Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If there’s one thing I’ve come to learn when it comes to film, it’s that, the more sequels that come forth from a particular franchise, the staler said franchise seems to become. It’s a truth that no one likes to face about sprawling cinematic sagas, but time and time again we speak to how the earlier films were far better and how the current movies have simply lost the magic and eventually, the franchise in question fades into oblivion as its tired formula sends audiences packing toward something fresh and new and honestly, for some time now, that’s been my line of thinking when it comes the Mission: Impossible series.
 
After all, I loved the fresh ideas that the first film in the series brought to the table, and the sequel was a tour de force of action and adventure and then I don’t know. The magic just started to fade for me. The action was wasn’t quite as thrilling, the stories lost me and despite the addition of Simon Pegg as Benji and the vile villain that is Solomon Lane, I simply couldn’t find the spark that drew me into this franchise in the first place. But, something about the trailers for the latest film caught my eye and it did just enough to get me in the theaters and for the first time in a long time, I absolutely enjoyed every single second of a film from this series because Mission: Impossible – Fallout, is an utter delight.
 
Now this particular entry in the Ethan Hunt saga sees the world facing a bit of a crisis following the capture of Solomon Lane. Because those loyal to him, who now call themselves ‘The Apostles’, are wreaking havoc all over the globe and they are dangerously close to getting their hands on the material necessary to make a nuclear weapon and unfortunately for Ethan, in order to save the world one more time, he is expected to abandon his humanity and his morals and do whatever it takes to stop Lane’s followers from sowing chaos and suffering as he and his team face their greatest challenge to date. 

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​So, I suppose the question of the hour is how exactly a franchise can revitalize itself after seemingly going stale and the answer to that is simple; this movie goes back to the basics that made the franchise so successful in the first place. Intrigue and mystery are what made this series so great and that’s found here in spades since we don’t know who to trust or who is working for and with Lane’s followers and the twists and turns that come about in this film are downright delightful to say the least and while you may call of a couple of them in advance, they still have the proper impact needed to make the story an enjoyable experience when they are revealed to the audience.
 
However, I think what truly transfixed me when it comes to this film, is its humanity. Because let’s be honest, action films are designed to do one thing, thrill us with the special effects and leave our jaws planted firmly on the floor, and while this movie has plenty of action sequences that accomplish that goal, Ethan’s struggle adds a refreshing depth to this story. Because his morals and his push to save lives, regardless of the cost makes Ethan a magnificent hero and you’re rooting for him every single step of the way and it makes his journey in this story all the more compelling and breathtaking since Ethan goes through hell in this particular tale.
 
As an added bonus, the acting is top notch as well. Everyone here delivers in spades, and this is just another example of how Henry Cavill is going to be quite the star in the years to come since his performance is stellar in this story and well, this really was quite the entertaining ride. The action sequences were simply amazing, the story kept my attention and it would seem that this storied film franchise has found new life and I would imagine that the next entry in this saga is going to be as compelling as this one because it’s clear Tom Cruise and company have figured out the secret to revitalizing a franchise and wouldn’t you know it? It all comes to down to putting that proverbial best foot forward and giving us one hell of story to chew upon. 

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