Mission: Impossible - Fallout sees the main cast of Rogue Nation (2015) return, including Cruise as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, Rebecca Ferguson as former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, Simon Pegg as Hunt's sidekick Benji and Ving Rhames as IMF agent Luther Stickell. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby also join to round up the star-studded cast.

Directed and written by Christopher McQuarrie, the film immediately takes viewers on a roller-coaster ride as Hunt is offered a new mission in the first half hour. As usual, he can accept it or not, but Hunt, who doesn’t take “impossible” for an answer, accepts the mission and the film blasts off.

The mission sees Hunt and his team facing a terrifying nuclear threat from the acolytes of Soloman Lane (Sean Harris), an imprisoned mastermind anarchist who led the international terrorist organization, the Syndicate, in Rogue Nation. CIA agent August Walker (Cavill), whose personality and views on the IMF clash with Hunt's, is assigned as a partner to help track down the nuclear materials. Soon enough, the pairing reveals a much bigger plot.

Hunt also faces trouble during the mission when Faust comes along. After disavowing MI6 and helping Hunt in Rogue Nation, Faust wants to repay the MI6 by taking on a mission to get to Lane – by any means possible.

Fallout takes action films to a whole other level. Vehicle chases, fights and diving off buildings will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. One particularly memorable scene is the high-speed chase between Hunt and the Parisian police, which sees Hunt on a motorcycle dodging people and vehicles at busy intersections and making his way through narrow alleys.

Still another scene sees him running for his life, climbing buildings and jumping from one building to another. As with the previous films, Cruise performed the stunts himself.

Read also: How Cruise brings 'the Tom factor' to 'Mission: Impossible' stunts

The screenplay is also cleverly built around several plot twists and surprise encounters throughout the course of the story, putting the already crucial mission at its highest stake. Lorne Balfe's musical score goes hand-in-hand with the action sequences, with the haunting music and chanting pairs perfectly with terrifying scenes of Hunt jumping buildings.

Fallout is all the more memorable for its comic relief and impeccable comic timing from Hunt and the IMF team. It gives the film room to breathe – if not the audience – which is packed with action from start to finish.

The film continues where Rogue Nation left off and also harks back to events of earlier installments, including Hunt’s relationship with his wife. Fallout differs in that it presents another side to the friction between the IMF and the CIA while following a recurring theme of the franchise: Hunt willingly losing his chance to complete the mission in exchange for saving someone's life. He takes the hard road to complete the mission and never falters in his belief that he will succeed.

Fallout is a must-see, whether you've been following the Mission: Impossible series from the start or not. It's the complete package: an action film with a story line worth following that leaves a lasting impression. (anm/wng)

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