[rating=5.00]
When you go into a Mission: Impossible movie there’s only one way to watch it: with the understanding that the next 2+ hours of your life is solely in the hands of a madman who loves to run and show off for the sake of his “art.” That’s it. There’s no analysis of plot points, character, story, or arc. If you dwell too hard on it, you’re gonna have a bad time.
The latest foray into the Mission: Impossible universe sees Ethan Hunt dealing with the “FALLOUT” of his life choices. His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to continue to upheave the lives of all those he cares about for a price: the loss of him in their lives. Big stakes, y’all. He’s already lost the love of his life, and in doing so he knows that he’ll never be free from the demons of his past. We see this because of his vague dreamscape that literally builds up the whole movie for you.
Out of the dreamscape, Ethan is up to usual business saving the world from bad guys by A) posing as a bad guy, or B) killing everyone around him in a messy, yet ineffective manner. This time around, it’s up to him to stop a plot involving nuclear weapons to incinerate part of the population, moving into a new world order where everyone is closer to an even playing field. So kinda like, Fight Club meets Infinity War with guns instead of schizophrenia and/or super powers.
The shaky plot works in this Mission: Impossible context once you’ve accepted what you’re in for. Sure, after all this time Ethan is still able to operate as a ghost in the wind. Age, burned bridges, blown cover, and mostly age would definitely not slow him down. No sir; in fact, he’s only gotten better. While unrealistic, this is the M:I universe, and for all we know there’s a Benjamin Button situation going on. A redeeming quality that our dear Ethan does exude is his reticence to murder his team members, leading to issues that could have been solved quickly by cutting ties. Casual murder is only for faceless goons, y’all.
‘But wait…’ you’re no doubt thinking. ‘What about that glorious moustache Henry Cavill is said to be rocking throughout the film? The one that Paramount inexplicably fought to keep as he did reshoots for Justice League. Was it worth all the hype?’ To that, dear friend, I say his upper lip was delightful. I don’t know a single person who would say no to that moustache ride given the opportunity. While his moustache was indeed a central look for his vaguely scary “hammer” character, it did not goddamn matter that he had it in the least.
Aside from a few fun scenes involving masks, and Hollywood smoke and mirrors within the Hollywood smoke and mirrors, there’s nothing remarkable about Mission: Impossible Fallout aside from the fact that folks are still paying for these high budget movies to be made. Have fun with it, bring your curmudgeonly uncle or problematic friend from college you keep promising to hang out with. You will have a whole two hours and twenty-seven minutes of sitting quietly in the dark together while ageless Tom Cruise makes puns and runs around foreign cityscapes. That’s a great time if I’ve ever heard of one.
Mission: Impossible-Fallout is now playing in theaters everywhere.
