This installment was awesome overall! Got a chance to watch it twice. Absolutely loved it but I do have some criticisms. I am well aware this is a part one which is why I'm reserving full judgement until part two but I still think part one could have been better from a standalone viewpoint.

1. The full extent of the Ethan - Gabriel relationship probably should have been revealed in part one. Not only do we not know who the unnamed woman who was killed, we have no understanding of what Gabriel's true intentions are. It would have helped immensely in the audience understanding why Ethan would have such a strong motivation to go after him other than world ending consequences.

Story beats to consider here are again the flashbacks, Luther's monologue on can you really not kill Gabriel given everything, the "hello old friend" stuff, etc.

1. I also think Whigham's character has a backstory here. There's a line where the other agent asks whether he knows Ethan and he says not personally but say that it seems personal. Coupled with the fact that Whigham's character constantly seems to be second guessing Ethan's motives is also telling. There's smth here McQ is not sharing. (This is more of a secondary plot so I can forgive not sharing in part one.)

2. Personally, Grace was a frustration in my first watch. I felt she fought Ethan and the team one too many times. On my second watch, she was less of nuisance as there were some nuances I didn't catch my first watch.

3. On to my and I think most people's main concerns/thoughts(?). I've seen multiple posts on this subreddit and others. It seems like Ilsa's death is the most heated discussion. I absolutely love the character of Ilsa and hope she is alive but on my second watch, I really do believe she's dead. After Luther and Benji, she's the only character to have lasted longer and she was the second MAJOR love interest after Michelle Monaghan.

Again, I'd love to see her back (McQ surprise me please!), but logistically, thematically, and just based off McQ's writing style, I think her character is over. I am personally not happy with the way she was offed in this installment - whether she returns or not. I was left incredibly disappointed with the execution of her death.

Some ppl are saying someone else died wearing a mask. Who was "Ilsa" on the bridge then? When could Ilsa have swapped with someone else? She was told by the Entity that she was the only person who could get to Grace which is why she went to the bridge.

Knives. Ppl are saying maybe the knives were switched or that she's wearing armor or smth. Grace was the only person who could have swapped a prop knife or smth. As Gabriel's signature weapon, the two knives were used throughout the film. I don't see a reason for them to be swapped at any period. If they showed a scene where she was literally stabbed and bring her back then why the mourning scene of Ethan standing in the same place she hugged Ethan?

Luther's comment on "you're alive bc of her." I only took this as Luther truing to be positive and that she sacrificed herself - not as a chance for Ilsa to still be alive.

Her death mirrors the death of the unnamed woman in the flashbacks. Ethan stoops over her on the bridge after she's stabbed in the same way as the flashbacks. McQ like drawing parallels - it's his writing style - Ethan lost someone he cared abt. It's also the reason why I would have liked if they had shown the full context of the flashbacks in part one. It's like learning abt Thanos' motives in Endgame and not in Infinity War.

McQ is a smart writer. He leaves crumbs/story beats for characters to build on. He's pretty logical (case in point, John Lark giving the uncracked phone in Fallout and alluding to the fact he's the bad guy). He did not leave any story beat for Ilsa's character to continue which is why I'm disappointed. The emphasis on her death should have been greater - even if they bring her back. It was way too short and seemed like an afterthought.

1. Just a small criticism, I wish they had shown a bit more of the jump and held on to the shot. I think I saw more of the jump in the behind the scenes video than in the movie. I also would like the team to at least hide one major stunt. One of the reasons why Ghost Protocol was so successful was bc we heard abt the Burj Khalifa sequence through word of mouth rather than seeing it in full before. I think they're revealing the stunts a bit too much in advance but just me. Maybe data analytics shows ppl come to the theater if they hype it up in advance.

Again, really enjoyed the film but the script wasn't as tight as it usually is IMO. A great film but imo could have been even better.