Cruise at top of his game in ‘MI: Fallout’

Just call Tom Cruise Ponce De Leon. He’s found the fountain of youth, and at a spry 56 years old, he doesn’t look a day over 40. Notorious for doing his own stunts, even to the chagrin of Paramount’s insurance policy, he takes things to another level with a HALO (high altitude low opening) jump out of a plane at a frosty and frightening 25,000 feet. Reportedly, he made the jump over 100 times to get the shot just right for the film. That’s dedication to his craft, and for that, among other stunts, he’s the most prolific action star of our generation.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back for the sixth time since Brian DePalma resurrected the franchise from 1960’s television graveyard in 1996. He’s tasked with going off the grid with his team of fellow tech-nerd super-spies Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames), as well as the MI6 agent Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) from the last installment, “Rogue Nation.” The team gallivants around the globe, chasing plutonium bombs, and a group of sophisticated anarchist terrorists called “The Apostles.” Joining the team this time around is the CIA agent known only as Walker (Henry Cavil). He’s the muscle that the franchise has been sorely lacking, and actually complements Ethan’s petite physique nicely, as demonstrated in a great bathroom fight scene.

Director Christopher McQuarrie has been writing and directing Tom Cruise movies since 2008, so they clearly enjoy working with each other. I wonder though, if the franchise could use a little bit of freshening up. Maybe a young writer to spice things up a bit more than the cookie-cutter, predictable films that we see from Ethan Hunt. Thinking about Ian Fleming and his iconic spy, James Bond, there just seem to be more memorable antagonists, stronger themes, and tendrils of storylines that add up to more than just, “Stop the nuclear madman.” Is that asking too much?

At a hefty 2 1/2 hours, the story is dense and full of typical franchise intrigue and spy moves. Double crosses, plans that seemingly fall apart only to have been masterfully orchestrated to perfection in the first place, and of course, the obligatory wire-cutting as the bomb countdown ticks ever-closer to zero. It seems to cross the line from traditional “Mission: Impossible” to a more mainstream action film, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I did miss some of the more elaborate spy sequences, which gave way to massive stunts. Not a bad trade-off, but definitely moving in a different direction for the franchise.

What could have been stronger? The humor was nearly nonexistent, Alec Baldwin could have had more screentime as IMF chief Hunley, and they could have picked two different looking females to play the British agent (Ferguson) and Hunt’s long-lost love (Michelle Monaghan). They could play twin sisters; didn’t someone in casting catch this? Worth noting as well is that the “twist” they throw at audiences near the end could be seen a mile away, which really could have been done differently to throw us off the scent.

In spite of these minor complaints, Tom Cruise is on top of his game. The film delivers some of the best car and motorcycle chases of 2018, some pretty cool air-to-air helicopter action, and of course, Tom Cruise jumping out of a plane at 25,000 feet. You’ll want to see this film for the same reason you line up to see any summer blockbuster, and I have to tell you, this one is pretty entertaining. After a string of disappointing films recently, this is finally one I’d recommend.