Mission: Impossible - Fallout

The last real movie star built a monument of adoration to himself, before which nothing can be done except to tip one’s hat. In the years when Hollywood forgot how to make blockbusters and how to shoot action movies, it was Tom Cruise who brought real amazement back to the big screen. Now that others are beginning to understand that no CGI colouring book or frantic shaky cam can replace the breathtaking dimension of physical attraction, Cruise keeps raising the bar that he set himself in the area of what someone is capable of actually doing in front of the camera for the audience’s amusement. (01/14/2019)

A repeat of the essence of ostentatious espionage, which is once again strongest when it goes against the usual rules and boldly builds the whole story on humanity, the strength of characters, on the healing scars of seemingly indestructible experiences. Although there is naturally no shock of a never-before-seen approach, Christopher McQuarrie too cautiously walks his own beaten path and turns Fallout into more of an M:I 5.5, but the combination of additional internal tension among multiple organizations and a grand Bond-like finale fit so perfectly together that when all is said and done nothing bothers me about this approach. (08/13/2018)

The day before, I saw an overstuffed digital coloring book, the new Avengers, and those endless fights didn't breathe any life, the only thing that sweated during them were the computer processors as they rendered the CGI. In Cruise's film, on the other hand, the contact fights oozed animalism, they were raw and you could feel every punch, it was such a relief to see that old-school action flicks are still being made. The charismatic Cavill is a stud, I can imagine him as the new James Bond, even with that fabulous mustache. And Cruise? I don't know how he does it, if eating umbilical cords to prolong his youth, or if he made a deal with the devil, Hubbard, or Ashtar Sheran, whatever, but to look like that at 56 and still perform those stunts, hats off. I'm 11 years younger and when I take my groceries to the 6th floor, by the third floor I'm already putting on an oxygen mask because I feel like I'm going to die :o) (08/06/2018)

I totally appreciate the craftsmanship, the totally awesome Tom Cruise, the great action scenes and pacing. I'd be bullshitting if I said I was bored, but at the same time I felt all along that most of those things were done a little better by the previous film. Whether it was the chases, the work with the bad guy (it's all too transparent here) or the sort of embellishment that makes a great scene stand out (I missed the opera this time). It's great, but not as great as last time, and I really can't imagine that if I had to choose which of the last two M:I episodes to watch now, I'd reach for the sixth one. Not to sound overly disappointed, but it's like choosing between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. I'd give Ledger the edge, but if I can't find him, Hardy certainly won't offend me. It's just... it was just a little more interesting last time. In every way. (08/02/2018)

I felt an orgiastic enthusiasm, spoiled by moments of bitterness that a second or third viewing might or might not mitigate. Nolan himself would have been ashamed to conceive it in such a Dark Knight fashion, because he would be accused of copying himself. In particular, Balfe merely changed a few notes of the Dark Knight scores to give the dialogue tension and lend the storyline a continuously pulsating momentum. However, most of the action mega-scenes, which are almost groundbreaking in the given genre, and the brutal physical fights are not backed with music but – as the current trend dictates – only with raw sound, which gives them realism. These modern elements of deafening musical urgency and epic yet realistic action create a combination that make us pee our collective pants in joy, but it is spoiled by an overly complicated plot with repeated unmasking and changes of identities, where we manage to understand the basic storyline but keep getting lost in the individual plot twists. At least that’s what happened to me. And probably not because I’m stupid, but because of the script and its attempts to make everything dramatic at all costs, even at places where no dramatization is necessary. For this, I give it four stars, and elevate the more moderate and elegantly beautiful Rogue Nation to five. By the way, of all of Fallout’s scenes, I liked the sentimental one with the French woman cop the best. Cruise has some really beautiful women here, prettier than in many Bond movies. (08/02/2018)