MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT Review — I Stand Almost Alone in My Opinion

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Mission: Impossible—Fallout review — Probably the only negative review you’ll read

Mission: Impossible—Fallout reviewFirst of all, I need to tell you that I’m not a Tom Cruise hater. I actually like the guy, both onscreen and off. He is by no means the reason for my contrary feelings about the film and my departure from critic colleagues in saying that I found Mission: Impossible—Fallout, unimaginative and, frankly, boring.

Perhaps I’ve become spoiled by the Mission: Impossible franchise’s thrilling, death defying opening action scenes, with Cruise invariably leaping onto or off of a plane, or maybe scaling a tall building. Fallout opens with a…simple country wedding scene? Please! That segues into a rather entertaining deception bit, but by then, the dull damage has been done.

Oh there are plenty of wild and crazy action sequences to make up for it: endless chases on foot, motorcycle, car, and even helicopter (which I admit, was quite original and breathtaking). But we all know how they’re going to end, don’t we? There are only three choices: Cruise will catch, be caught or get away, and many vehicles will be sacrificed in the process. Okay, I admit, there is some entertainment value in watching for the scene where Cruise actually broke his ankle, but other than that, they’re not that compelling.

Even the plot is lackluster. Couldn’t writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (The Mummy, Jack Reacher, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation) have come up with something a little more original than the tired old stolen plutonium schtick? And I’m sorry, but international terrorists wanting to blow up the world and create anarchy has been done to death. Couldn’t McQuarrie have devised a better, more relatable motive? Republicans and Democrats are constantly accusing each other of wanting to create anarchy, and it’s clear that no one understands what that really means.

Add in a stilted, disengaging performance from Henry Cavill (Superman), who plays Cruise’s professional nemesis, and there’s more dull screen time, for which the charm of sidekicks Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames cannot compensate.

I swear I didn’t chomp a bad kernel of popcorn, or have a fight with my hubby prior to screening the film. I just didn’t like it. But you and everyone else will probably love it. Go. Enjoy.

Rated PG-13

2 Hours 27 Minutes

After having read this Mission: Impossible—Fallout review, you still want to see ite, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Mission: Impossible—Fallout review — Probably the only negative review you’ll read

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Lisa Johnson Mandell

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award winning journalist, author and film/TV critic. She can be heard regularly on Cumulus radio stations throughout the US, and seen on Rotten Tomatoes. She is the author of three bestselling books, and spends as much of her free time as possible with her husband Jim and her jolly therapy Labradoodle Frankie Feldman.

9 Comments

  1. Mike on August 4, 2018 at 8:28 pm

    It was boring👎

  2. Greg on August 8, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    Company movie night we went to see this movie and all were disappointed. Maybe our expectations were to high.

  3. Damien on August 30, 2018 at 10:55 am

    Why assume that if you notice the badness of a movie, you must be the only one who can possibly detect that badness?

  4. Qwerty on October 5, 2018 at 4:38 pm

    You are like the child in the story of the emperor and his clothes.

  5. rss on October 22, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    Your assessment was right on– except I am also bored to death by car chase scenes. Have seen way too many in my life and don’t want to watch another. The helicopter chase scene was more fun in Outbreak.

  6. James Mandell on November 27, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    Bummer, but glad it wasn’t me.

  7. Sean on December 24, 2018 at 1:00 am

    As I get older I worry I’m losing my connection to the movies. Thanks for being the only one to remind me I’m not crazy. I don’t know what people are seeing anymore.

  8. Tom on March 28, 2019 at 1:21 am

    Im flabergasted by how positively recieved this movie was! Im actually a big fan of cruise and most of the mi franchise. I look up to tom, but it looks like even he was losing faith during the filming.process. ive never before seen him have scenes with questionable acting.but he too was annoyed by the pointless action and overly drawn out scenes. There was no point to any of it. The whole movie was setting us up for the big helicopter finale, but i just couldnt care less about it by the time it arrived. I watches this on a plane really looking forward to it, i actually got.bored and annoyed by the overdone intense soundtrack too. Its a junk food film. A bugatti with a honda civic engine. It was a let down. Thanks for being a voice of reason in what looks like a bribed panel of critics. Cheers.

  9. Bob Merzoian on August 24, 2020 at 2:56 am

    Dear Lisa,
    Once in a while it’s OK to just enjoy a mindless movie…especially a mindless action flick. It’s also good to enjoy a triple chocolate fudge cake topped with dark chocolate ice cream…it’s not good for you, but it sure tastes good while you eat it. Maybe you were just a little crabby and picky when you crafted your review. I do like your style though.

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