Impossible took four films to fully establish its franchise must-have: the ever more blurred lines between its death-defying, stunt-loving star, Tom Cruise, and the superspy he plays. For more than a decade,

In the new installment of Tom Cruise’s action film series, “ Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning ,” a godlike AI called the Entity has the world on the brink of a nuclear apocalypse, and a doomsday cult is rooting for the AI. (Spoiler alert: Cruise saves everyone.)

Being a spy is like watching paint dry. And they don’t have to be in the best shape. The tooth capsule thing? Real. A former spy tells us what Tom Cruise gets right and wrong in the franchise.