<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Wes Bentley, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin

Running time: 2 hours 27 minutes

I read somewhere, ‘the more Tom Cruise runs, the better his movies are’ (Rotten Tomatoes, Mark Hofmeyer). Well his energy is certainly commendable.

In the sixth instalment of this popular franchise, Tom Cruise once again saves the day from… well something or the other, because we’re not really invested in that. What drives Fallout is the fast paced action sequences, the deft camera work, the well-crafted fight scenes and the kind-hearted Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise).

The old gang is reunited. They obviously look their age now but that hasn’t dulled their senses. Their reputation isn’t very good though and they must prove their worth in a world where grown men running around in masks (the face masks they use to impersonate people) with fancy gadgets looks silly and out of date. A whole host of bad guys with their own motives and plots make the story a bit complicated so that at some point you have no idea what the ‘mission’ of the story is apart from them having to survive a nuclear blast and avoid getting killed in the bargain.

I was impressed with the action sequences but apart from one or two scenes, the movie didn’t really touch me. I wasn’t invested in the outcome or the characters. The plot point was just an excuse to have them running around killing each other and for elaborate and adrenalin-filled chase scenes. Ethan Hunt says sorry to a cop, his boss, his friend and his ex-wife. That’s a lot of apologising. And the fact that he looked a tad inept at flying a helicopter didn’t do much to make him seem like the sharp-as-a-knife agent he’s supposed to be. Of course, there’s humour in that.

The occasional tribute to the previous films by staging a similar scene will appeal to the fan boys of course. The characters are just as they were. There are a few more twists – usually predictable – and lots of running. Henry Cavill is as bland as cardboard. Simon Pegg is fun to watch.

I think I’ll go watch Dwayne Johnson’s Skyscraper that released last week and I found to be enthralling.