrie breaks up his somewhat complicated espionage plot with a series of heart-pounding stunts and tricks. We get an incredibly well-executed fight scene in a men’s washroom that features Henry Cavill’s much-talked-about arm gun reloading bit that is as pleasurable in the film as it was in the trailer, a rooftop chase scene, a thrilling HALO parachute drop sequence, and a perfectly-choreographed car/motorcycle chase through the streets of Paris that is as thrilling as Detective Jimmy Doyle’s jaunt through the streets of New York City.

There are enough double-crosses, switcheroos, and cheap deception tactics – even a couple of Scooby-Doo mask pull-offs – to make your head spin. But it all works to keep spy movie fans delightfully engaged and is becoming somewhat of a signature for McQuarrie. He is an unquestionable taskmaster with his camera, and in Fallout never resorts to blurry or jittery motion to mask the practical effects and spectacular real stuntwork.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Movie Review

Speaking of stuntwork, everything to this point is barreling like a runaway train towards the signature stunt piece. The one so heavily featured in all the trailers and rightfully being called the pièce de résistance of not only this film, but of movie stunts in general. It is the game of chicken played between two helicopters over the snowy peaks of Kashmir, followed by the harrowing cliff-hanging brawl that brings everything to an exciting climax. It is important to understand and appreciate that we are watching Tom Cruise, the actor, jumping from airplanes, flying helicopters, and leaping from building to building with as little green screen as possible. It lends everything a genuine sense of danger and authenticity so often missing from today’s big budget blockbusters.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is a ticking time bomb of harrowing action, frazzled nerves, and edge-of-your-seat mystery. But, at the same time, it is way too long and its plot far too complex and convoluted – especially considering the fact that it is really nothing more than the thread that holds together the string of action set pieces. Regardless, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is everything we expect from an M:I movie including an all-in performance by Cruise and plenty of much-appreciated loyalty to the original TV series that inspired the film franchise. This one does not self destruct.

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Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action, and for brief strong language.
Runtime:
147 mins
Director
: Christopher McQuarrie
Writer:
Christopher McQuarrie
Cast:
Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames
Genre
: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Some missions are not a choice.
Memorable Movie Quote: "When the clock stops, Ethan Hunt will lose everyone he ever cared about."
Theatrical Distributor:
Paramount Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
July 27, 2018
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
No details available.
Synopsis: When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. Hunt finds himself in a race against time, hunted by assassins and former allies while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.

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Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Movie Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - December 4, 2018
Screen Formats: 2.39:1, 1.90:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1; Music: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Three-disc set; iTunes digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is a visceral experience on blu-ray. The pristine images – especially the HALO jump – are bound to give a person vertigo. Yes, they are that lifelike. Flesh tones are warm and engaging. Fabric is textured with minute details never noticed on the big screen and the thrills are even more realized in 1080p. The scenery is aptly sprinkled with location details and gritty mountain vistas; everything is peppered with great texture. Black levels are deep and defined as concrete with sharp edges that never bleed into the background. Picture-wise, this is a very detailed release even if a few of the shots tend to sway soft around the edges from time to time. The sound – presented in a ripe Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack – explodes with a wonderful kick from its many bullets and explosions

Supplements:

Commentary:

Not only do Director Christopher McQuarrie and Actor Tom Cruise join forces to take on the soap opera effect all modern television come pre-programmed with, but they team up to provide a very engaging film commentary that is made near perfect thanks to Cruise’s enthusiasm. We also get two more commentaries – one with Director Christopher McQuarrie and Editor Eddie Hamilton and another with Composer Lorne Balfe – plus, an isolated score track.

Special Features:

The Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack is loaded with tons of supplemental material that doesn’t suck. We get detailed looks at the HALO jump and a handful of all the other stunts in the film. Spread out over two discs, this release is a thrilling one that Paramount gets right.

  • Behind the Fallout
  • Light the Fuse
  • Top of the World
  • The Big Swing: Deleted Scene Breakdown
  • The Fall
  • The Hunt Is On
  • Cliffside Clash
  • Deleted Scenes Montage
  • Foot Chase Musical Breakdown
  • The Ultimate Mission
  • Storyboards

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Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Blu-ray Review

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