Mission: Impossible - Fallout is the Movie of the Summer

I very rarely dabble in film reviews. Frankly, going to the movies is strictly a recreational activity for me. I disconnect from reality, immersing myself in an alternate reality, and simply enjoy. No need to pick apart the story line, or attempt to articulate the movie’s objectives and worthy execution thereof. It’s either intensely riveting and thus a hit, or a total waste of time and thus a sunk cost.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is definitely the former. And though I was going to abide by my mantra and refrain from analyzing, I will permit myself just a few paragraphs.

First, who can believe the Mission Impossible franchise is over two decades old? I certainly cannot, and unlike many a movie sequel, MI6 isn't plagued with monotony, far-fetched fantasy, or repetitiveness. It delivers a strong dose of action, adventure, and even emotion in the two and half hours of running time.

Tom Cruise is phenomenal and just as charming as he was 22 years ago. You'd never imagine it was he, at 56 years of age no less, pulling off all those maverick stunts himself! Indeed, my friend Anis Tabet, an avid movie reviewer who also attended the avant premiere, pointed out the scene in MI6 where Cruise suffered a broken ankle, effectively ceasing filming until his full recovery. What a rock star!


Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Ethan Hunt is the forever winsome Tom Cruise (Photo credit: Paramount Pictures)


The movie cascades from one action-packed scene to the next, but what’s rather unique to this MI contribution is an unmistakable sentimental element. I haven’t seen Cruise this expressive since Jerry Maguire, and I don’t mean it exclusively in the romantic sense (he straddles two love interests in MI6). He values all human life and can’t cope with sacrificing one soul even if the opportunity cost is saving an entire population. No lives can be foregone, and that philosophy rings true in the face of his superiors, who threaten to eject him from his mission should he continue to be so altruistic.

Besides Cruise, there’s another piece (or hunk, shall I say) of eye candy on screen, and it’s Henry Cavill, better known as Superman. His role is often in contention with Cruise’s, and the race persists to the very end, when eventually good prevails over evil.

I won’t indulge you with any spoilers, but I will say Mission: Impossible – Fallout is unequivocally the movie of the summer. I’m going to watch it again, because I’m certain I didn’t grasp it all. It packs in so much punch, you’d think you were at a high school prom. Just be sure to bring the popcorn.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Crowning Iftar Experience at the Crowne Plaza Beirut

Image
It had been decidedly too long since my first visit to the Crowne Plaza Beirut, tucked in the heart of Hamra along the main drag. Standing tall – a formidable 21 floors to be exact – with sweeping panoramic views of the Lebanese capital city, the Crowne Plaza, an IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group) property, has so much going for it. To begin, the underground self-parking facility cannot be overlooked, as parking is typically nightmare-inducing elsewhere in Beirut. At just 200,000 LBP (USD 2.20) for up to four hours, this is a bargain. Alight the elevator at the ground floor, where a few steps westward will land you at the threshold of the Crowne Plaza. The hotel boasts 190 rooms, and I’m told that you can nab a room with complimentary breakfast buffet including VAT for about $100. You really can’t beat that in or outside of the city! Last Friday, we forayed into Hamra with the aim of trying the Iftar, a traditional Ramadan feast enjoyed at sunset, at Crowne Plaza’s Vivaldi restaurant
Read more

6 Types of Patrons You’ll Encounter at a Coffee Shop in Lebanon

Image
You haven’t really adult-ed if you haven’t flocked to a coffee shop at least once in the past week, am I right? Admittedly, I was a little late to the game. I started sipping on caffeinated brew when my eldest was born, about six years ago. I’d place him in his stroller and lap around the mall for an hour or two, and when he drifted off to sleep, I’d slide into an armchair at Dunkin’ and order a donut, croissant-wich and coffee combo (yep, that was the ultimate trifecta.).  Fresh-brewed dark roast coffee, served piping hot with the steam blanketing my visage to deliver facial-like effects. Those few moments of uninterrupted peace formed my golden hour. I’d sit back, sip on my cup of joe, and quietly take in the scenes surrounding me. To this day, I love hanging out aimlessly at a coffee shop, merely to study the behavior of other patrons and try to deduce their craft. Here are the most common profiles I’ve encountered. My favorite indulgence at a coffee shop: donut and a cup of brew
Read more

7 Types of Lebanese Parents You’ll Encounter at School Pickup

Image
For the past three years, I’ve been shuttling my kids to and from school. It’s always a treat to greet them as their scholastic day draws to a close and they melt into your arms, eager to head home.  Right up there after that gratifying reunion is the entertainment value you derive from your encounters with other parents milling around the school building threshold in the minutes leading up to end of day. So amusing is the range of characters you’ll meet – whether they be grandparents filling in for parents tied up at work, or parents able to carve out time to pluck up their offspring – that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to blog about it. Here they are in no specific order. Can you relate?   1. The Haughty Mama : her favorite hand accessory is her smartphone, which she’s either holding to her lips transmitting nonstop nonsense voice notes, or scrolling furiously through her Instagram feed. Her hair is perfectly coiffed, with the essential extensions. She’s got those long fal
Read more