Going into the theater for the latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise didn’t have me super excited. I love myself some mindless action on the screen once in a while though, so why not? For all I knew, it was just another mindless summer action blockbuster with the charm of its main actor doing death-defying stunts. It was just going to be some good fun.

Oh man, was I wrong. Mission Impossible Fallout is a surprisingly convoluted and insanely entertaining movie, with of course, its death defying stunts performed by the one and only Tom Cruise.

After a group of terrorists called “The Acolytes” steals three plutonium cores and plans to use them as nukes to destroy the world, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his friends are thrown into a violent conspiracy as they hunt for the mystery man, with only a name to go off of, behind it all.  

The movie uses characters and plot happenings from the last movie (Rogue Nation) to create a much more personal story for Ethan Hunt this time around. Obviously you have your Mission Impossible -patented and Tom Cruise-certified death-defying stunts, yet the story is surprisingly complex and filled with twists and turns.

It’s essentially one big man hunt, but the movie gives you subtle clues to point you in the right direction. The audience is with Ethan. They have no idea who this mystery man is and are left to guess alongside the characters as new information becomes revealed.

The movie isn’t just one twist after the other for a cheap thrill. The movie is action packed yet manages to tell a wildly entertaining and thrilling story. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat with a combination of the mysterious plot and watching Tom Cruise climb around on the outside of a helicopter while airborne. The movie is full of twists, and will keep you guessing what happens next, but the movie will always have another shroud of mystery waiting to pull from out in front of you, until it reaches its brilliant and climactic ending, probably one of the best in the series.

Of course, the action scenes are infallible. Well choreographed, and of course its classic Mission Impossible crazy stunts that’ll leave you going “How much does he get paid to do this?” They aren’t just dudes punching each other, and the use of little cuts makes the scenes much more enjoyable as you can see every move and punch or action a character is making.

Mission Impossible Fallout is undeniable the best summer blockbuster of this year. An excellent and thrilling story with insane stunts and wildly fun action, it will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go watch this movie.