Mission: Impossible - Fallout Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 28, 2018

As the Mission: Impossible films continues to grow in count, the filmmakers refuse to say they can't. A franchise that has its roots in television and made the transition to the big screen by way of Brian DePalma's solid spy thriller from 22 years ago has emerged as a cinema powerhouse featuring the ageless Tom Cruise pushing himself, and the cinema medium, well beyond any and all reasonable expectations. Yet the more intense stunts and more complexly moving parts have not gotten in the way of satisfying storytelling and quality characterization. Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie, with whom the actor has collaborated on several high profile films, obviously work well together, whether McQuarrie is pulling duty as writer (Valkyrie, The Mummy), producer (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back), or director, or all three as the case may be with Fallout. With this film, the pair doesn't simply build a movie, they engage with it, they become part of it. They bring character depth and emotional intimacy to the story and construct high-risk, high-reward action pieces that are unquestionably the most intense and the most involved yet in a Mission film. It's familiar -- the culmination of every previous Mission film, they say -- but it's also unflinchingly unique beyond the core.

Ethan Hunt's (Cruise) latest impossible mission tasks him and the key members of his team -- Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) -- with tracking down three missing plutonium cores, stolen out of Russia and capable of destroying an entire city in a bomb that can fit in a suitcase. The terrorist group believed to have acquired them, called "The Apostles," is an offshoot of Solomon Lane's (Sean Harris) defunct organization known as "The Syndicate." The intelligence community believes the terrorists can create a usable bomb in 72 hours. When Hunt's first attempt to retrieve the cores fails, he and his team, now accompanied by a CIA chaperone named August Walker (Henry Cavill), move in to intercept a man known as "John Lark" (Liang Yang) who is scheduled to meet with a woman known as "The White Widow" (Vanessa Kirby), a black market arms dealer believed to know the whereabouts of the missing cores. Hunt is ultimately forced to impersonate Lark without the use of a mask, plunging himself into a dark and dangerous world that will test his mettle, push him to his limits, and force him into the fight of his life where all he holds dear -- and the fate of the world -- hangs in the balance.

In Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Ethan Hunt finds himself in familiar predicaments but forced to navigate a dangerous world that is not only on the brink of nuclear disaster but also face the very real possibility that to prevent a nightmare apocalypse could mean sacrificing his own code and soul. Hunt is forced into the middle of dark dealings, bad people, and situations that would literally and figuratively grind a lesser man down. Hunt has no time to weigh his choices. Fallout is another globetrotting adventure that pits him against deadly enemies, time, and villains lurking in his own inner circle. Hunt must again rely on guile, technology, physical skill, and some good old-fashioned role play, without a disguising mask, to set things straight. He may not be a superhero or a super man (even if he plays opposite one in this film), but he is determined, capable, and more than a little lucky, characteristics that are going to have to be his cornerstones if he is maneuver through his most complex and challenging mission yet.

The film doesn’t reinvent the proverbial wheel in terms of dramatic content and core action elements but there seems to be no limit on Cruise’s desire to push the physical envelope, inserting himself into countlessly and increasingly turbulent (literally!) and tricky situations for the betterment of the movie and for his audience’s entertainment. His dedication to the craft, willingness to put himself on the line, and his natural talent and charisma drive the movie from the lead position; this, nor any of the other M:I films, would not be the same film without Cruise playing Ethan Hunt. Without giving away the film's four of five large-scale action pieces, suffice it to say that Cruise places himself in harm's way at several points, obviously with plenty of money and time spent on safety measures, but the film is much better for keeping the camera squarely on him -- particularly in the IMAX scenes -- which adds a level of realism and immersion for the audience. The movie does not shy away from scale or intimacy, depth and breadth of action; every scene is extraordinary, and the balance between big action set pieces, intimate drama, and narrative twists and turns keeps the film moving at a brisk pace that makes almost 150 minutes of cinematic greatness feel half that.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mission: Impossible - Fallout won't jump to the top of the reference Blu-ray heap, even if the image does appear to stay rather faithful to Director Christopher McQuarrie and Cinematographer Rob Hardy's vision. The movie features a somewhat desaturated palette, elevated blacks, and a fairly sharp grain structure which is prominent throughout and severe in several key low-light scenes and sequences. Add a bit of lens flair and a fairly flat image and the Blu-ray capably, but without much visual punch, recreates the movie's intended visual stylings well enough. Core textural qualities fare well enough, with close-ups revealing basic skin textures and features, such as pores and freckles, with a pleasing baseline clarity. Environments are likewise a bit more limited than one might expect form a major new release blockbuster, with even dense and complex Paris city streets failing to really capture the textural might that may otherwise be on display in a natively sharper image. Granted many such backgrounds are seen at speed as characters and vehicles race amongst them, but when the action slows down there's a noticeable lack of raw complexity. The aforementioned color palette lacks the dramatic pop and vigor of images that emphasize such things; it seems clear that McQuarrie and Hardy shot the film to emphasize tone and story rather than to maximize good looks, at least in the movie-at-large and not in the IMAX sequences. It translates well to Blu-ray without any significant encode artifacts or compression anomalies. Paramount has wisely, and as per studio norm for large blockbuster films, left the special features beyond the three audio commentary tracks and the isolate score track to a separate disc to ensure enough breathing room. From a purely subjective look at the presentation, it's not eye candy. From an objective analysis, the transfer must rate highly as a seemingly faithful reproduction of the filmmakers' vision. That said, the companion UHD does bring out improved detail, finer grain, somewhat fuller blacks, and brighter colors without sacrificing the core visual integrity.

The two IMAX sequences -- the high altitude jump and the helicopter chase and cliffside fight at the climax -- offer a substantial increase in clarity, color stability, and image depth. There are some gorgeous natural expanses, finely detailed rock formations, intricate skin details (including gruesome burn makeup application), and finely defined clothing textures. The more intense grain disappears, leaving the image relatively clean. The UHD handles the sequence even better, delivering not just a strong, but rather majestic, presentation, but the Blu-ray is at its best in these scenes and sequences.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mission: Impossible - Fallout's Dolby Atmos soundtrack falls into line from the start and maintains a sonic excellence for the duration. The track is expansive and perfectly balanced amongst elements, from slight atmospherics to intensive action sequences, only a couple of which lack the dramatic low end power one would expect to accompany a movie of this scope and style. Generally, action hits hard. Crashes are intense, gunshots are deep, and punches and slams into surfaces are met with the appropriate thud. Bass is steady and prominent most every time it's called upon, whether those prodigious action moments or in a dance party in chapter four, pounding out a steady, prominent, and penetrating thump that's more dominant in the middle of the party and more muddy from a distance, as it should be. Combined with the immersive crowd din, fully saturating music, and overhead support engagement, the scene is one of total reference immersion. A helicopter sequence towards film's end offers a highlight reel level of immersion, detail, and bass with seamless sound placement and maneuvering under ever-changing circumstances. A dialogue sequence in chapter nine delivers some quality reverb with tangible overhead aid that widens and heightens the stage in one of the simpler, but best, Atmos moments in the film. Basic dialogue delivery is center-focused, detailed, and well prioritized even in the most intense sonic surroundings.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mission: Impossible - Fallout contains a trio of commentary tracks and an isolated score on the Blu-ray film disc while a second Blu-ray disc houses all of the visually based supplements. A DVD copy of the film and a digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover. Note that the UHD ships with a booklet inside the case. I cannot verify if it's included with the Blu-ray since I was only sent a UHD/BD combo pack for review, but I will update if a reader can confirm it's included in this package.

Blu-ray Disc One (Feature Film):

• Audio Commentary: Director Christopher McQuarrie and Actor Tom Cruise.
• Audio Commentary: Director Christopher McQuarrie and Editor Eddie Hamilton.
• Audio Commentary: Composer Lorne Balfe.
• Isolated Score Track: The film's music, uninterrupted by dialogue and sound effects. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

Blu-ray Disc Two (Bonus):

• Behind the Fallout (1080p, 53:32 total runtime): A seven-part feature.
  
  
  • Light the Fuse (11:10): A broad overview that covers a plot recap, the series' lead-up to this film, dramatic insights, cast and character details, Tom Cruise's injury on the set, shooting the picture on film and digital, the IMAX photography, Cruise's dedication to the franchise, and more.
  • Top of the World (10:48): Making the HALO jump sequence, including the challenges, dangers, photography, Cruise's own stunt work, and more.
  • The Big Swing: Deleted Scene Breakdown (3:44): Shooting in Paris' Grand Palais.
  • Rendezvous in Paris (7:21): A quick, but thorough, run-through that focuses on showcasing the city in the film and crafting the complex and dangerous car stunts, including Tom Cruise's driving skills.
  • The Fall (5:57): This piece explores making a dangerous scene in which a character falls from a helicopter.
  • The Hunt Is On (11:08): An in-depth look at the helicopter chase sequence, including the endless dangers, Cruise's stunt work, New Zealand shooting locations, the helicopters used in the sequence, filming the sequence, and more.
  • Cliffside Clash (4:02): A short study of the film's climactic fight between hero and villain.
• Deleted Scenes Montage (1080p, 3:41 total runtime): Includes optional commentary with Director Christopher McQuarrie and Editor Eddie Hamilton. Includes the scene covered in the supplement The Big Swing: Deleted Scene Breakdown.
• Foot Chase Musical Breakdown (1080p, 4:50): Composer Lorne Balfe walks audience through, and allows the audience to listen to, the individual musical components that work together to create the music for one of the film's action scenes.
• The Ultimate Mission (1080p, 2:51): Cruise discusses his love for the franchise, the challenges in making the movies, the benefits of practical stunt work, and the team's dedication in making the impossible, possible.
• Storyboards (1080p): Hand-drawn storyboards for several scenes which can be advanced with remote button presses. Included are Paris, What If?, London, and Helicopter.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:33).

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is great entertainment. It's smart, exciting, and doesn't compromise on story, visuals, or performances. Even if some of the action scenes, such car chases through dense city streets, or plot mechanics, like the frantic attempt to defuse a bomb (or a pair of bombs in this case) before time runs out, are not at all novel, the film nevertheless plays remarkably fresh and invigorates a genre it has already mastered years ago. The evolution of story and increase in delivery continues to keep the franchise at the top, and that Cruise, who seems to only grow more confident and capable with each new film, remains willing to pull off the impossible for the sake of the movie ensures a level of intensity and immersion other films cannot match. Cruise and McQuarrie have nailed down what it means, and what it takes, to make an A-list Action movie. Fallout isn't just the best in the series, it's one of the best Action films out there. Paramount's Blu-ray release delivers a complete package: great movie, complimentary 1080p video, a terrific Atmos soundtrack, and tons of extra content. This is one of the better releases of the year. Very highly recommended.