_You remember the ‘90s when the Mission: Impossible movies were wildly popular? And then Tom Cruise went all nutso, but JJ Abrams decided to reboot the franchise anyway (and bring in Felicity herself), and it was actually really good? Well, The Incredibles director Brad Bird decided he was going to top all of those.

No, really.

Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol decided to go above and beyond any badass action sequences that any of the previous Mission: Impossible films have done before it. And do it in IMAX. I know I’m sounding hyperbolic here, and I went full in expecting to have a good time, but I really didn’t expect to be completely blown away by how over-the-top (in a good way) this film is. Some of the stuff they do is fucking bananas.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

Granted, all that being said, I wish I had gone back and rewatched the third film because I could barely remember Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) wife. Shame on me, I suppose. Anyhoo, Ghost Protocol opens with Benji (Simon Pegg) and Agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) breaking Ethan out of a Russian prison. No one knows why he’s there, but all they know is that they need him to try to break into the Kremlin to find a file. When that mission goes awry, the IMF is implicated in a terrorist plot and Ghost Protocol is initiated--that is, the company is completely shut down. So if Ethan and his team want to clear their names, they must act completely alone, without any help from the IMF and totally off grid. Along for the ride is analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner).

There is, of course, a real terrorist plot involving some Russian psycho who wants to start a nuclear war, and the team must stop him, at all costs. Which involves jumping into a 10-story shaft, climbing up the world’s tallest building with special gloves that stick to glass, and running through a crazy sandstorm. Ghost Protocol has some of the most insane, bat shit crazy action sequences I have ever seen. It’s like Bird took all of his fun, animated action scenes from his previous films and was like, “let’s bring that shit to life.” And he does. The spectacle of Cruise slowly climbing the Burj Khalifa is a sight unto itself. Do yourself a favor and go see it in IMAX. Another incredibly artful sequence is a fight scene that takes place on a multi-level automated parking garage with multiple levers moving cars to and fro. It’s almost like an action ballet it’s that artful.

Because of Pegg, Ghost Protocol also has some fairly funny moments, too. But, perhaps Renner is the most welcome surprise in that department, as the two have a very humorous scene debating how a particular part of the mission will play out. Cruise’s own personal gravitas work here because they lend Ethan an air of “what, me worry?” that make all the stunts extraordinary.

Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol may be one of the best action films in recent years. It’s fun and inventive. Its cast is likable, even megalomaniac Tom Cruise. And the addition of director Brad Bird has pushed the film into a dazzling arena. Just make sure you don't next to someone who likes to exclaim, "HOLY SHIT! Did you just see that?" Because you'll be hearing it a lot.

--Darcie Duttweiler