"THIS IS THE BEST MISSION YET."
Henry Cavill said that about Mission: Impossible - Fallout in an interview.
Most of the time, actors say these words of praise just for the sake of good publicity and may not always be true.
This time, however, he didn't say it just for good press. He said it because it damn well is the best Mission yet.
One of the most difficult things to do in the movie business is to make a sequel that's actually better than the original. These guys who do the Mission movies have now achieved that feat for three movies straight now, ever since Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011).
Tom Cruise has said that with Ghost Protocol, they stumbled upon a formula of sorts that really worked wonders with audiences.
As such, the past three movies have all stood out from the first three in terms of style and direction, and that series revamp that all began with Ghost Protocol has really turned the Mission: Impossible series into the best and most consistent action movie franchise of today.
With each movie, Tom Cruise pushes himself further in terms of how crazy some of the stunts he does are. With Fallout, he's really gone mental.
As if hanging from a cargo plane taking off in Rogue Nation (2015) wasn't enough, he's hanging from helicopters, rocky cliffs, performing super risky HALO jumps and even breaking his ankle when he leapt from a building.
At 56, the man is superhuman.
As a guy who loves movies, to see an actor put in so much effort and dedication into a role, essentially giving back to movie goers every penny of their ticket stub's value is just something one doesn't see much of at all.
On top of that, movie franchises like this and the James Bond series who stubbornly maintain that practical effects are better than computer-generated imagery truly are the rare treasures of today.
Whilst most movies wouldn't hesitate to turn to CGI, and understandably so considering how much cheaper and more efficient it is to produce decent results, these films stand firm in their belief in doing these stunts for real, and the effects really show on camera.
Since we're on the topic of, practical effects what I loved about those used in Fallout on top of how amazing they looked was how beautifully those scenes were shot.
Most action films utilise many quick cuts during fight scenes, vehicle chases, etcetera - some may say that the technique creates more excitement due to how much audiences' eyes have to adjust to keep up with the action, while others who are familiar with filmmaking techniques know that it's an excuse to hide the fact that they're simply trying to hide the fact that it's a stuntman performing the stunts and not their actors.
In Fallout, and along with Tom Cruise's other collaborations with the incredibly talented writer/director Christopher McQuarrie [Jack Reacher (2012), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation], the use of long, uninterrupted takes during action sequences which deliberately show Tom Cruise's actual presence in that scene almost serves as a slap in the faces of filmmakers who adopt the quick cut method.
These shots are especially beautiful in Fallout, and cinematographer Rob Hardy deserves all the praise in the world for his work on this movie. It is one stunningly photographed movie.
Be it Ethan Hunt on a motorbike riding against the flow of traffic in Paris without a helmet or falling off a helicopter mid-air, you get to see every uninterrupted second of the action and that to me, is cinematic gold.
Who says that long takes bore audiences? This movie proves that long takes used in meticulously planned action sequences where the timing of stunts has to be absolutely perfect produce even more of a thrill than a scene which uses a million cuts and different camera angles and a tonne of shaky cam.
I also loved how relentless the action in the movie was. All it ever does is build and build, as if there's no such thing as a climax or ending mark. From a truck chase, to a bike chase. Next thing, it involves a car and soon after he's sprinting on the rooftops of London before piloting a helicopter on the other side of the world. It is incredible entertainment.
Let's move on to the story, and I thought that it was very gripping but at the same time, it did bear plenty of resemblance to past espionage action thrillers of yesteryear.
I think Christopher McQuarrie was smart enough to be aware of that fact, which was why he developed what I can say is the best version of what all those past movies could have been.
For example, there are many similarities to the James Bond films Skyfall (2012) and SPECTRE (2015), but where movies like the latter fell short in terms of fulfilling the potential of its story or its characters, what McQuarrie did was take those plot elements, learned from those mistakes made and made the best version of it with Fallout, and I think that's genius.
Sure, it may sound like stealing but at this point - where spy movies very openly copy each other to try and outdo each other, ultimately what matters is which movie outdoes the other, and no action series has been as consistent in outshining the Bond's of late (apart from Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall) is the Mission: Impossible franchise with Christopher McQuarrie in the director's chair.
Onto the cast, and once again, the returning characters all did a fantastic job. Those that stood out were the immaculate Rebecca Ferguson (whom I'm a huge fan of) as MI6 agent Ilsa Foust and Simon Pegg as IMF agent Benji Dunn. A notable absence in the film was Jeremy Renner due to his commitment on the new Avengers movie due next May.
Even Michelle Monaghan, who reprises her role as Ethan Hunt's ex-wife Julia has a solid, albeit small role in the film, which was a lovely touch.
The newcomers were excellent too, with CIA special agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) standing out in what is his best movie role so far, apart from his side gig as Superman, no less.
The rest of the additions like Vanessa Kirby as White Wolf and Angela Bassett as CIA director Erica Sloane were all good, and they played characters who were actually necessary to the plot, which is something I could appreciate greatly. So often in movies there's the presence of certain characters whose involvement in the movie you end up questioning because of how useless the character ends up being.
For the film's music, composer Lorne Balfe replaced Joe Kraemer, who did an excellent job scoring Rogue Nation (just have a listen to the track that opens the movie, "The A400") and the former brought a similar "toned-down" style to the film's music - nothing too extravagant or too different.
There's a lot of percussion used, especially in fight sequences which really compliment the action occurring on screen as well as scenes where no music is used at all which I thoroughly enjoyed as all you hear is the raw grittiness of the action and the sound effects, once again reflective of what you see on camera.
That matches with the tone set for the movie as well, which is one of raw intensity, realism and a certain sense of darkness which has been absent from previous instalments, on top of the story being extremely character-driven.
That sense of realism is reflected in terms of some of the equipment the IMF team use as well. In previous movies, there've been some truly outlandish and ridiculous gadgets and gizmos which even make some of James Bond's most ridiculous toys look like a basic gadget.
Most of them are thrown out of the window with this one, and I could really appreciate that because it raises the stakes for the characters where they're more dependent on their own abilities rather than the aid of technology.
All in all, Mission: Impossible - Fallout is the summer blockbuster to end all summer blockbusters.
Never has a movie thrilled me so much to a point where my mouth was left agape, in absolute awe of certain scenes or stunts. It truly is the "Skyfall" of the Mission: Impossible series where you think they've exhausted much of their ideas and they couldn't possibly top the last one and yet, they achieved that and did it in style too.
The action sequences are some of the very best and most daring ever put to film, and long may that streak continue for this franchise. The only flaw I can pick out is the worry that they may never be able to top this movie. I mean, how do you outdo perfection?
They've truly set the bar at an insane level now, and whether it's a good or bad thing, only time will tell. But for now, it's a brilliant thing.
Not only is it the very best Mission film of the lot, it's also one of the best action thrillers of all-time.
The last time I've ever been so sure about my verdict of a movie even before it had concluded was in early March of last year, when I was watching Logan.
And you guessed it, Fallout's right up there with it.
10/10.
One of the most difficult things to do in the movie business is to make a sequel that's actually better than the original. These guys who do the Mission movies have now achieved that feat for three movies straight now, ever since Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011).
Tom Cruise has said that with Ghost Protocol, they stumbled upon a formula of sorts that really worked wonders with audiences.
As such, the past three movies have all stood out from the first three in terms of style and direction, and that series revamp that all began with Ghost Protocol has really turned the Mission: Impossible series into the best and most consistent action movie franchise of today.
With each movie, Tom Cruise pushes himself further in terms of how crazy some of the stunts he does are. With Fallout, he's really gone mental.
As if hanging from a cargo plane taking off in Rogue Nation (2015) wasn't enough, he's hanging from helicopters, rocky cliffs, performing super risky HALO jumps and even breaking his ankle when he leapt from a building.
At 56, the man is superhuman.
As a guy who loves movies, to see an actor put in so much effort and dedication into a role, essentially giving back to movie goers every penny of their ticket stub's value is just something one doesn't see much of at all.
On top of that, movie franchises like this and the James Bond series who stubbornly maintain that practical effects are better than computer-generated imagery truly are the rare treasures of today.
Whilst most movies wouldn't hesitate to turn to CGI, and understandably so considering how much cheaper and more efficient it is to produce decent results, these films stand firm in their belief in doing these stunts for real, and the effects really show on camera.
Since we're on the topic of, practical effects what I loved about those used in Fallout on top of how amazing they looked was how beautifully those scenes were shot.
Most action films utilise many quick cuts during fight scenes, vehicle chases, etcetera - some may say that the technique creates more excitement due to how much audiences' eyes have to adjust to keep up with the action, while others who are familiar with filmmaking techniques know that it's an excuse to hide the fact that they're simply trying to hide the fact that it's a stuntman performing the stunts and not their actors.
In Fallout, and along with Tom Cruise's other collaborations with the incredibly talented writer/director Christopher McQuarrie [Jack Reacher (2012), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation], the use of long, uninterrupted takes during action sequences which deliberately show Tom Cruise's actual presence in that scene almost serves as a slap in the faces of filmmakers who adopt the quick cut method.
These shots are especially beautiful in Fallout, and cinematographer Rob Hardy deserves all the praise in the world for his work on this movie. It is one stunningly photographed movie.
Be it Ethan Hunt on a motorbike riding against the flow of traffic in Paris without a helmet or falling off a helicopter mid-air, you get to see every uninterrupted second of the action and that to me, is cinematic gold.
Who says that long takes bore audiences? This movie proves that long takes used in meticulously planned action sequences where the timing of stunts has to be absolutely perfect produce even more of a thrill than a scene which uses a million cuts and different camera angles and a tonne of shaky cam.
I also loved how relentless the action in the movie was. All it ever does is build and build, as if there's no such thing as a climax or ending mark. From a truck chase, to a bike chase. Next thing, it involves a car and soon after he's sprinting on the rooftops of London before piloting a helicopter on the other side of the world. It is incredible entertainment.
Let's move on to the story, and I thought that it was very gripping but at the same time, it did bear plenty of resemblance to past espionage action thrillers of yesteryear.
I think Christopher McQuarrie was smart enough to be aware of that fact, which was why he developed what I can say is the best version of what all those past movies could have been.
For example, there are many similarities to the James Bond films Skyfall (2012) and SPECTRE (2015), but where movies like the latter fell short in terms of fulfilling the potential of its story or its characters, what McQuarrie did was take those plot elements, learned from those mistakes made and made the best version of it with Fallout, and I think that's genius.
Sure, it may sound like stealing but at this point - where spy movies very openly copy each other to try and outdo each other, ultimately what matters is which movie outdoes the other, and no action series has been as consistent in outshining the Bond's of late (apart from Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall) is the Mission: Impossible franchise with Christopher McQuarrie in the director's chair.
Onto the cast, and once again, the returning characters all did a fantastic job. Those that stood out were the immaculate Rebecca Ferguson (whom I'm a huge fan of) as MI6 agent Ilsa Foust and Simon Pegg as IMF agent Benji Dunn. A notable absence in the film was Jeremy Renner due to his commitment on the new Avengers movie due next May.
Even Michelle Monaghan, who reprises her role as Ethan Hunt's ex-wife Julia has a solid, albeit small role in the film, which was a lovely touch.
The newcomers were excellent too, with CIA special agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) standing out in what is his best movie role so far, apart from his side gig as Superman, no less.
The rest of the additions like Vanessa Kirby as White Wolf and Angela Bassett as CIA director Erica Sloane were all good, and they played characters who were actually necessary to the plot, which is something I could appreciate greatly. So often in movies there's the presence of certain characters whose involvement in the movie you end up questioning because of how useless the character ends up being.
For the film's music, composer Lorne Balfe replaced Joe Kraemer, who did an excellent job scoring Rogue Nation (just have a listen to the track that opens the movie, "The A400") and the former brought a similar "toned-down" style to the film's music - nothing too extravagant or too different.
There's a lot of percussion used, especially in fight sequences which really compliment the action occurring on screen as well as scenes where no music is used at all which I thoroughly enjoyed as all you hear is the raw grittiness of the action and the sound effects, once again reflective of what you see on camera.
That matches with the tone set for the movie as well, which is one of raw intensity, realism and a certain sense of darkness which has been absent from previous instalments, on top of the story being extremely character-driven.
That sense of realism is reflected in terms of some of the equipment the IMF team use as well. In previous movies, there've been some truly outlandish and ridiculous gadgets and gizmos which even make some of James Bond's most ridiculous toys look like a basic gadget.
Most of them are thrown out of the window with this one, and I could really appreciate that because it raises the stakes for the characters where they're more dependent on their own abilities rather than the aid of technology.
All in all, Mission: Impossible - Fallout is the summer blockbuster to end all summer blockbusters.
Never has a movie thrilled me so much to a point where my mouth was left agape, in absolute awe of certain scenes or stunts. It truly is the "Skyfall" of the Mission: Impossible series where you think they've exhausted much of their ideas and they couldn't possibly top the last one and yet, they achieved that and did it in style too.
The action sequences are some of the very best and most daring ever put to film, and long may that streak continue for this franchise. The only flaw I can pick out is the worry that they may never be able to top this movie. I mean, how do you outdo perfection?
They've truly set the bar at an insane level now, and whether it's a good or bad thing, only time will tell. But for now, it's a brilliant thing.
Not only is it the very best Mission film of the lot, it's also one of the best action thrillers of all-time.
The last time I've ever been so sure about my verdict of a movie even before it had concluded was in early March of last year, when I was watching Logan.
And you guessed it, Fallout's right up there with it.
10/10.
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