Mission: Impossible Fallout: Average Action, average Film

Mission: Impossible Fallout is a standard story of stolen plutonium, threatening anarchists and secret identities. Oh, and an aging action hero who doesn't know when to retire. Here are some thoughts I had while watching this movie: I wonder what kind of work Tom Cruise has had done. How many times is he going to say "I'll figure it out"? For such a big guy, Henry Cavill has weirdly short arms. Everyone talks about how Tom Cruise does his own stunts but it seems like that really just means a lot of running. Is Henry Cavill's mustache real or a press on? When does Ilsa-the only one with their act together-get her own spin off franchise? How can Ethan Hunt be a special agent but not know how to fly a helicopter? Does Tom Cruise think that turtleneck makes him look younger? 

Aside from those burning questions and observations, Mission: Impossible Fallout was generally entertaining. It was over the top throughout, and gets particularly ridiculous at the end, but that's to be expected from a movie like this. The plot has enough substance that it doesn't matter if the action scenes make any real sense or that a good 15 minutes are spent on Tom Cruise trying to look cool on a motorcycle. What the movie does have going for it is that there is one simple goal of the protagonists: get back the stolen plutonium. While a number of plot twists along the way come close to being overkill, and it does become increasingly predictable, the film primarily sticks to this main narrative. It all leads to an overly dramatic yet surprisingly satisfying series of near misses in the final act. Mission: Impossible Fallout is a basic summer blockbuster and while I did enjoy it for the most part, I couldn't help but wonder if film, and the action genre, could do better. Isn't the old "secret agent gone rogue" trope a bit played out? If you asked the young guys in the theater where I saw it, who cheered every time Tom Cruise did anything remotely "cool", then I suppose the answer would be no, this movie is the best, thank you very much. I remain less convinced.

FRANKLY: Entertaining but predictable, please no more Mission: Impossible for a very long time. 3/5.