'Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation' Movie Review: How Good Is Tom Cruise's Latest Film?

— -- Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg

Rated PG-13

Four-and-a-half out of five stars

Due to its many moving parts, characters and twists, some people are going to find the plot of "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" a bit complicated, but it’s quite simple, really.

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt believes there’s a rogue international network of former spies called “The Syndicate.” The CIA doesn’t believe him and wants to put the IMF and Hunt out of business. After the Government decides to shut the IMF down, Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and tech genius Dunn (Simon Pegg) become part of the CIA, while Hunt hides from the Feds and tries to prove the Syndicate is real.

In the meantime, Hunt seems to have met his match in Syndicate member Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and Syndicate founder Lane (Sean Harris). Can Ethan and friends survive their biggest challenge yet? See? It really is a simple question.

Part of what makes the "MI" franchise so great (with the exception of "MI: 3," which was really mediocre) is its fearless leader, and Tom Cruise truly does seem to be fearless. In "Ghost Protocol" he scaled the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (no relation to Wiz). This time, he hangs from the door of an airplane, which he apparently did eight times, for eight takes. Yes, when Tom Cruise is involved, no stuntman is required, and that risky business — pun intended — has helped make him, at age 53, our greatest action star.

Let’s simplify this even further:

"Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" is AMAZING.

While the "Fast and Furious" franchise continues to be fun and exhilarating, nobody would ever accuse the filmmakers of producing a thoughtful, action-packed thriller. But "MI: Rogue Nation" is exactly that and then some. Cruise’s favorite writer and director Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote and directed "Jack Reacher" and wrote "Edge Of Tomorrow," goes above and beyond with great visual cues and choices, expertly balancing suspense and fun.

"Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" lives up to the franchise name, presenting us with a successful outcome to the seemingly impossible mission of producing a truly excellent summertime action flick.