About as good as a Mission: Impossible movie can get and perhaps will ever be. The best evidence that Henry Cavill should a) have played James Bond and b) should play more villains all wrapped up in one awesome action movie. Top Gun Maverick is of course the biggest box office smash of Cruise's career, but I think there's a real case for Fallout as being the best action movie of his career and easily the best of the franchise.

The most impressive part about Fallout is that it continued to exceed the expectations of the franchise after the impressive installments of Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation when it really didn't need to. Fallout is an emblem of Cruise's immense ion for the franchise and his iconic and frankly unbelievable brand of physical acting. Fallout is the reason why I enjoy and rewatch the Mission: Impossible movies more than I do than James Bond or any other franchise in that category and is truly a masterclass of action franchise filmmaking.

My favorite part of watching the Mission Impossible movies was that when you log them on Letterboxd, you get a little animated easter egg like you hacked into the IMF mainframe. Otherwise, these are very generic action movies, punctuated by whatever wild stunt Tom Cruise did that got media attention. Women exist to die and motivate the men, or be put in danger and motivate the men.

While it stands out among many other action sequels, it doesn't necessarily sur Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. However, the film does an excellent job of integrating new characters like August Walker, played by Henry Cavill, while maintaining the core team of Ethan Hunt, Benji Dunn, and Luther Stickell. The action sequences, especially the HALO jump and the helicopter chase, are some of the most thrilling in the series. 

Mission Impossible Fallout might be my favorite movie in the franchise. I have enjoyed the series overall but never outright loved it. The action scenes are thrilling here and Cruise's commitment to the physical aspect of filmmaking is irable. Henry Cavill is a gem in this movie with one of the coolest moments in modern cinema.