The Mission Impossible series seems so out of place in 2018. In the age of cinematic universes, sequels, and spinoffs, blockbuster movies are fueled by CGI effects and post-production-created action scenes. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that if the end result is a great movie (I happen to love the Marvel Cinematic Universe), but there’s something refreshing about the way Mission Impossible: Fallout is made.

One of the largest draws to the MI franchise is Tom Cruise and his ridiculous stunts. It’s not just that his character, Ethan Hunt, does the stunts in the film, but that Cruise himself actually performs them during production. Ever since the fourth film, fans have watched in awe as Cruise climbs the Burj Khalifa, runs at breakneck speeds through city streets, and hangs off the side of an ascending cargo plane. Sure, he did his own stunts in the first three movies, but this decade the stunts he does have gotten so extreme that Cruise seems almost suicidal for not using stunt doubles.

These extreme stunts have hit their peak in Fallout. For one, the movie takes a massive step back from the previous entries in terms of high-tech gadgets. Gone are futuristic underwater breathing devices, hovering magnetic suits, and invisibility-screens.

Instead, we are treated with a non-stop string of action scenes that use almost no special effects, reminiscent of stunt-driven movies of the 80’s and 90’s. Throughout Fallout, Tom Cruise does a HALO Jump over Paris, jumps across London rooftops, drives a motorcycle into oncoming traffic, hangs off a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air, and pilots his own helicopter into a corkscrew dive. Watching these scenes feels so visceral and real that I was reminded of a documentary. 

There’s more to this movie than ridiculous stunts, as well. Henry Cavill’s character is Cruise’s reluctant partner-turned villain and he steals every scene he’s in. Watching him fight makes for some of the most exciting scenes in the movie. Additionally, there are plenty of dialogue scenes that bring just as much tension as some of the action.

What makes Mission Impossible: Fallout so fantastic is that it is action in it’s purest form, and that’s something you rarely see this decade. And for me, what makes Fallout the greatest action movie ever is how impressive and slick it all looks. I know a lot of people have nostalgia for films like Die Hard and the Matrix, two films that were great for their time, but Fallout is just a product of a time where budgets are larger and I think that shows. Filmmaking just gets better as time goes on, and when action is done correctly it can be the most impressive thing you can view on the silver screen.

*I also want to mention that Mad Max: Fury Road and the John Wick movies are two other fantastic modern action films that use practical effects, I just think Fallout’s scenes at their best are more compelling.

*I don’t consider movies like Inception and The Dark Knight “action” because those movies are driven more by characters, plot, and writing. That’s why I didn’t mention them here, even though I like them more than any Mission: Impossible film.

© Hank Michels, 2018