Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Tom Cruise is one of the few actors who has managed to retain his star power across decades. From Top Gun to the ongoing Mission: Impossible franchise, there's nearly a 30-year span—and yet the number-one movie at the box office still features the words “Tom Cruise” on the poster. The actor returns once again in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, delivering another incredibly enjoyable entry in the franchise.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is one of the first direct sequels in the series, picking up where Rogue Nation left off. It brings back familiar faces like Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) as the villain and Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) as an elusive ally. Solomon’s terrorist organization, the Syndicate, is in tatters—but its remnants, now calling themselves The Apostles, have acquired the knowledge to build nuclear weapons. It’s up to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team to prevent them from obtaining the plutonium needed for a bomb.

Somehow, the Mission: Impossible franchise continues to evolve, staying relevant and keeping audiences on their toes. The result is a film with a refreshingly intricate plot filled with so many twists and turns, you might lose track of who’s who. The action and chase scenes are filmed with bold, continuous takes, avoiding the over-edited chaos of many modern blockbusters. The stunt work is meticulously executed and genuinely impressive to watch. Between the thrilling narrative and white-knuckle action, you’ll barely notice the film’s 2 hour and 30-minute runtime.

The addition of Henry Cavill brings a muscular counterpoint to Cruise’s veteran action hero, creating a compelling sense of rivalry. His presence also subtly underscores a larger question: Ethan Hunt is aging. While Fallout doesn’t explore this theme as directly as Skyfall did with James Bond, it raises the same inevitable thought—how much longer can Tom Cruise keep dangling from helicopters or sprinting across rooftops?

7.7/10