Movies: “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” Gives Tom Cruise Biggest Opening In PH

MANILA, July 30, 2018 -- There’s no stopping Tom Cruise from doing the impossible, as his latest epic action-adventure “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” just erased even his own box-office records in the Philippines!

The sixth installment of the 22-year-old spy franchise, “Fallout” opened with a staggering P120.7-million in five days (July 25 to 29), eclipsing two records in one swoop: All-Time Biggest Opening Weekend for a Tom Cruise title and Biggest Opening Weekend for the “Mission: Impossible” series. 
Former record-holder for both milestones is “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” which bowed in 2015 with P105-million.

Local audiences are primed for “Mission: Impossible - Fallout”  which provided a thrill ride that relies on real stunts done by Cruise himself and not special effects during every scene.

Movie Review: Mission Impossible: Fallout

Going into Mission Impossible: Fallout, I actually wasn't expecting much, I thought to myself: "Oh, its another Mission Impossible movie" but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong because Fallout is definitely the best Mission Impossible movie to date. 

Despite being the sixth installment in the franchise, Fallout proves that it still has a lot of punch in it and that is because of the dedication of the director, producers and the cast to deliver a visceral, edge of your seat action movie. 

Bringing characters from past movies to Fallout, it feels as if there is a nice continuity, instead of just throwing in an entirely new plot with new characters. Don't worry, if you haven't seen any of the other films (Were you hiding under a rock?) or if you don't remember them, its pretty easy to follow. 

Two years after the capture of Solomon Lane (Rogue Nation baddie) his organization known as "The Syndicate", now reformed as "The Apostles" are planning to wreck havoc by using nuclear bombs (among other things). Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) with his team tries to stop their plans and pursues the group from Berlin to Paris, London and Kashmir. 

Of course, nothing is ever simple with these missions, especially when you have a Special Activities Operative, August Walker (Henry Cavill), who is instructed by the CIA to basically"babysit".  Loved Cavill's performance here, (yes, with controversial mustache) he is definitely a welcome addition to the cast. 

Things also get complicated when Ilsa Faust (the beautiful Rebecca Fergurson), former MI6 from "Rogue Nation" also joins in the fray. 

The writing and excellent camera work will make you feel as if you are jumping off a plane in Paris, jumping over buildings in London and being part of a nail biting helicopter chase amidst a stunning mountain terrain.

Without giving anything away, Hunt and Walker do a HALO jump in Paris (one of the best sequences in the film), I literally let out a surprised gasp during this scene. Have you seen behind the scene footage of how hard it was to shoot it? (You should) I was really impressed at the dedication of the team to deliver an authentic scene to its audience by not using any movie magic or tricks. No stunt doubles and green screens, everything was actually done and you will feel it as you watch it. It is definitely a remarkable experience (best felt in the movie house).

Aside form jumping off planes, Ethan Hunt also runs along rooftops in London, this is where he broke his ankle while filming (yup, dedication right there). An intense helicopter chase (yeah, car chases don't cut it anymore) through beautiful yet treacherous mountain terrain will also keep you at the edge of your seat. 

Fallout, isn't just all fist fights, chases and action sequences. The mind games are pretty clever too. Plus, I also appreciated the added humor, which did not feel forced at all. There were a number of times in the film, where Ethan would find himself in a very silly situation, because you know in real life just because you are a spy, not everything will work out according to plan. 

9/10 - easily the best Mission Impossible film to date. Tom Cruise delivers an unforgettable thrilling action, spy film that everyone will be talking about for some time. (cue the music). 

Movies: Tom Cruise Rides Higher Than Ever In “Mission: Impossible - Fallout”

Over the past two decades, Tom Cruise has produced, starred in and performed in the most mind-blowing stunts in the Mission: Impossible films, a global cultural phenomenon that has grossed more than $2.8 billion worldwide, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.

Now he returns for a sixth film in his role as Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team leader Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (in Philippine cinemas July 25).

According to Cruise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a culmination of all of the previous films in the series. “You’re going to see characters brought back and storylines brought to a conclusion,” he says. “At the beginning of the film, the book The Odyssey was chosen for a very specific reason. The journey my character, Ethan Hunt, and his team go through is an odyssey inspired by and reflective of that story. It’s an epic personal tale, and there are enormous emotional stakes for the characters.”

Movies: Women Assert Their Power In “Mission: Impossible - Fallout”

Paramount Pictures’ new epic action adventure Mission: Impossible – Fallout features four powerful female characters played by four formidable actresses: with Michelle Monaghan returning, the cast also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby.

At the beginning of each of his collaborations with Tom Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie poses a question. “I ask him, ‘What do you want from this story? What’s one thing you want to do?’ This time Tom said, ‘I want to tie up the story of Julia. People are still asking me about Julia.’  So, we began with that.”

Julia, as fans of the series will know, is Ethan’s wife, played by Michelle Monaghan. The character was introduced in Mission: Impossible III and appears to die between the events of that film and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. She made a brief appearance in Ghost Protocol, when it was revealed that her death was staged in order to protect her from the murderous forces intent on hurting Ethan.

Movies: Henry Cavill Is CIA’s Top Assassin In “Mission: Impossible - Fallout”

Paramount Pictures’ new epic action adventure Mission: Impossible – Fallout introduces August Walker, a CIA agent played by Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill who is forced upon Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) by CIA Director Sloane.

“He’s something of a wild card in our story,” says director Christopher McQuarrie. “There’s a great deal of friction between him and Ethan, which comes to a boil over the course of the movie.”

The CIA’s top assassin, Walker also harbors his own dark agenda, says Cavill. “He’s a cleaner; he takes out the people you can’t capture. But beyond that he’s an anarchist.

Movies: The IMF Team Got Ethan Hunt’s Back In “Mission: Impossible - Fallout”

At the heart of each Mission: Impossible film is the tight-knit group of extreme espionage specialists that make up the IMF team, led by Cruise’s Ethan Hunt.  In Paramount Pictures’ new epic action adventure Mission: Impossible – Fallout, veteran cast members Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Alec Baldwin return to form the IMF Team.

The individual charisma and dynamism of the actors cast in these roles is part of what makes the films so special, says Cruise. “My favorite moments in movies are when you have great actors hitting their stride. We work very hard to achieve that — it’s what we love about movies and storytelling.”

Ving Rhames has played the character of Luther Stickell since the first Mission: Impossible film in 1996. “Director Christopher McQuarrie described my role as being ‘the soul of the film,’” recalls the Golden Globe®-winning actor. “At first I didn’t know quite what he meant, but I think it’s a certain consciousness that I give to Ethan. In this film, for the first time, there is a physical altercation between them. It happens sometimes with people who care about each other. I think it humanizes Luther and you get to see more of the fabric of his personality. There is also a very powerful scene with Ilsa where you feel Luther’s love for Ethan.”

Movies: Cruise Makes A Halo Jump In New “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” Featurette

Go behind-the-scenes of Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump stunt in a featurette showing all of the preparations that it took for Tom Cruise to plummet to the earth from a plane over 25,000 feet in the air.

Check out the featurette below and watch Mission: Impossible - Fallout in Philippine cinemas July 25.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/XvQmooLeQMc

The best intentions often come back to haunt you.  Mission: Impossible – Fallout finds Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team (Baldwin, Pegg, Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong.  Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.  Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/uipmoviesph/