Jean-Paul’s Rating: 3/5 stars

Bottom Line: A fun action movie that falls short of its “Mission: Impossible” brethren. Ugh, Henry Cavill.

I’ve always enjoyed the introduction to the “Mission: Impossible” mission. You know, the “your mission, should you decide to accept it” stuff. As if there were any doubt that Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) would ever turn down a mission. In “Fallout”, they go almost old school. The entire scene is very noir-ish and reminiscent of the old TV series. It was a great homage to the movie series’ roots.

Apart from the introduction, the rest of the movie is pretty standard spy thriller fare. There are acts of heroism and double crosses and masks and gadgets and villains on both sides and chase scenes and last second rescues. It’s all fun, but nothing really stands out. Well, except for the 15 minute timer that ticks down for what seems like 30 minutes. The problem with consistently producing a predictable product is that it becomes harder and harder to build tension. You know people will have bulletproof vests on. You know it’s going to be a mask. You know when the counter reads 00:00:01, the bomb will be defused. There is still cleverness to be found in the movie, but mostly, it’s all been done before.

And then there’s Henry Cavill. He plays August Walker, a CIA agent assigned to babysit the IMF team. There are tree stumps that have more personality than he does, though wooden does perfectly describe his acting. Cavill is who you call when the casting director says, “What this role needs is a man with a very square jaw.” The only way to give Cavill any sense of gravitas is to stick him in a Superman suit.

At two hours and twenty-seven minutes, the movie could certainly do with a trimming, especially in the second half. An action movie without an involved plot just doesn’t need to be that long. That the movie was still enjoyable despite its length says something about the longevity of the series’ formula, though. There will probably be even more sequels to come and I will probably continue to watch them because, while they’re not always the greatest, “Mission: Impossible” movies are always fun.