Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 is now out in theaters. Because of that, it’s time to rank every single entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise thus far from worst to best.
Mission: Impossible has to be one of the most reliable and consistent action series out there. This is a franchise that is able to deliver exactly what the audience want to see and always find new and exciting ways to deliver those wants. It’s able to always find that perfect balance of a tongue-and-cheek tone, over-the-top action, intense stakes, and Tom Cruise being an absolute madman to keep the fans entertained almost every single time. So much so that out of all seven installments released this far, there’s only one that I would argue is legit bad. That makes six movies here that range from very good to fantastic. With the exception of John Wick and Rocky, there’s not many franchises out there that has able to consistent the deliver that level of quality for so long with virtually no signs of slowing down.
To prove all the previous points mentioned, let’s rank all seven Mission: Impossible movies from worst to best. Starting with….
7.) Mission: Impossible II
This is probably the only movie in this series that fit the definition of bad. John Woo has made plenty of great movies before but he was not able to deliver here. The plot makes zero sense, there’s more slow motion shots than necessary, too many ridiculous moments even for a Mission: Impossible movie, and the editing and song choices is WAY off. Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton both do what they can to make the experience salvageable but this felt more on par with one of the bad Fast & Furious sequels than one of the better Mission: Impossible ones. While far from the worst franchise sequel ever, Mission: Impossible II certainly the worst that this franchise has gotten so far. The good news tho is that things can only go WAY up from here.
6.) Mission: Impossible (1996)
The original Mission: Impossible deserves points for starting it all and introducing many of the common tropes that would become a stable to the franchise along with being very influential on pop culture. That being said, the first entry that came out in 1996 has certainly shown it’s age and lacks the entertainment value that most other movies in this series have. The hanging from the ceiling is iconic, the third act is great stuff, and Tom Cruise is able to fit into the role of Ethan Hun near perfectly but everything else feels very service level and there are some changes made that fans of the original tv show have likely not reacted kindly too. Still, director Brian De Palma does a good enough job of starting this franchise on a fine note and leaving a solid foundation for many years to come.
5.) Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol
Here is where the franchise would be taken things to the very next level. Brad Bird is able to make a stellar first impression in his live-action debut by delivering a Mission: Impossible installment that at the time in 2011 was the biggest the franchise has ever gotten in terms of action, scope, and delivering the most impossible mission imaginable. This is also where you would certainly feel the fantastic chemistry that Cruise would have with his cast members such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton (who I’m still awaiting her return ot the franchise). The main highlights are the opening sequence in prisons and the intense, breathtaking sequence in Burj Khalifa. The main downsides is that this has easily the weakest villain in the franchise, the third acts drags on too long, and the film easily reaches it’s peak halfway through after the climbing scene. Nevertheless, Ghost Protocol still greatly succeeds at keeping the series fresh four movies in and Brad Bird should certainly consider returning to directing live-action (even if Tomorrowland didn’t work out).
4.) Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part I
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are able to prove once again that they are up to completing the impossible mission. While we will have to wait and see how this specific story wraps up next year, Dead Reckoning- Part 1 is yet another superb entry in this franchise. The action is bigger, crazier, and much wider in scope, the stunts are out of this world, the tone is perfectly controlled throughout, the runtime doesn’t feel intimating, and the social commentary on A.I. is well implemented that surprisingly doesn’t take you out of the movie. All of the new cast members fit into the world of Mission: Impossible with absolute ease, most notably Hayley Atwell, and the returning players are able to get back into the swings of things without much haze. It doesn’t quite reach the highs of some of the other sequels in this franchise and there’s one story decision that I was not fond off but it’s certainly a nice change of pace of a summer filled with mid to low-tier blockbusters that don’t remotely feel like it lived up to it’s 300 million dollar plus budget. The fact this is only ranked #4 says more about how mostly great these films are than it does of it’s actual quality.
3.) Mission: Impossible III
The very first one that I really loved in the series, Mission: Impossible III made for a great introduction for many newcomers to Mission: Impossible along with evaluating the quality for these movies down the road. This is where we see Ethan Hunt as his most human and vulnerable, getting a glimpse of what a life outside of being an IMF agent looks like and what happens when she just wants to settle down with a woman he loves. Not only is this movie easily the strongest in terms of giving Ethan a complete character arc but it also hands down has the best and most intimidating villain in Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian. While it does fall into the same directional trappings that would later be accustomed to his other films (most notably the shaky cam and too many bright lights) , J.J. Abrams is able to provide the perfection tension and claustrophobic feel to make this one of the very best in the franchises and even a satisfying end to the first three movies. This has been the installment that has been the most debated among fans but for me this would be the start to a very beginning road of consistently great quality follow-ups that is consistently great to this very day.
2.) Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
If you want to talk about the one Mission: Impossible flick that has the right balance of just about everything fans love about this franchise, look no further than Rogue Nation. Just about everything you come to expect with these movies is all here and is able to be delivered beautifully. The action is absolutely jaw dropping, with the biggest highlights being the opening plane sequence, the underwater infiltration set piece, and perhaps having the best motorcycle chase scene in any film. The tight, espionage plot gives the perfect excuse to introduce all the classic M:I tropes that’s in the book. The villain played by Sean Harris makes for a perfect equal to Ethan Hunt along with the Syndicate making for the perfect mirror to the IMF. The team members of Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell get their own moments to shine as a part of the group. Even the third act, which some found underwhelming, is refreshingly small-scaled and more personal as it shows Ethan finding ways to cleverly outsmart his opponents. And of course, the main thing that makes this entry stand out greatly is the newcomer of Ilsa Faust, played by the absolutely mesmerizing Rebecca Ferguson, who is perhaps the best female companion that Ethan has ever come across. While this may not quite be my favorite Mission: Impossible movie, there is a strong argument to be made that Rogue Nation it’s the very best one of the lot or at least the one that has the right mix of everything that makes a Mission: Impossible movie.
1.) Mission: Impossible- Fallout
However, there is no Mission: Impossible movie released up to this point that has been as impressive and as much of a cinematic achievement than Mission: Impossible- Fallout. Words can’t describe how incredible of an experience this film was to witness in theaters and still so much fun to sit through to this very day. It’s just an non-stop action thrill ride with plenty of twists, turns, and reveals thrown into the mix while featuring Tom Cruise at his very best as Ethan Hunt. The tension is felt in every second of it’s 148-minute long runtime as this truly feels like the mission up to this point that might be the most impossible for Ethan and his friends to complete. The action and set pieces are some of the very best I’ve seen in any film with just how every action beat able to top the next one, the way it’s able to callback and tie-in to the previous five entries felt organic and right, Henry Cavill makes for one entertaining new player, the music is superb, the pacing and structure is as airtight as it can be, and it’s just about as perfect of a sixth entry to a franchise as one could possibly imagine. As great as most of the Mission: Impossible films as been, every single one of them is mere child’s play compared to Fallout. While it is certainly more action heavy than any other installment and doesn’t quite have that same mix of everything like Rogue Nation did, Fallout still stands as this series as it’s very best and most thrilling. Not only is it the best Mission: Impossible movie to date, it’s one of the very best action films of all time period.
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