Hollywood's Greatest Storm Chaser

"I am the storm" says Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt at the beginning of Mission: Impossible - Fallout. And the storm he is indeed. He is a threat to every enemy that tries to hurt Hunt's friends. He is a storm that is blowing through the movie and crushing danger with each insane stunt. Over two decades have passed since Ethan Hunt first came onto the scene and like a fine wine, he and his missions have only gotten better (and more impossible) since that day. Cruise is truly the driving force behind the films. His passion and intensity shine through the character, now almost to a point where it can be hard to decipher between the two. Hunt matches Cruise's never-quitting grit and care for his work and friends.

In Mission: Impossible - Fallout, after a failed weapons deals, Ethan must accomplish a mission, fixing his mistake while also dealing with his greatest strength, or weakness, depending on who you ask. Set among a series of the most outrageous and incredible stunts, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie (back for a second time, a first for the series) give the audience a deeper and more emotional story. McQuarrie tackles a detailed plot masterfully and gives the audience not only a story that respects their intelligence, but also keeps them at the edge of their seat for the entire film. The stunts have always been a main character in the franchise and for Fallout, it is no different. From the much talked about HALO jump to a thrilling race through Paris, Cruise and co. keep their audience weak in the knees. This is also a deeper and darker mission, one that sets up the series to keep going in a very interesting but exciting direction.

This is McQuarrie and Cruise's ninth film together and there is no doubt that they are one of Hollywood's best partnerships. They and their amazing team have crafted a perfect film of its kind. Every part of this movie is put exactly where it needs to go. Mission: Impossible has taken the action genre and made it have more in common with a classic noir film than the current genre films of today. While the M:I series took a few films to get true to its feet with Brad Bird's Ghost Protocol really setting the stage, with Fallout, Mission has truly become the series that it was always meant to be. With Fallout, the series has finally found itself. It also shows the strength between its director and its star. It's very clear that McQuarrie knows his star and knows the power of Cruise's defining capabilities. At one point near the end, Ethan races off running, causing a few amounts of laughs. However, only a short time before, McQuarrie causes the audience to gape in awe of the pure power of Cruise sprinting through London, one of the most simple but powerful shots in the film.

Unlike most of the others, there are a number of familiar faces in Fallout, an M:I trend only starting with the last one. Ving Rhames' ever loyal and awesome Luther finally gets a shining and beautiful moment while Benji (Simon Pegg) continues to be not only an ever-evolving character but also much-needed humour. Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan both mark the first time that a female character has returned in another Mission installment and neither disappoint (I would almost call for a spin-off with these two). The continuing of the characters enriches this story. Their camaraderie and chemistry is a driving point of emotion in the film. Cruise also continues the trend of his movies being the best place for female characters. Ferguson's Ilsa Faust is one of the best characters (not just female, but in general) that action movies have seen in a very long time.

Henry Cavill joins the cast as CIA agent, August Walker, and it turns out that the only British actor who got famous in Hollywood for playing a hero turns out to be really good at playing an antihero. For too long, Cavill has not been given enough to do to really show off his talent until now. His brutal Walker is one of the standouts of the film.

While Mission races with heart-throbbing action, it is not a film that makes it easy to pop out and pop in. McQuarrie almost makes the plot too smart at times where it seems to be devoured by details. Fallout audiences, unlike some of the previous Missions, also might benefit from getting a Mission: Impossible refresher before sitting down.

M:I Fallout is a solid and strong piece of cinema and will be a long-lasting film. It's the type of movie that will be shown in film classes and referenced for how to merge old age cinematic espionage into the modern era and McQuarrie's art shows that he is on his way to being legendary. Cruise continues to not only be one of the world's greatest athletes but also the world's biggest movie star. His sweat, blood, and broken ankles have delivered the year's most exciting film and has officially made this series some of cinema's finest action films. If Ethan is a storm than go get a good umbrella because this storm is not ending soon.