Spectacular! Breathtaking! This fast-paced film, number six in the series, may be the best one yet. There are few moments to catch your breath while taking in the action and speed of this movie. So you think you have seen Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) do it all? Not yet. He leaps from building to building, bounding onto rooftops and running so fast you might mistake him for the Six Million Dollar Man (remember him?). In fact, it was during one of his stunts in making Mission: Impossible—Fallout that Cruise broke his ankle. He definitely has suffered for his art. And he even takes on climbing a helicopter by shimmying up a rope (with the helicopter in flight) to try to catch the bad guy in this one, a man named August Walker (Henry Cavill).
This film has a bullet-like pace. Thre are light-bulb-going-on moments when you realize certain characters were not actually who they appeared to be. When the masks come off in various scenes, it’s a delight to realize that, as a viewer, you were literally fooled on some of your conclusions. And you can depend on Simon Pegg (Benji) as well as the writers to bring a bit of comic relief to the film on occasion. During one desperate moment in the movie a character says, “Hope is not a strategy!” “You must be new,” replies a certain woman.
Of course that’s really a part of the allure and fun of these movies. The mission is impossible which is why it’s so much fun to see Ethan Hunt pull off the impossible. Up against pan unknown enemy that goes by the name Lark, not to mention a group called the “Apostles” that wants to secure plutonium for their nefarious plans, Hunt has the plutonium within his grasp—and then loses it. Then it’s back to square one and finding a new plan to make the impossible possible.
This film pulls out all the stops to give the audience a summer movie ride that they will remember. Filled with exciting motorcycle and car chases, cars colliding, characters running, leaping and jumping, the film is one big race against the clock to stop two bombs from simultaneously exploding, with fistfights, secrets revealed, and even a bit of romance along the way. It includes a returning villain, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris).
One of the noteworthy characteristics of Ethan Hunt is that he loves life and values people. He always opts to save people if possible, and this is clearly demonstrated when he saves a lady police officer from being shot by the bad guys. This sixth installment shows there is still life left in this series–and plenty of it.
The Dove Take: Jaw-dropping moments are plentiful in this bombastic, energy-fueled movie. Cruise’s thrilling stunts feature dynamic daring moments, especially when it comes to the climatic ending in which he has to try to stop not just one bomb but two from detonating in an area in where many lives could be lost—particularly the life of someone close to Ethan. Talk about a cliffhanger—this film takes that phrase literally. However, due to excessive strong language, including the misuse of the name Jesus, and the violence level in the movie, it has not earned our Dove-Approved Seal.
