Now on its sixth instalment, it would be easy for this Tom Cruise-driven franchise to simply spin its wheels. Forget that. Cruise's mission – and he does choose to accept it – is to deliver the summer's most jaw-dropping action film. If the Mission: Impossible star has always prided himself on wowing audiences with his stunt work, he goes above and beyond here: a daring parachute jump above Paris; riding a motorbike against dozens of cars around the Arc de Triomphe; flying a helicopter over treacherous canyons; and, of course, leaping across London's rooftops – an exploit that caused him to shatter his ankle during production.

Yet if that's all Fallout was, it would tire you quickly. The first film of the franchise to bring back a director, Christopher McQuarrie, it's also the first to really dip back into the earlier storylines, particularly from its predecessor – McQuarrie's 2015 effort, Rogue Nation. Cruise's spy Ethan Hunt is on the prowl for some stolen plutonium, an assignment that soon brings him back into contact with the now-incarcerated terrorist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) and fellow spy Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), both last seen in Rogue Nation. There's also a significant role for Michelle Monaghan's Julia, Hunt's one-time love from Mission: Impossible III.

With his old IMF colleagues Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) also back, Hunt is forced to team up with no-nonsense CIA enforcer August Walker (Henry Cavill, who matches Cruise blow for blow). McQuarrie barrels the film through Paris, London and finally Kashmir for some breathless entertainment. Even a fight in a nightclub gents turns into something that will leave your palms sweating. True, the plot ultimately comes down to some nifty bomb disposal – and that's hardly original – but Cruise and co make sure you've never quite seen it done like this before. A first-class summer blockbuster.

General release from Wed 25 Jul.