Action and Adventure films - 2018

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When Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) came out, I didn't bother to see it in the theaters. I'd perceived a declining quality in the second and third installments of the series and assumed the fourth would be more of the same. But it was well-received by critics and audiences, so eventually I checked it out when it was available to see online. Holy smokes. I liked the supporting team members played by Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, and Jeremy Renner. I remember watching the (now famous) Burj Khalifa scene and wondered how they managed to pull off such amazing green screen, since no one would be crazy enough to actually do that... I stood corrected. Tom Cruise has more than enough crazy to go around. I came up with the conclusion that he did that scene because Stallone didn't invite him to be in The Expendables. Now, after seeing Mission Impossible: Fallout, I'm thinking that he is responding to not being in Infinity War.

The story: The IMF, consisting of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), fail at recovering three plutonium cores that have been put up for sale. Instead, they fall into the hands of a group called the "Apostles," the remnants of Soloman Lane's (Sean Harris) group, the "Syndicate," from Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015). As the IMF attempts to recover the lost plutonium, CIA director Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett), not having faith in the IMF after their prior failure, assigns her own agent, August Walker (Henry Cavill) to accompany Hunt and his team on the mission. From here, they enter into a quest to find the people who have the plutonium and again pose as buyers to acquire it. Twists, turns, fights, chases, and white knuckle action ensue until the film reaches its 2 1/2 hour end.

So, how was it? There have been murmurs that this may be the greatest action film of the series or of any series. I don't know that I would go that far, but it is a contender. Cruise's stunt work at the age of 55 is quite impressive. The man definitely commits to his art. The plotting has some nice touches too. The IMF isn't all about fist-fights and street chases. On a couple of instances they use the IMF-brand style of deception. One I saw coming, but the other took me completely by surprise. Well done.

This is the first Mission Impossible film to bring back a writer/director, Christopher McQuarrie, for a second film. As in Rogue Nation, he brings intelligent storytelling, good characterizations, and excellent action to the film.

Quibbles? I can't find much to complain about in Fallout. With regard to the action, Cruise does the bulk of it. Perhaps it could have been spread around a bit more. I am wondering about Cruise's sanity. There is a HALO jump scene for Cruise and Cavill's characters. Cavill's character was very reasonably portrayed by a stunt man. On the other hand, Cruise does the HALO jump himself. In fact, he did the jump 106 times (from 25,000 feet) in order to accomplish the necessary filming. On the one hand, I can't fault him on his dedication, but on the other, what is he trying to prove here? Does it sting that much that though he has co-starred with Hawkeye and Superman, he's still not a superhero?

Mission Impossible: Fallout is a good time at the movies and might indeed be among the best action films ever. But if heights bother you, be prepared for sweaty palms throughout.

- JC

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Tomb Raider, directed by Roar Uthaug and starring Alicia Vikander in the title role as Lara Croft, is the cinematic reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise which starred Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003). The story is strongly influenced by a re-launching of the video game series in 2003, depicting a young Lara in her first serious adventure and her development into an action hero.

The story: Lara lives modestly in London as a bicycle courier and develops her fighting skills at a mixed martial arts gym. Her wealthy father (Dominic West) has been missing for seven years, but she is reluctant to sign papers pronouncing him dead and take over his empire. As she is about to finally sign the documents, she is given a puzzle from her father's effects, which she opens to find a clue as to his whereabouts. This sends her to Hong Kong where she enlists the aid of a local ship captain, Lu Ren (Daniel Wu), to find an island which is the resting place of an ancient Queen who supposedly possessed the power of life and death. Once there, she meets an expedition of mercenaries led by Vogel (Walton Goggins), who has been searching for the tomb on the island for years. A struggle ensues as Vogel attempts to force Lara to help him in his search while she searches for the truth behind her father's disappearance.

Good points: Alicia Vikander is one of the most appealing, as well as talented, young actresses working today and for a film of this type, the likeability of the protagonist is essential to keep the audience engaged. She clearly put in several months of gym work to attempt to make herself seem credible in the part. Uthaug has a talent for constructing large action set pieces that look like the real thing.

Quibbles: While Vikander is appealing, it's hard to take her seriously as adventuress Lara Croft, especially after recalling Angelina Jolie's larger than life depiction from only 15 years ago. I have to question how seriously one can take a woman who takes on and takes out men as Croft does when she looks like she barely weighs 100 pounds. She may be convincing as a young woman searching for her lost father, but it may be harder to accept her as a roguish adventurer.

While Uthaug's action scenes are convincing, some are a bit boring to look at. The scenes in the tomb itself should give a bit more of a sense of grandeur and mystery. But the color palette in these scenes is so predominatly gray that the viewer should make sure they have had a dose of caffeine prior to the climactic conclusion. And while the director did well with his action scenes, the more subtle item of building suspense seems to escape him.

As for the screenplay, it was "OK" but might have profited from a bit more character development. The most obvious example is Lara herself. Very little is revealed of how she came to be the way she is and how she thinks. It's a disappointing vacuum. Goggins' portrayl of Vogel is the least charismatic performance I've seen from this actor. I am suspicious that the main reason he was chosen as the villain was because at 6' and under 150 lbs. he seemed like a credible physical adversary for Vikander. The script doesn't give the actor much to work with, other than a weariness from his long time on the island. In short, he didn't seem believable.

Critical opinion of this film is largely split down the middle, with as many liking it as disliking it. Thus the opinion so many have given after seeing it - "It was OK." If you are a Tomb Raider franchise fan, you will have an appreciation for how it depicts the 2003 video game in film and if you enjoy Alicia Vikander, this would give you a chance to see her muscled up (to the extent she can be) and running, jumping, and fighting. Otherwise, I would recommend waiting for this one on the small screen.

- JC

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