Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, great stunts, no nookie

The fifth instalment of the spy action movie franchise, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, is an "exhilarating" ride, say critics – as long as viewers don't think about it too deeply.

The film, which opens in the UK today, is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the man behind The Usual Suspects. Tom Cruise returns to his role as IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agent, Ethan Hunt, who must take on his most impossible mission yet: trying to stop the Syndicate, a rogue international crime organisation intent on destroying the IMF.

As usual, Cruise has assembled a team of talented co-stars including Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson.

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Don't expect too much and you'll have an exciting ride, is the critical consensus.

Rogue Nation is pretty much like most of the Impossible movies, says Manohla Dargis in the New York Times. "It's an immense machine that Mr McQuarrie, after tinkering and oiling, has cranked up again and set humming with twists and turns, global trotting and gadgets, a crack supporting cast and a hard-working star."

Simon Pegg is back with his valuable comic timing, adds Dargis, and series newcomer Rebecca Ferguson plays a super-vixen "who has more going for her than man-throttling thighs" – she holds her own on the ground and in mid-air.

The plot line doesn't bear too much scrutiny and its characterisation is sketchy, but the action is "frequently exhilarating", says Geoffrey McNab in The Independent. Ferguson plays Ilsa with an "Emma Peel-like zest", but there's little time to develop a romantic subplot.

"McQuarrie takes stock ingredients we've seen in countless other movies from Bond to Bourne and beyond," says McNab. But somehow he "makes them fresh".

Robbie Collin in the Daily Telegraph was less impressed. The opening stunt, with Cruise dangling from a plane is a "death defying coup", admits Collin. In the CGI age, stunts this memorable are rare – and just how rare becomes clear over the following two hours, which offer only a single sequence to match this pre-credits feat.

Overall, says Collin, Rogue Nation keeps the franchise ticking over: "its fuse fizzes dutifully from A to B, but the dynamite never ignites".

There's no denying that Tom Cruise is a great stuntman, says Kate Muir in The Times. But "his acting skills seem preserved in aspic, along with his boyish face". The glamorous and athletic Ferguson brings some energy to the melee, adds Muir, but the 12A certificate seems to come with "a no-nookie caveat".

The plot makes no sense and the whole genre feels a bit tired, despite the hi-tech veneer, concludes Muir. But if you want to watch "insanely dangerous stunts", there are enough thrills here to justify a cinema ticket.