Just to be clear, I totally enjoy all eight of the movies in the Mission: Impossible film franchise. I was even around for the TV series, which ran for seven seasons beginning in 1966, and two seasons in the 1980s. But hands down, my favorite film just happens to be…
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT
The sixth entry in the film franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) is a direct sequel to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015). Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team must prevent a nuclear attack engineered by the villain from the previous film, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), the international terrorist that just won’t go away.
Many others shared my impressions of this film. It grossed nearly $800 million, highest of any in the franchise. Its Rotten Tomatoes score of 98% was also the highest, and CinemaScore reported filmgoers giving it an average grade of “A”.
This chase along London’s rooftops cost Tom Cruise a broken ankle.
In Mission: Impossible – Fallout my favorite IMF team—Hunt, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg)—is together for the last time, from start to finish. And a “loose end” involving Ethan’s ex-wife, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), is skillfully tied up with her key appearance in the story.
There are countless memorable scenes in the eight films, to be sure. But IMHO, nothing can top the helicopter pursuit with Ethan Hunt and uber-villain August Walker (Henry Cavill) near the end of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, concluding with their mano a mano battle on a cliff as the countdown to nuclear destruction proceeds.
Dangerous stunt, but thrilling.
For me, the following is possibly the highest praise that I can heap upon a movie. I once wrote about two films, both part of lengthy franchises, that I love so much, I sometimes watch them all by themselves. They are Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Aliens. Add one more: Mission: Impossible – Fallout.