The Movie Minute

A full throttle blast, Fallout delivers high adrenaline thrills, chills and fun.

Tom Cruise, who has proven to be an accomplished and interesting actor in the right parts, uses the IMF agent Ethan Hunt to remind us he is also a super big movie star. As charming and charismatic as ever, Cruise, now just a bit wider in his mid-50’s, is also as fully committed.  Still performing his own stunts (you’d think producer Cruise would have a talk with lemme-at-it Cruise), we spend half the film not just marveling at his physical ability but also wondering how in the hell he does all that. Of course, an on set accident, which happened while Cruise was leaping a tall building, made international headlines. Pro tip: keep your eyes peeled. The scene is actually in the movie and you and your friends can make a wager on who’s going to catch it first.

Speaking of leaping tall buildings, Superman Henry Cavill joins the returning gang, which includes Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Alec Baldwin. No spoilers, but suffice it to say that Cavill’s initially stiff performance heats up after he gets to throw some quite impressive punches.

There are tons of punches. And chases. And a spectacular helicopter pas de deux that defies both gravity and logic. Much of the story here does, too. Hunt’s mission, which, of course, he accepts, has something to do with saving the world from a madman threatening global nuclear destruction. Unfortunate as the timing on that conceit is, bringing just a touch of today’s headlines into the mix, the rest of the film glides along merrily, taking us on a don’t-ask-too-many-questions, gleefully dizzy, breathtakingly entertaining and terrifically crafted escapist ride. See it on the biggest screen you can. The scenery, stunts and effects don’t just fill every corner, but even after nearly two and half hours, leave us revved up and ready for more.