Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning is now out in theaters. Because of that, it’s time to rank every single entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise 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-in-cheek tone, over-the-top action, intense stakes, and Tom Cruise being an absolute madman almost every single time. So much so that out of all eight installments released, there’s only one that I would argue is legit bad. That makes seven movies here that range from solid to fantastic. With the exception of John Wick and Rocky, there’s not many action franchises out there that has been able to have as good of a track record as Mission: Impossible.
To prove all the previous points mentioned, let’s rank all eight Mission: Impossible movies from worst to best. Starting with….
8.) Mission: Impossible II
This is probably the only movie in this series that fits the definition of “bad”. John Woo has made plenty of great movies in the past and even after this one 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 are WAY off the mark. 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 and still beats plenty of other “bad” entries of a majorly successful IP, Mission: Impossible II is certainly the worst that this franchise has gotten. The good news though is that things can only go WAY up from here.
7.) Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning
The (to date) final installment of the near three decade long Mission: Impossible franchise is a tale of two halves. You got the first half which acts as a complete slow burn with non stop exposition, callbacks and flashbacks to the previous movies, characters going on and on about how Ethan Hunt is the chosen one that was destined to save Earth from the destruction of the Entity, and a set up for the biggest set pieces moments in this franchise’s history to come for the next two hours of the film. Then there’s the second half, which pays off nearly every bit of setup and foreshadow from the first hour or so, finds emotional beats for nearly every crew member involved in the mission, and delivers two of the best action sequences of not just this franchise but practically any action movie franchise. Your mission should you chose to accept it is get passed the first half filled with that awkward editing, callbacks, and setup I mentioned earlier and you will be rewarded with a glorious second half, that wraps up the story and the franchise nicely. In an era where we are living in a timeline of our own with A.I. rising and radical tensions happening all around the globe, The Final Reckoning is far from the perfect series finale we deserved but it is perhaps the one we need right now. If only we had an Ethan Hunt that exists in our real world.
6.) Mission: Impossible (1996)
The original Mission: Impossible deserves points for getting the ball rolling and introducing many of the common tropes that would become a stable to this iconic franchise and pop culture as a whole. 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 Hunt near perfectly but everything else feels very service level and there is a certain reveal made that fans of the original tv show (Particularly turning Jim Phelps, the main protagonist in the original Mission: Impossible tv series, into the main villain by the end) have likely not reacted kindly too over the years. 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- Dead Reckoning
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are able to prove once again that they are up to completing the impossible mission. Even taken the enjoyable but rocky landing of The Final Reckoning into account, Dead Reckoning 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. Gabriel is a rather one-note villain with ties to Ethan’s past that feels rather contrived, and there’s one story decision involving a certain character’s faith 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. Even when it’s not at it’s 100% best, Dead Reckoning proves that even this franchise’s middle-of-the-road entries still surpass plenty of top-tier entries of other franchises out there.
4.) 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 he 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 has 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 even nearly two decades later.
3.) 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 and the best the M:I 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 to the franchise). The main highlights of this installment include the gripping as hell opening sequence in the prison, the “girl boss” fight between Paula Patton and Lea Seydoux, and of course, the intense, breathtaking set piece in Burj Khalifa where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest mountain in the world. The main downside is that this has easily the weakest villain in the franchise, containing conflicts and motives that I constantly keep forgetting about every single time that I watched it. Nevertheless, Ghost Protocol is still excellent and did it’s job at keeping the series fresh four movies in. Brad Bird should certainly consider returning to directing live-action (even if Tomorrowland didn’t work out).
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 and maybe even the best character in the franchise overall. While this may not quite be my favorite Mission: Impossible movie, there is a strong argument to be made that Rogue Nation is 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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