Cast – Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan & Alec Baldwin

Director – Christopher McQuarrie

Genre – Action/Adventure

Running Time – 2h 27m

The Premise

The best intentions often come back to haunt you. Mission: Impossible – Fallout finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca 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.

The plot might not give too much away (which is a good thing) but upon casting an eye on the trailer as well as the absolute powerhouse cast it has, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking there is something to this one and you wouldn’t be mistaken. I have watched quite a few action movies in my lifetime, from fantastic ones to just plain cheesy and mediocre ones, Mission: Impossible – Fallout firmly forms part of the former…this movie more than delivers on its promise.

All the current reviews aren’t kidding when they describe it as fast, sleek, and fun…that’s exactly what it is. In fact I can even go as further as to say it’s a classy roller coaster ride that will keep you on edge with some of the death defying sequences it includes. Everything about this movie just works, from the fight scenes to the little humor it has. Nothing feels forced and it flows perfectly across the different scenes shot from some of the most scenic and beautiful places around the world.

I also mentioned the supporting cast earlier with Henry Cavill (better known as Superman nowadays) forming a large part of this…an interesting and great choice it is. As for the lead, for all his movies, I will forever remember and associate Tom Cruise with the Mission Impossible franchise with this latest offering being his best ever movie I reckon. And for all his critics, I reckon this movie is enough to shut some, if not most them up. Can’t say it enough but Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a great movie.

A roller coaster ride that will keep you on edge throughout, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a spectacular blockbuster movie perfectly made for any movie lover regardless of whether or not you enjoy action movies. Definitely in my top 10 movies for the year, it gets a blockbuster 8.5 out of 10 rating from me. Officially opens in Ster Kinekor cinemas nationwide today, GO SEE IT.

Special thanks to M-Net Movies (in partnership with Ster Kinekor) for the screening!

Cast – Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg & Mark Rylance

Director – Steven Spielberg

Genre – Thriller film/Fantasy

Running Time – 2h 20m

The Plot

In the year 2045, people can escape their harsh reality in the OASIS, an immersive virtual world where you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. OASIS creator James Halliday left his immense fortune and control of the Oasis to the winner of a contest designed to find a worthy heir. When unlikely hero Wade Watts conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends-known as the High Five-are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS and their world.

Ready Player One is a brilliant conceptual movie that will no doubt lend itself well to most movie fans especially sci-fi, gaming, comic book and general movie watchers with a keen eye for special effects. Mostly shot in a virtual world setting, this movie is visually spectacular and if given the chance to I would strongly recommend watching it in a 3D setting…trust you won’t regret it.

This is every much “a gamers dream movie” with most of it being carried out in a gamified environment. At times, when watching, you can’t help but feel that you are playing an adventure videogame…at least that’s how I felt. Its full of various ideas and elements that I found quite interesting with some clever connotations sprinkled across and a little bit of humour to boot.    

I have watched quite a few sci-fi and virtually based movies before, but I can’t say I have seen anything quite like Ready Player One, and that’s a good thing. What sets it apart is the level of thinking and effort put into it. But even with that said, I wasn’t particularly blown away by it. I can’t quite say why exactly but the impression I had after watching was it’s a cool and fun movie. One is for sure, it’s one I would strongly recommend to my gaming and sci-fi friends.

Ready Player One presents a fantastic idea complete with amazing visual effects that will endear itself to many especially gaming and sci-fi fans. It’s a great flick to go out and enjoy by yourself, family or with a couple of friends. In a 3D, IMAX or B-Box setting, it would be an experience and a half. Officially releasing this week, this flick gets a solid 7 out of 10 rating from me.

Special thanks to Ster Kinekor for the exclusive pre-screening.