The first reactions to Mission: Impossible - Fallout praise Tom Cruise's latest as one of the most thrilling rides of the summer. Making the leap from television to movies in 1996, the espionage franchise seemingly gets stronger with age. The most recent installments, Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, are the highest-grossing entries, as well as the most critically-acclaimed. With Cruise always looking to up the ante in regards to his insane stunts, there was much excitement surrounding Fallout, especially since it sees Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie return to the helm.

As great as it is to see Cruise and McQuarrie work together again, there was some question on if the two would be able to make lightning strike twice. McQuarrie is the first filmmaker to direct multiple Mission: Impossible movies, and part of the franchise's longevity stems from the revolving door of unique voices who have contributed over the years. Fortunately, McQuarrie has a stellar handle on the material once more, and Fallout looks to live up to the hype.

Paramount screened the film for a group of reporters, and early reactions indicate the series' hot streak will continue. Check out some tweets in the space below:

Earlier today, box office tracking indicated Fallout could earn the franchise's largest opening weekend - which would be quite the accomplishment for a sixth installment. Of course, positive word-of-mouth will only help the film's commercial prospects, so it'll be interesting to see if these reactions lead to enthusiastic full reviews. Obviously, there's a long way to go until a general consensus on Fallout is delivered, but these initial responses are encouraging. It's nice to see that after 22 years, Cruise is as viable an action star as ever and Mission: Impossible keeps finding ways to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. M:I has had its share of outstanding set pieces, so the highly-touted finale must be something special. Henry Cavill, he of the infamous mustache, also received high marks for his performance.

There's been no official word (yet) on Mission: Impossible 7, but if Fallout continues on this trajectory, it'll only be a matter of time before the IMF returns for another assignment. Simon Pegg, who's been involved with the series since the third movie, knows it's showing no signs of slowing down, so he fully expects there to be more sequels. As long as Cruise (who, as difficult as it is to believe, is 56 years old) wants to keep playing Ethan Hunt, he'll have a team waiting in the wings for him. With Transformers now in a state of flux, Mission: Impossible is Paramount's go-to brand, so they'll want to keep it going.

MORE: Mission: Impossible - Fallout Tickets Now On Sale

Source: Erick Davis, Steve Weintraub

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