It’s rare when a decades-long franchise has nothing but quality entries, but sure enough, the Tom Cruise-led Mission: Impossible film series has done exactly that. It’s astonishing that the movies have all been at least good, with most hitting the great mark, considering that the films have seen five different directors over the years, and over double the number of writers. A mix of high-octane set pieces and stellar performances have managed to keep this franchise fresh, but even so, some of them have to be better than others.
So, let’s take a look at the Mission: Impossible film franchise, ranking each entry from worst to best.
7. Mission: Impossible II
Even though Mission: Impossible II ranks last on our list, it doesn’t mean that it is a bad film. The movie is Cruise’s second outing as Ethan Hunt, who goes to Sydney, Australia to stop Dougray Scott’s Sean Ambrose from unleashing a deadly virus. He’s a good villain but feels like too much of a repeat of the first film’s villain, as he is also a rogue IMF agent.
The high point of the film is the chemistry between Hunt and Thandiwe Newton’s character, Nyah Nordoff-Hall. John Woo directed this installment, and if you are familiar with his past work, you will be very aware of it here. In fact, if you are a fan of Woo and his use of over-stylization and slow-motion birds flying, there’s a chance that this ranks higher on your list. But, compared to the other movies, Mission: Impossible II is rather weird, so it takes you out of the story. The motorcycle chase is worth the price of admission though.
6. Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible III toes the line of exactly what should happen in the last entry of a film trilogy. But because it’s not the last entry and the series isn’t a trilogy, it’s a little bit out of place and outdone by every film that comes after it. This movie introduces two characters who go on to be very important in the franchise: Simon Pegg’s Benji, and Michelle Monaghan’s Julia, who is Ethan’s wife.
Mission: Impossible III happens to have the best villain of the franchise, though, with Philip Seymour Hoffman giving a truly disturbing performance as Owen Davian. The movie would easily be higher on this list if it didn’t look the way that it does. Everything’s murky, making some of the high-paced action scenes hard to watch. This is unfortunate because otherwise, Mission: Impossible III has one of the best stories. Ultimately, it’s still a good film and one that leaves Ethan Hunt on a high note. But, compared to its successors, it just falls short.
5. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
The fourth installment of the franchise is one of the funnier movies, which is the main reason it ranks so high. The entire Dubai segment is an amazing spectacle, and the Kremlin set piece is both hilarious and astonishing. It is the first film to introduce Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt, who is a great character, while Michael Nyqvist plays a terrific villain, and Paula Patton is fantastic as IMF Agent Carter. The movie does waste Léa Seydoux as the assassin Sabine Moreau, but she does get an awesome death.
The funny thing about this installment of the franchise is that it is almost the worst movie. One of the reasons Mission: Impossible III is good is because Ethan found his happy ending, and Ghost Protocol seemingly destroys that by shelving Julia. At the very end of the movie, it is revealed that Julia is very much alive, in witness protection, and safe from harm. It’s a small move, but it turns what was a solid movie into a better one, suddenly twisting all of Hunt’s motivations throughout the film, starting with his incarceration in a Russian prison.
4. Mission: Impossible
The original Mission: Impossible is the odd one out in that it is easily the most different film in the franchise, although not in a bad way. The first 30 minutes of this movie are wild, with nearly all of the main cast being killed off in an awesome sequence. Because Ethan is hunted by his organization, paranoia fills the rest of the film. It has one of the best and most iconic scenes, in which Ethan dangles from the ceiling above a pressure-sensitive floor. It’s also worth noting that Cruise, Ving Rhames, Jon Voight, Henry Czerny, and Jean Reno all shine in the movie, giving spectacular performances.
The biggest thing against this film is that compared to the others, it just doesn’t hold up in the visual effects department. The third act chase with the helicopter following the train into the tunnel looks atrocious. Luckily, the plot is full of tension and Ethan Hunt performed some cool magic tricks, catapulting the original entry to our number four.
3. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
The latest entry and the first of a two-parter in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning Part One comes in at third on our list of films. Be warned, spoilers will follow. One of the reasons Dead Reckoning Part One works so well is that the movie makes callbacks to earlier movies through Ethan Hunt’s personality, like when he performs magic. The plot is also a highlight, with a rogue AI called “the Entity” as the driving force behind the main antagonist. With technology on the fritz, it becomes a fairly interesting adventure, culminating in one of the best third acts of the series.
The film brings back most of the living characters from the last couple of movies, including Vanessa Kirby as Alanna Mitsopolis, Benji, Luther (Ving Rhames), and Kittridge (Czerny). It also introduces Haley Atwell’s Grace, who is the absolute best part of the film. Esai Morales’s Gabriel isn’t that interesting of a villain, and neither is Pom Klementieff’s Paris, who both play their parts well for what they are. Where the film falls apart is that it is mostly a set-up for Dead Reckoning Part Two and they kill one of the most interesting characters in the entire series.
2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
One of the main contenders for the best film in the franchise, but ultimately landing at second on our list, is Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Of all the turncoat evildoers, Henry Cavill’s Walker/Lark is simply the best. It also manages to expand on the story of its predecessor, Rogue Nation, by reusing the main villain, Sean Harris’s Solomon Lane. Further, it has the best third act in the entire franchise (even better than Dead Reckoning Part One‘s), with two ticking time bombs and a helicopter chase that is one of the most phenomenal stunts of all time.
Fallout brings back Julia, with Lane setting it up so she would be one of the billions of victims of the nuclear blasts. But, like most of these films, it does have pacing issues, especially once you’ve already figured out that Walker is a bad guy and you’re waiting for the movie to catch up with you. Renner also didn’t return for the film because of scheduling conflicts. But by the end, it’s too much fun for anybody to care about the first 20 minutes.
1. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
It was a tough choice between Fallout and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation because they are both spectacular movies. But, in the end, Rogue Nation wins out because it never gets stale and has a terrific story. This movie has a little bit of everything, with some humor, a couple of great set pieces, and enough tension and paranoia to keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the movie. Right from the twist of an opening to the cunning mousetrap at the end, it’s a non-stop ride.
IMF is under deconstruction, both from a rogue group of ex-intelligent operatives known as the Syndicate and separately by the director of the CIA, Hunley, as played by Alec Baldwin. The fifth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise introduces Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, one of the more complex characters, who shines in her role in all three of the films that she is in. What really sells the movie is how it manages to merge the feeling of the original film with the sequels helmed by Christopher McQuarrie. It has some impressive set pieces, but when you are constantly trying to figure out who to trust, or which character might suddenly pull off his mask to reveal himself as Ethan Hunt, they’re just some terrific window dressing.
