Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go see this film.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout takes place 2 years after 2015’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and continues the story that was started there. But that’s not all. As the 6th entry in the series, important and natural callbacks to all the previous films are shown, fully highlighting the continuity and legacy that this series has built over the years (unlike a certain British spy series, why often ignores the events of each preceding film).

I won’t delve into the story in detail (since it’s best to go into the film with the least amount of knowledge), but it’s a doozy. There are twists and turns involving three missing plutonium cores, and a literal race against time that spans such beautiful locations as Berlin, Paris, and Kashmir.

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are all back, and their bond is fully on display. Long gone are the days of Hunt needing to complete the mission on his own because he has to one to trust. Much like the 1960s Mission:Impossible TV series, each teammate has their own distinct personality and prove their value in completing the mission. Returning for his 6th film is Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell, Ethan’s best friend and jack-of-all-trades. Simon Pegg’s hilarious tech agent Benji Dunn is back for his 4th appearance, and is a constant pleasure to watch on screen. And while Jeremy Renner doesn’t return as William Brant (thanks to a scheduling conflict involving two major Marvel movies), Alec Baldwin is back for a cool performance as Alan Hunley, the new Secretary of the IMF.

Rebecca Ferguson’s sexy femme fatale/ MI6 agent Isla Faust also returns with her own agenda involving Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), Ethan’s chilling arch-enemy from the last film and former head of the criminal organization known as the Syndicate.

Henry Cavill joins the franchise as the mysterious and cold August Walker, a CIA assassin (with an awesome mustache) tasked by Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett), the new Director of the CIA, with shadowing Ethan and his team in case the IMF agents are unable to complete their mission.

Of course, the star of the show is Tom Cruise, and his Ethan Hunt has a new air of maturity.  He’s no longer the cocky young agent who knows that he will succeed. In Fallout, Ethan is more subdued, makes mistakes, gets injured, and actually needs the aid of his teammates. It really is an evolution of the character and the franchise.

But don’t be fooled- just because Ethan’s older, doesn’t mean he’s any less crazy (same can be said about Cruise). There are so many death-defying stunts that the character takes on in this film, and each of them will make your jaw drop (especially with the knowledge that they are all real and that a 56 year old actor is actually doing them). For those alone, I recommend you go see this movie in IMAX (its well worth the price of admission.

Now, there are some moments when you might feel the film’s 2 hours and 27 minute run time, and some plot beats might seem a little predictable (at least to someone with a critical eye like me), but overall, the film is captivating from start to finish.

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