Mission: Impossible? More like Mission: Awesome! This could be the best MI since De Palma’s original. As with most films in the series, the action starts very quickly and never lets up. It could be the most humorous of the series, as well, and it doesn’t seem forced, and fills the gaps nicely.

I don’t really need to tell you the plot. What’s to know? There’s some bad people, and they’ve been doing bad things, so the IMF team has to stop them. Thanklessly, as usual. Along the way, you’ve got fights and car chases, and motorcycle chases, and heists, and diving. And lots of tension and excitement.

Great performances by all, especially Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, and honorable mentions to Alec Baldwin who plays a great “guy you love to hate,” and Rebecca Ferguson, who I hadn’t seen before this film. It took me a little while to warm up to her, but she definitely pulled her weight. Tom Cruise does a lot of running, as he always does, and the guy still looks in better shape than most guys half his age. Sean Harris is well cast as the requisite bad guy, looking about as weaselly as a human being can, but I thought they could have used him a bit more.

Christopher McQuarrie’s script is intriguing without being impenetrable. I thought it was a little too predictable at times, but I think that’s actually a result of him being true to the genre: anyone who knows the MI series of films/shows knows that things are not always what they seem. I was a little worried about his directing, but I needn’t have been. He knows how to put an action movie together. (And I actually liked Jack Reacher. Enough to start reading through the series anyway.)

This one is sure to make my best of the year list, but I will admit to being a bit biased when it comes to this series. It’s definitely one of my favorites. IMDB gives it an 8.2, and I would give it a solid 8 (unless you’re like me and love the series, in which case bump it to 8.5). (running time 2:11)