Tuesday 7 August 2018

REVIEW: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-FALLOUT

4/5

From Paris With Hunt.

147 Mins. Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Angela Bassett & Alec Baldwin. Director: Christopher McQuarrie.

Accept it. Tom Cruise is in control of the summer. Even if last years magic 'Mummy', 'Dark Universe' Mission unravelled and Hunt has become the hunted here. The hunter? A Superman complete with that moustache and locked and loaded arm guns throwing a Man of Steen wallop of a punch. For a bathroom brawl that will throw everything at you, including the sink and the gif of the summer ("heading into work like...") in THE blockbuster of the season. And with sixth sense the 'Mission: Impossible' series franchise fuse is still running like Cruise across London Embankment rooftops. All the way to a real life concrete crushing, ankle break and the hobbling after that shows that Tom pushing 60 could even rock Dwayne Johnson, skyscraper to 'Skyscraper'. This is a man that scaled Dubai's Burj Khalifa in just a sticky pair of gloves and then descended down it with what looked like a man-sized cotton wool spool right before a sandstorm hit. The same man who in the original iconic 'M:I' abseiled down the vents of a vault with a forcefield floor he couldn't touch like lava. You remember he looked like he was sky-diving...he does that here. Before running across planes, trains and automobiles (and bikes). Before climbing cliffs, running everywhere again, white-knuckle, finger-tip hanging on to the side of war planes taking off and holding his breath underwater for 6 minutes before this sixth installment. The first 'Mission' could go toe to tailor suit with Bond and after the still successful second suffered a sophomore slump, the third in what many thought would be a trilogy for Tom showed this spy series could be re-Bourne. And after Jeremy was 'Ghost Protocol' brought in to takeover the franchise like he was Jason, that didn't work either as no matter how real Renner is like Matt Damon, iconic Hollywood stars can't top Tom like Hanks. 'Rogue Nation' became a tribute to the series and now with 'Fallout' nothing is dropped here. Even if Hawkeye is missing like his bow and arrow was in the all-out Avenger 'Infinity War'. I guess Jeremy Renner really did commit to that game of 'Tag' this year. Although he is missed here like he is in the latest Marvel. Lets hope for a mission report return to blockbuster war for Clint and Brandt. Because even if Thanos clicked his fingers again this franchise refuses to self destruct in what's counting to 30 years.

Hawkeye. Superman. Tom Cruise has never played a superhero (although he did come pretty close to bolting up as 'Iron Man' before Robert Downey Jr. Weird huh?). But at 56 and doing the things he does, whilst kicking ass of people young enough to be his son like Denzel Washington in 'The Equalizer 2', he is one. Or at least a real life Action Man. He's unstoppable. Even if you try to pull off one of his legs. At one pinnacle moment at peak action movie fare, a character frustratingly shouts, "why won't you just die?" whilst hanging off a cliff, with not much of a face. Hasn't he seen one of Cruise's movies? He survives it all. Even when he dies over and over again in his his epic 'Edge Of Tomorrow'/'All You Need Is Kill' movie that will 'Live.Die.Repeat' for another day and sequel. Continuing Cruise's hot 'War Of The Worlds' sci-fi streak from the 'Minority Report' man into 'Oblivion'. Even when films don't quite kick it and crash land for real like last years 'Mummy' reboot which really was actually the daddy, the 'Rain Man' and 'Jerry Maguire' superstar comes flying back...usually in an actual plane. See 'American Made' one of last years most underrated and entertaining best. Oh and speaking of which, did you need for speed hear there's going to be a 'Top Gun 2' Maverick? For a franchise face who also has a 'Jack Reacher' series knuckling up by the book also in a 'Cocktail' of 'Collateral' like action blockbusters. Here he's jumping out of more planes than he does big buildings as in reuniting with 'The Usual Suspects' Oscar winning screenwriter and first director in the series to accept a 'Mission: Impossible' twice, Christopher McQuarrie on qurrayman hardworking formidable form, Cruise is back for all six mission statements (aint that right Jerry?!). Show me the movie! Because this has it all fist fights, shootouts, BMW car chases through the classic European streets like 'Rogue Nation', going all 'Knight and Day'. Choppers from ones with two wheels to ones with rotating blades in the mountains above. And it's still seemingly so original...although a smart-phone remote control car pays homage (we hope) to Pierce Brosnan's mid-90's Bond with his BM. But back to the lack of green screen, of course Tom does all his own stunts for this. Watching him bomb it round in an all black bomber jacket ensemble on the back of a machine coloured the same. Riding through the streets of Paris on the back of a beautiful bike like it was a horse. Throttling from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs Elysees really is as 'M:I' iconic as it sounds. He is the champ! Even when he falls off like Puff Daddy in the 'I'll Be Missing You' video back in '96'. He takes his hits. He really does it all. He even has his ass handed to him in a bathroom...wait...what?! Ah you know, same old Ethan.

And that's where a cavalier Henry Cavill comes into play, cockily cocking his biceps and triceps for that stall breaking fight with kicking 'Skyfall' super stuntman Liang Yang, as classic as the car and cycle chase after a prison truck breaking heist that feels like 'The Dark Knight' Joker anarchy in the middle of just another sleepy day in France. You're going to love a supped up supes as Clark Kent goes rogue undercover. And as for "moustachegate" that made Superman look like John Travolta, I must ask you, was 'Justice League' sadly even worth it? For what it's worth Cavill was Christopher Reeve classic in 'Man Of Steel' and oh yes the criminally underrated dark design of 'Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice' (in 2016 it seemed like this writer started a one man Twitter campaign in defence of 'BvS' all year). But for those superhero schedule conflict like Renner wondering why the 'Mission: Impossible' team didn't just Gillette the facial fuzz, wait until you see it in all its glory here. It's almost like its own character in itself. Henry who showed how slick and suave he was under the integrity of the 'S' on his chest in Guy Ritchie's spy game 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' remake, shakes, stirs, sweats and suit sheds his rumoured Bond audition. This hero for hire flanked by 'Black Panther' queen mother and Tina Turner herself, Angela Bassett on regal, roaring form. Butting official operative heads with original 'Hunt For October' Jack Ryan, Alec Baldwin. As following in the spy steps of him, Harrison Ford, Affleck and Pine, 'A Quiet Place' loud talent John Krasinski is about to step out 'The Office' for his own Amazon primetime series based on Tom Clancy's classic character. Cruise's own muse has plenty to focus on with 'The Greatest Showman' staged showstopper Rebecca Ferguson stealing the show again with her Black Widow killer kicks and headlocks by the legs. Not to mention Vanessa Kirby's White Widow, kissing goons goodbye femme fatale, with the eyes of previous connections to this series. And who could forget the lost love of Michelle Monaghan? Back like (because), she never left Hunt's heart. Ever since late, greatest villain Phillip Seymour-Hoffman played with all that. But returning like McQuarrie villain Sean Harris is sneeringly and sinisterly vile and great. Even when all tied up and exactly where he Joker straight jacket wants to be. It's a good job Hunt has his crack team of wisecracking 'Star Trek' Scotty, Simon Pegg (in it almost as much as Tom now) and original Luther (after Vandross, but before Idris) Ving Rhames from the first movie back permanently. And all this lights, camera, action set to a killer themed soundtrack, fuse set off by aces Las Vegas band Imagine Dragons, breathing fire into this epic explosion. What more could you choose to accept for your mission report? This review will self des...TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation', 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.', 'Spectre'.

No comments:

Post a Comment