By the time the fifth film in a franchise rolls around, we expect to be at a point where staleness takes over, where the same action beats are repeated ad nauseam. With Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, however, there’s a freshness to be found amongst the proceedings, and even though the movie is far from setting a new standard for action movies, it’s still a lively and enjoyable ride through the world of Ethan Hunt and the IMF. It recognizes the inevitable exhaustion that results after constant missions–and films–and it crafts a new adventure out of the crumbling remains of the IMF, throwing us into several impressive action sequences and proving that Tom Cruise is still perfect for this role.

Newcomer Rebecca Ferguson also fits into her role quite nicely, her character’s relationship with Hunt avoiding the trappings of a romance plot as she both squares off against and works with him. Simon Pegg’s Benji provides the emotional through line of the movie, his friendship with Hunt an endearing look at where loyalties and relationships lie in spy work. Renner, Rhames, and Baldwin don’t make much of an impact outside of a few comedic lines, but the movie does find a nice balance between the humor and the quiet menace of Sean Harris’s Solomon Lane.

Aside from the characters, the movie is structured around several set pieces that are wonderfully put together by Christopher McQuarrie and top-notch cinematographer Robert Elswit. There’s an opera house scene that’s beautiful to look at and thrilling to watch unfold, an underwater scene that’s filled to the brim with tension, and an exciting motorcycle chase sequence through the streets of Morocco. Oh, and there’s also Tom Cruise hanging on the edge of an airplane, because why not? I’ll admit that there’s not much that kept me thoroughly interested in between those sequences, but the movie still avoids the mind-numbingly dull storylines that populate many action films these days. Rogue Nation is coherent without being too simplistic and engaging without relying too much on bullets and explosions, and it’s a worthy installment to the Mission Impossible franchise.

GRADE: B

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-Watch Edge of Tomorrow (co-written by Christopher McQuarrie). One of the better sci fi action blockbusters in recent memory.

Photo credit: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Bad Robot, Skydance