If you’re going to venture out to one movie this winter, go see the latest Mission Impossible. Plenty of action series lose steam by the fourth installment, but Mission Impossible―Ghost Protocol actually makes for a spectacular cinematic experience that happens to be the franchise’s best so far.

Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt, and he’s accompanied by a new team on their most intense mission yet: to exonerate the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) that’s been shut down following its implication in the bombing of the Kremlin.

The film’s true all-stars, though, are on the back end. Critics attribute the film’s success to a quality new production team headed by Academy-award winning director Brad Bird. Bird’s animated work for Pixar Animation Studios has won him two Oscars, and he draws from this accomplished storytelling background to escalate the action movie genre to another level of adrenaline-pumping action and state-of-the-art visuals. For Ghost Protocol, his first live-action feature, he reportedly sketched out every scene prior to filming.

Even if you haven’t seen any of the first three Mission Impossible movies, it’s a blockbuster adventure that will remind you what popcorn was made for.

DETAILS

What: Mission Impossible―Ghost Protocol

When: Premieres on Saturday, Jan. 28

Where: UME, Peace Cinema, Studio City