Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) review

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

D&W: Christopher McQuarrie

Based on the tv series Mission: Impossible by Bruce Geller

Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin

Ethan Hunt, his IMF crew return to the big screen to face one of their biggest threats yet in the sixth installment of the franchise. 

Two years after the event of the previous film - Rogue Nation (2015) - Hunt and his team go after a terrorist group known as The Apostles who have taken three plutonium cores after a botched mission. 

During that mission, Hunt and his team - played by Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg respectively again - are trying to pick it up from another person but after a shootout, Rhames is held hostage and Hunt chooses to save him instead of keeping an eye on the plutonium. 

Because of that the team, along with CIA Operative August Walker (Henry Cavill) go after the group. The events involve them dealing with a more-than-eccentric black market dealer (Vanessa Kirby), an old ally (Rebecca Ferguson), and the return of an old foe - anarchist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). 

I've been a fan of this film series. I remember watching the first film from 1996 directed by Brian De Palma when I was younger and I enjoyed it. Since then I've enjoyed all the other films in their own way, except the second one directed by John Woo. 

Despite my enjoyment of the franchise, I will admit the trailer for this movie didn't hook me in for some reason. 

Then the reviews were coming out and people kept saying it was one of the best action films ever. Having seen it now, I can say that this really is an amazing action flick! Best of all time? Eh, give me time to think on that. But this is an amazing one that should be enjoyed on the big screen. 

Every action scene is amazing in every aspect: choreographed, editing, shooting, and so on. 

You've got a car chase, a motorcycle chase in heavy traffic, a helicopter chase in a snowy mountain range, a foot chase, fist fights, gun fights, nail-biting stunts and so many close calls that if not you're literally on the edge of your seat then I'm not sure what's wrong with you. These are some amazing f**king action sequences!

This GIF kind of summarizes me watching it.

Not only it is amazing from the physical aspect of the stunt and choreography - by the way, there needs to be an Oscar category for this two - but director and writer Christopher McQuarrie does a great job at the classic action plot - the ticking clock.

The stories to these movies have never been the highlights of them. They've always been serviceable for the movie. But in this case, we've got a really good story with a returning villain with a vendetta against him and he basically plans on doing it with nuclear bombs.  

But I do like how they put emphasis on how the IMF team doesn't just put the big picture on top priority. In other words, the needs of the few are just as important as the needs of the many.

Now, like previous entries, there's a lot of double-crossing moments and trickster moments. So, much so that it can get a bit exhausting and take away a bit the suspense. But that's a minor complaint.

The only other major complaint I have is that there are moments where Tom Cruise's ego takes over a bit - he has produced all these movies. Mainly, in the way of characters going, "Ethan just cares so f**king much about people. He's just so caring damn it! Look at how caring he is about lives of others! PRAISE CRUISE... er, I mean Hunt."

But thankfully it's not as bad as it was with the second film. And I do have to give credit to Cruise for doing his own stunts, and there are stunts in the movie that are on the same level as Jackie Chan's most dangerous stunts.

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!

Also, I'd like to talk more about Cavill's character but that would go into spoiler territory about the plot and I'd rather you see it and experience it.

I will say there are clever hints about his identity that I just now picked up on and Cavill's does a pretty good job.

This and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015, dir. Guy Ritchie) feature my favorite performances from him. Maybe he should do more movies based on 60s spy shows. 

With the other characters, of course, there's great chemistry between Cruise, Pegg, Rhames, and Ferguson. 

Ferguson gets to really shine and I'd love to see her in more films. I can't remember where but someone called the breakout star of this film and I certainly hope so. 

I also like how Pegg's gets to show off his action chops. Normally in this kind of film, his character probably would've just been at a computer in a safe location speaking to the lead through an earpiece. But as seen in Hot Fuzz (2007, dir. Edgar Wright), Pegg is more than capable of doing action scenes. 

All in all, I'm not sure if I'd rank this as one of the best action films of all time right now, but it's certainly an amazing film to watch on the big screen. 

RATING: 4/5

Thanks for reading. What did you think of the movie? Share your thoughts! Share the post, and feel free to follow me on Twitter - @DocJohn90. 

Doctor Who Audio Drama Recommendations Vol. 1

Before I continue with the TV retrospective - the first one can be found here -  I've decided to highlight Doctor Who audio dramas.

The main reason I decided to do this because there are plenty of great stories released by Big Finish that in a lot of cases are better than some of the TV stories. This case will especially be the case when we get to the Sixth Doctor. And when it comes to the Eighth Doctor, there's not too much to write about outside two TV appearances.

So, let's talk about audio dramas that are set around the first season.

The Beginning 

(takes place before An Unearthly Child)

W: Marc Platt

D: Lisa Bowerman

PLOT: When the First Doctor and his granddaughter Susan escape through the cloisters of Gallifrey to an old Type 40 Time Travel capsule, little do they realize the adventures that lie ahead... And little do they know, as the TARDIS dematerializes and they leave their homeworld behind, there is someone else aboard the ship. He is Quadrigger Stoyn, and he is very unhappy...

This is part of a series known as Companion Chronicles where a companion recalls an adventure they had with the Doctor. In this case, its Susan recalling the very first adventure she goes on with the Doctor. That adventure is when they first leave Gallifrey.

Now, sadly, that's just the first few moments of the story. The rest has the Doctor, Susan, and a Time Lord engineer named Stoyn (voiced by Terry Molloy - who also played Davros in the TV show) dealing with an alien race called Archaeons. Now, the latter half isn't bad, but a part of me wishes more was focused on them leaving Gallifrey. But then again, that may ruin the mystery of why the Doctor left and we're being told the story from Susan's point of view who may not know.

Another aspect I like is that we seed the seeds of Susan's growth as a character and moving away from being just the Doctor's granddaughter. Definitely worth a listen.

Farewell, Great Macedon

(takes place between The Keys of Marinus and The Aztecs)

W: Morris Farhi

Adapted by Nigel Robinson

D: Lisa Bowerman

PLOT: The TARDIS materializes in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, in the year 323 BC. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan meet Alexander the Great – but their excitement is tempered by the realization that these are the final days of Alexander's life. As the travelers become embroiled in the tragic events, the inevitability of history unfolds around them.

But can they – and should they – change it?

This is part of a subseries called The Lost Stories. This series is where Big Finish adapts scripts or "story treatments" that were proposed to the BBC but never made it to production. 

Listening to this, I'm amazed that this wasn't produced because it is so damn good! My only guess is the budget. Considering how this season consisted of a seven-part epic with big moving creatures, a six-parter involving Marco Polo, and a four-parter involving ancient Aztecs its not too surprising.

In regards to the topic, this is one of the historical figures that I knew about before checking this out and the script really nailed down the topics.

John Dorney is fantastic as Alexander the Great in regards to his larger-than-life character and his infamously short temper. To give an idea of how hot-headed Alexander was, he literally killed a friend after a very heated argument. Seriously. It's a good thing there were no guns or internet comment sections back then.

One of the most compelling things about the story is the conflict the TARDIS crew. In the story, they discover they've landed close to Alexander the Great's death. Obviously, as they hang out with him they don't want him to die. So, they battle with the idea of whether to let history take its course or try to change it.

There's also keep bits of the script that show that this was being written in the very early days of the show because they refer to the Doctor as a straightforward physician and he says he took the Hippocratic oath. Obviously, this idea was chucked out the window given how in later episodes the Doctor would say things like, "my Doctorate is purely honorary."

There's a second story on here called The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance which is:

But you won't go wrong with Macedon, trust me!

The Transit of Venus 

(takes place between The Sensorites and The Reign of Terror)

W: Jacqueline Rayner 

D: Nigel Faris

PLOT: The year is 1770, and daring explorer Captain James Cook and his crew on the Endeavour are navigating the Pacific Ocean.

Into their midst come strangers: the First Doctor and Ian Chesterton, who are believed to have come from Venus. But the TARDIS is lost to them — along with both Susan and Barbara — and Ian makes an enemy of the ship's chief scientist, Joseph Banks.

Why is Banks acting strangely? Could it be that the travelers are not the only visitors from the stars?


Another companion chronicle, this time told by Ian. I could easily see this story being made for the show.

Also, there's some residue from The Sensorites that play a part in the story. I won't spoil it but I can at least say that it took something from one of my least favorite episodes and made something worthwhile. It's a good one.