When the phrase “Your mission, should you choose to accept it” is relayed, telling our neighbourhood super spy with the big heart what mission he’s going on, this is the point where we all know that it’s about to go down with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Missions Force - IMF.
The plot sees Hunt face a nuclear threat from the acolytes of imprisoned anarchist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) crosses his path again, on a conflicting mission of her own, while CIA agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) is forced on Hunt as a babysitter.
He’s a hammer to Hunt’s scalpel, as CIA chief Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) puts it, and despite their union seems like a marriage made in spy heaven based on their skills, the two clash from the start.
What stands out about this film from its five predecessors is the understanding that Hunt has a backstory, set to some pretty cool action sequences.
It also has some level of being current, as the threat of a nuclear attack by a group of extremists is a real threat in the world we live in.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible - Fallout. Pictures: Paramount and Skydanc
At 56, Tom Cruise still approaches every stunt with such hunger, making each film memorable.
Make no mistake, Mission:Impossible Fallout is not perfect. In fact, I think sometimes the films are a bit much, but they’re enjoyable if you allow yourself to suspend all your misgivings and be drawn into the world of super-fast internet connectivity, pretty cool guns and gadgets, super spy and super baddies.
You can expect the nifty tricks that we’ve come to associate Hunt and the IMF with, but the moments I quite enjoyed were those of honesty and gentleness from the super spies.
They bond over diffusing a bomb, are honest with one another after facing a hail of bullets, and put their faith in one another when it would be really crazy to trust anyone else but yourself and your own instincts.
They are gentle, sometimes funny, sometimes unsure, have fears and the question was asked why would people keep placing themselves in direct danger like this?
The answer is simply that they have the ability to do it, so they do.
My favourite scene is where Hunt chooses to save Luther in the beginning and unfortunately loses the plutonium. It’s a clever way of setting things into motion but also setting up a character plot for Hunt.
One person who I loved seeing on screen is Angela Bassett who, I believe, will look good forever.
All in all, if crazy gun battles, cool driving stunts, helicopter crashes, technology and funny nerds are your thing, then Mission:Impossible - Fallout is for you. If not, go see how great Cruise looks in a good suit.