Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Turbine Collector's Series 3D Blu-ray

Tom Cruise’s long-running Mission: Impossible franchise certainly has run through some amazing twists and turns. Initially designed so that each entry would be directed by different talent, the series settled into a groove with Christopher McQuarrie as writer/director for three films (the fourth, Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning is due in theaters next year). With that, it could be argued that the franchise could have ended on a great note with the impeccably executed Mission: Impossible - Fallout. A brilliant example of raising stakes in action and suspense, the film ties up a number of character arcs and plotlines from multiple past sequels while delivering a thrill-a-minute from one huge action setpiece to the next. I saw this film several times in the theater and I’ve picked through my favorite sequences countless times since. 

As our own Mr. E. Duarte has done a terrific review of the film, I’ll let his words stand pat.

Without giving away too much, Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible – Fallout essentially brings the Ethan Hunt saga full circle, connecting all the entries in the franchise into one continuous storyline about a man haunted by a past full of remorse and choices that only lead to more of the same. Tom Cruise reprises his role once more as the highly-elite covert operative with a notably weightier and somber demeanor than in the previous movies — and it's not only due to the burden and strain of having to save a good portion of Earth's population this time around. Audiences have seen the character grow and evolve for the last twenty years, especially since J.J. Abrams' involvement in the 2006 third installment. As Henry Cavill's CIA assassin August Walker so succinctly summarizes for us, Hunt has been betrayed, disavowed and cast aside by his own government many times, sacrificing a great deal of his own personal happiness for little in return. By this point in his career where he is reminded of that sacrifice, our hero seems constantly teetering on the edge of breaking.

It's this weight and clout hanging over Hunt's head that particularly and most impressively affects this sixth chapter to the series. The title Fallout is not only in reference to the possible devastation caused by notorious rogue agent Solomon Lane's (Sean Harris) twisted aspirations, but it is also suggestive of something a bit more gut-wrenching and personal. At the core of McQuarrie's script, who also penned Rogue Nation as well as The Usual Suspects, Jack Reacher and Edge of Tomorrow, we are witness to the aftermath of choices made throughout the years finally accruing and encumbering our hero's current state. Aside from one sensationally jaw-dropping, daredevil stunt to the next, the plot progresses by Hunt gripped in situations where he's forced to make choices. In fact, action sequences are even the result of these choices — a constant cause and effect dilemma. And Hunt is continuously caught in a plight of deciding the value of one life versus many, a personal sense of morality that's guided him here and made him the IMF agent he is now.

Standing in for the opposing side of this philosophical quandary is Solomon Lane, the anarchist leader of the terrorist organization The Syndicate, and his mysterious militant follower John Lark, who views the death of many for the greater good as just — a repeated sentiment from a manifesto he wrote reminding us of the film's central theme. Lane and Lark participate in a vast network of highly fascinating and complex villain archetypes with a loaded sense of purpose, a network that's been steadily growing in the last couple of years. In Fallout, they seem smarter and more competent than our hero due to a committed, near fundamentalist faith to their cause, an unshakable devotion to an objective bred from a principled morality that's curiously relatable and morbidly logical. This adherence to achieving their goal is a bleakly problematic challenge for Hunt because how does one efficiently combat such conviction. At one point, Lane rejects, and even feels offended by, his actions being associated with terrorism, seeing violence as a tool for bettering humanity.  

An even more telling comment is when Lane bluntly points out Hunt's good intentions over the years are coming back to haunt him, and McQuarrie refreshes our memories in subtly engrossing ways, sprinkling Mission: Impossible – Fallout with a medley of thinly-veiled allusions to previous installments. Arguably, the return of Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg serve as part of this since they've been with Hunt during his most taxing, death-defying trials while new choices and more reckless exploits welcome Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Angela Bassett into the fold. However, the allusions come by way of the many insanely wild stunts, which feel reminiscent of similar stunts from its predecessors while also raising the stakes, almost as if to suggest Hunt's past experiences have trained him for this fight. But on a more important note, this follow-up is, at once, the best entry in the entire series, defying all expectations for a sequel, and the perfect remedy to many contemporary action flicks, favoring white-knuckle practical visuals over a dependency on CGI effects.

Vital Disc Stats: The 3D Blu-ray 
Germany’s Turbine does physical media fans a true service by bringing a long-absent Paramount title to Blu-ray 3D. Mission: Impossible - Fallout comes to BD3D for the first time as a single-disc Region-Free BD50 release. The disc is housed in a clear case with reversible artwork. The disc loads to an animated main menu with standard menu options. German is the default audio so you’ll need to select the English Atmos track.

Given that the film was shot on a combination of 35mm and 8K digital cameras, the 3-D conversion visual aspects can be a slight mixed-bag, grainy in some scenes, not in others, but ultimately looks terrific on disc. I could only see this once in 3D at my local multiplex’s worst screening room, so this disc looks better than my theatrical experience! If there’s a bit of a knock to give, it's some of the darker, shadowy scenes shot on film can appear a bit noisy at times, and lens flairs are a little dodgy, but otherwise, this is a damned impressive post-conversion effort. A number of sequences look like they could have been natively shot in 3D from the jump. The big spectacular stunt scenes are amazing giving a real sense of three-dimensional depth along the z-axis. Part of why this works so well in 3D is how the action scenes are composed allowing for objects to frequently move back and forth. The motorcycle chase through Paris is a prime example of that effect. But even in tight static middle shots, there are some intense parallax effects with gun barrels pointing out of the screen. Clarity is right on point for a 1080p 3D presentation with a nice healthy bitrate throughout. I didn't have any ghosting issues or alignment problems. If I’m going to split hairs for home video presentations, I’d have to argue that the 4K Dolby Vision disc is the best overall, but damn, this 3D Blu-ray is terrific. I’m glad recent Paramount 3D titles are finally getting their time on disc. Maybe Turbine can cut a deal with Disney for all those Marvel discs that are horrifyingly expensive to import from Japan?

On the audio side, we have what amounts to the exact same Dolby Atmos track. Doing some disc flippies, I didn’t detect anything different between the releases. Here’s what Mr. E. had to say about the mix: 

Joining this stressfully nerve-wracking excursion to stop the greatest suffering is this awesome, edge-of-your-seat, reference-quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack. 

Right from the opening moments, the front soundstage feels broad and expansive, displaying lots of warmth and fidelity in Lorne Balfe's understated score. Meanwhile, various activity in the background spreads across all three channels with spotless fluidity and into the top heights, establishing a highly-engaging half-dome environ that amazingly stays consistent from beginning to end. Rich, clarity detailing within the mid-range allows for the echo of gunshots and ricochet of bullets to be heard with stunning precision, and the crunch of metal during action sequences is distinctly heard while vocals are lucid and well-prioritized over the loudest segments. A powerful and occasionally authoritative low-end provides gunfire with a tight, potent snap, collusions with a room-shaking rumble, engines with a realistic growl and explosions with an aggressively resounding boom. There are a couple instances when bass even digs into the ultra-low depths, dropping well below 20Hz  with some serious decibels, adding an incredible sense of presence to the action and music.

Rear activity is also at a near constant, as various ambient noises during quieter, dialogue-driven moments litter the room and convincingly encircle the listening area. Whether it’s the bustling city traffic of Paris, the chatter of people in the Kashmir village and medical camp or voices echoing while characters argue underground, the surrounds are continuously employed with a variety of effects discretely moving from one channel to the next, creating an enveloping 360° environment that keeps viewers glued to their seats. Action scenes can be quite aggressive as an assortment of atmospherics smoothly journey into the ceiling channels, expanding the visuals to a grander scale. The engines of planes and the propeller blades of helicopters fill the empty space above, and the ringing of police sirens reverberate in every direction. Chase sequences, unsurprisingly, are the best moments with helicopters, cars, and motorcycles flawlessly panning overhead to generate an immersive hemispheric soundfield, making it one of the best high-resolution tracks of the year.

Given this is a single-disc 3D release, there are no bonus features present. Which is just fine by me since I just wanted the film in 3D.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is one of the best action thrillers of the 21st century. From beginning to end, Christopher McQuarrie stages one thrilling escalating set piece after the next with Tom Cruise putting life and limb at peril by jumping out of airplanes, riding a motorcycle against traffic, and flying a helicopter culminating in a terrifying cliffside fight. Now fans can see Henry Cavil’s double arm pump in glorious 3-D thanks to a splendid  BD3D disc from Germany’s Turbine Medien. It may be a post-conversion effort, but it still stands as one of the best three-dimensional experiences in recent years. And as a Paramount release, it’s a great sign for some recent big hits getting proper 3D disc releases for fans who still love their glasses. Highly Recommended