BSA 204 W5 : Mission Impossible Fallout (2018) Review

This week I went to see Mission Impossible Fallout, a movie that I didn't have much interest in going to see because I know the series has equal downs as it has ups, and while this film certainly adhered to that rule for the most part it also adhered to the other major rule of this franchise - that it always ends up being more fun that you think it will.



The biggest problem with Fallout is its dialogue and plot, which is the biggest problem of the whole series in my opinion. The dialogue isn't very engaging and it always feels like the films are keeping you out of the loop somewhat, it delivers the exposition very dryly and there's hardly any story other than what the characters' mission happens to be. Which is usually something boring like retrieving a list of names, this one tries to be a bit more emotional and tie in plot strands from previous films but by the time we get to those parts I don't think the audience really cares anymore. Plot and dialogue are such important factors that the movies almost shouldn't even work but somehow they do.

The reason it still works is because the action scenes and because the characters spend basically the entire running time just having to adapt to ever changing circumstances.

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While watching the movie I was thinking about how the same fun experience could probably the derived from a film with a much smaller budget, like something made in New Zealand. There would obviously be some major changes made, especially in scale, but you could pull it off and still make it feel big by having big things happen in the background.

This led to an idea that I had and started planning in my head:

Logline: On the way home after a big mission a super spy's flight gets interrupted and lands in New Zealand, the agency wants him to finish a mission that another agent just failed and he's the only one in the area. Tired, injured and in a bad mood this spy's day just got a whole lot longer and he just wants to get it over with.

The film plays out like a mission impossible movie on a smaller scale. I want all the cool action stuff, just done in a more affordable way. This means it's dirtier, more creative and the characters have to improvise even more. Best of all the agent is absolutely knackered after having a mission the size that would normally be seen in a James Bond or Mission Impossible film. The feeling I'm going for is that thing that sometimes happens when you're tired after a long day and something comes up that extends your day that much more and all you can do it push through and finish it.

The agent here is facing sleep deprivation and this will also change the way events play out, he gets more and more tired, pissed off and sloppy as the day goes on, and yet more determined because every second is a second closer to the end of his day.

I think one of the big appeals here is that it's a relatable feeling, everyone's had a day like that, but it's in a very unfamiliar occupation. This is something present quite a lot in short films and indies, a mood or feeling that the viewer is familiar with and its accurately represented. Putting it onto an action film like this adds another layer I think.