Just as the IMF gets shuts down, rogue agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) learns of a pernicious group of terrorists called the Syndicate who threaten to start a new world order via terrorism. Ethan soon gets captured and chained to a pole before a mysterious secret agent, Ethan (Rebecca Ferguson), rescues him. Meanwhile, CIA Director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) gives orders for Hunt to be killed unless he has evidence that the Syndicate actually exists. That evidence, a computer drive listing the names of the Syndicate members, happens to be at a highly secure underwater facility. As IMF analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and computer tech Benji (Simon Pegg) track Hunt down, Hunt, with the help of Ilsa and, eventually, the trusting Benji, desperately try to retrieve the hard drive.

      The plot gets increasingly interesting throughout the film's twists and turns, especially when Ilsa shows up because it's uncertain whether or not she will double cross Ethan. Simon Pegg is very well-cast because he provides the film with much-needed comic relief. Fortunately, Tom Cruise still has the knack of being terrific leading man in an action thriller because beyond being good-looking, he's got charisma to boot and can sinks his teeth quite convincingly into both action and dramatic scenes.

     It's quite a testament to writer/director Christopher McQuarrie's strength as a film director that the 5th film in the Mission: Impossible series manages to still be as thrilling, exciting and suspenseful as the last four films. To be fair, though, Mission: Impossible--Rogue Nation does lose a little steam toward the end because of too much exposition, but that's a minor issue that's forgivable because there's plenty of action set pieces before and after that to cherish. The stuntwork, largely done by Tom Cruise himself, looks amazing, whether he's hanging onto a plane as it takes off, going through an exhilarating motorcycle chase or trying to unlock a safe underwater with no oxygen mask. That underwater scene alone demands to be seen on the big screen (preferably in IMAX) for a fully immersive experience (pun-intended) so that you can feel like you're right there you're underwater with Ethan as well. At a running time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, Mission: Impossible--Rogue Nation is ultimately an exhilarating blend of action, intrigue, suspense and comic relief.