Despite their record of proven results, the IMF’s (Impossible Missions Force) history of wanton destruction and lack of oversight have drawn the ire of CIA Chief Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). With no hard evidence that Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) latest obsession–a shadow organization known as “The Syndicate”–exists, Hunley demands and is granted the disbanding of IMF, making Hunt a wanted man.

What better time for the Syndicate to strike, drawing Ethan Hunt and the rest of the IMF team into their web of secrecy and deception? With the American government, the Syndicate, and an agent with questionable loyalty after them, the members of the IMF have truly become a rogue nation.

If you have seen any of the previous four Mission Impossible offerings, then you know what you are getting: death-defying action sequences, vehicle chases, martial-arts-style fighting, handsome-and-capable male characters, a beautiful-and-capable female character, at least one nefarious villain, plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing at various characters’ motivations and timely humor.

If you’ve seen a Tom Cruise movie, you know what you are not getting: overuse of “mature” language, blood and gore, frontal nudity.

All of this adds up to one of the most FUN movies of the summer thus far, a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat despite the outcomes you expect from a film that is part of an ongoing franchise.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is one of the most entertaining films I have seen this year.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Rogue Nation is that writer/director Christopher McQuarrie imbues the film with a strong sense of franchise self-awareness, allowing for some humorous moments that fall short of being camp. He doesn’t try to eliminate the things we have come to expect from a Mission Impossible film, things like the masks and the impractical gadgetry necessary for agents to get their missions and the running and motorcycle riding Tom Cruise always manages to work into these films, but he does it in such a way that it adds an extra measure of entertainment. He follows the proven recipe for success, but adds enough of his own spice to make it satisfying.

One of the criticisms that can be leveled against many Tom Cruise films, not just the Mission Impossible franchise, is that he essentially plays himself every time. One reason for this criticism is that many of his action films have familiar elements that you can rightly assume will be in every film. It makes for valid criticism, but is frankly the reason I enjoy Tom Cruise movies. I enjoy the ride, and frequently leave quite satisfied. I also find them easy films to go back to whenever I want to watch something I know will entertain.

Many of the recent crew is back, with Simon Pegg having what feels like a more expanded role in this outing. He remains one of my favorite actors, so I find that a mark in the plus column for Rogue Nation. Though she has been in a few other projects, this was my first time seeing actress Rebecca Ferguson, and hopefully won’t be the last. She is attractive, to be sure, but as the only significant female character in the entire film, she has a solid role in the proceedings and is an integral part of the overall plot that showcases both her acting and action chops. I also appreciated the fact that the McQuarrie honored the details we know about Ethan Hunt’s romantic life from previous films without having to spell anything out in this one.

If you don’t enjoy Tom Cruise films, there is nothing I can say that will convince you to see this one, and that is okay. This isn’t a message film, there is nothing potentially life-altering about sitting through this particular popcorn flick, one of the many that have been out in Summer 2015. However, if you like or can at least tolerate Cruise, and you like a good action film where at least some of the actors (Cruise in particular) perform many of their own stunts, and you want to be able to take the family and not have to worry about “earmuff” moments or having to tell your kids to “close their eyes” because of actors showing off their naughty bits, then Rogue Nation is one to see on the big screen. It is packed with action while also providing an engaging, if familiar, story.