Mission: Impossible - Fallout appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc – mostly. On two occasions, the image opened up to the digital IMAX 1.90:1.
Don’t expect Dunkirk-level IMAX, though, as the movie didn’t use a lot of the expanded ratio. The first sequence started at 23:35 and lasts about three and a half minutes, while the second occurred at 1:54:05 and completed at 2:15:15.
Note that while the first segment offered 100 percent 1.90:1 footage, the second/longer one varied between 1.90:1 and 2.35:1. As such, don’t expect the whole 21 minutes to be at the expanded ratio.
As expected, this became a strong presentation, and sharpness looked largely positive. A few interiors could seem a little soft, but not to a severe degree, so this usually remained an accurate, well-defined image.
I saw no signs of jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes also remained absent. Like most modern films, the movie suffered from no print flaws.
Also like most modern films, Fallout featured a fair amount of teal, though it usually replaced the usual orange with a mostly yellow/amber impression. Within those design parameters, the colors appeared well-rendered.
Blacks seemed deep and dense, while shadows came across as smooth and concise. This was a pretty solid presentation.
Expect a dazzling Dolby Atmos soundtrack from Fallout. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the mix offered a consistently active soundscape that always impressed.
With a slew of big scenes, various action elements filled the room. This meant bullets, explosions, vehicles and other forms of mayhem showed up all around the spectrum on a frequent basis.
The effects boasted excellent localization and blending, so this formed into a snug, seamless soundscape. Music used the speakers in a bold way as well.
Audio quality came across nicely, with speech that seemed natural and concise. Music appeared bold and brassy.
Effects became the most dominant aspect of the mix, and they lived up to expectations. These elements came across as dynamic and impactful, with deep, firm low-end response. Everything about this mix connected to create an impressive impression.
Expect a slew of extras on this two-Blu-ray set, and Disc One boasts three separate audio commentaries. The first involves writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and actor Tom Cruise. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, connections to the prior movies, stunts and action, editing and camerawork, cast and performances, music, effects and connected domains.
If you’ve heard prior McQuarrie/Cruise commentaries you’ll know what to expect here. Like in the past, McQuarrie does the heavy lifting while Cruise acts as cheerleader.
Cruise does throw out some useful notes, but he mainly praises the film and all involved. McQuarrie falls into that “happy talk” trap at times as well, but he manages enough good information to carry the commentary. Though the prevalence of praise becomes tiresome, McQuarrie manages to make this a generally good track.
For the second commentary, we hear from McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton. Both sit together for their running, screen-specific discussion of editing, music and sound design, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, and similar material.
Without Cruise along for the ride, I expected less happy talk here – and I got less happy talk, though the tone still tended toward a lot of praise. This means a great deal of plaudits for the film and its participants.
As with the first commentary, though, the McQuarrie/Hamilton chat still manages enough productive information to carry us past the fluff. We find a lot of interesting technical details in this largely engaging piece.
Finally, we get a commentary from composer Lorne Balfe. During his running, screen-specific chat, he goes over how he came to the project as well as aspects of his score.
Balfe talks about bongos so much that it becomes borderline comical, but he does so with a sense of self-awareness and a wink. That jovial attitude pervades this track, so while it may lack the breadth of topics found in the first two discussions, Balfe makes this a fine examination of his musical choices.
In addition to the commentaries, Disc One comes with a isolated score. This presents Balfe’s music in Dolby 5.1. It’s too bad the track went with a lossy option, but it still becomes a nice addition to the package.
Over on Disc Two, we begin with a seven-part documentary called Behind the Fallout. It runs 53 minutes, 32 seconds and features McQuarrie, Cruise, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood, skydiving camera operator Craig O’Brien, VFX supervisor Jody Johnson, chief instructor Ray Armstrong, skydiving coordinator Allan Hewitt, jumpmaster Alex Fixen, chief rigger Karen Saunders, producer Jake Myers, safety diver Sian Stokes, HALO doctor Anna Hicks, skydive doubles Alan Foulkes-Williams and Rusty Lewis, production designer Peter Wenham, supervising location manager Ben Piltz, chief lighting technician Martin Smith, co-producer/1st AD Tommy Gormley, aerial coordinator Marc Wolff, Maori chief David Higgens, aerial assistant Randy Hepner, Airbus instructor Tim McAdamds, mountain flying instructor Simon Bower, aerial grips Jean Chineau and Greg Rousseau, and actors Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Simon Pegg, Henry Cavill, Vanessa Kirby, and Rebecca Ferguson.
“Behind” examines story/characters, cast and performances, stunts and action, photography, and sets/locations. “Behind” emphasizes the stunts and uses the usual hyperbolic tone typical of programs for Cruise films.
This means many comments about how daring and amazing Cruise was as well as lots of hype about the danger and threat involved. We still learn some good information and see useful shots from the production, but all the fluff gets old.
With a Deleted Scenes Montage, we find a three-minute, 41-second compilation of shots. These come with music but no dialogue and only minor effects.
Why present these as a “montage” rather than individual scenes? Presumably because many run for only a few seconds, but this still feels like an odd collection. It gives us the footage in such a disjointed manner that it feels more like a music video than a glimpse of excised footage.
We can watch the “Montage” with or without commentary from McQuarrie and Hamilton. McQuarrie explains that he doesn’t like to include deleted scenes but these clips required so much work that he wanted to present them.
That’s nice for those involved, but it doesn’t make the “Montage” memorable for viewers. At least the commentary gives us some insights.
A Footchase Musical Breakdown fills four minutes, 50 seconds and includes commentary from Balfe. We hear isolated aspects of the score during one film sequence. Balfe offers some thoughts and allows this to become an interesting dissection of the music.
The Ultimate Mission lasts two minutes, 51 seconds and provides notes from Cruise. He tells us how amazing the production was. Yawn.
In addition to the film’s trailer, we find some Storyboards. These come as stillframe galleries and cover four scenes: “Paris”, “What If?”, “London” and “Helicopter”. I’d probably prefer a boards-to-film comparison, but this still becomes a good batch of drawings.
Finally, the set provides a booklet. It includes some photos and quotes related to the movie’s stunts. It seems superfluous.
A mix of highs and lows, Mission: Impossible – Fallout usually works well. It may seem inconsistent, but the positives outweigh the negatives. The Blu-ray brings very good visuals along with excellent audio and a wide array of supplements. Though not the best of the franchise, Fallout still entertains
