Ranking the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series

A look back at this franchise, from the very worst to the very best.

By: Josh McCormack

With “Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning” lighting up the box office this past weekend, I thought now was the time to share my ranking and reviews of each entry in the almost 30-year-old franchise.

Let’s light the fuse…

8. Mission: Impossible 2 (dir. John Woo) 

Stylish, sexy and very dull. Iconic Hong Kong director, John Woo, had the unenviable task of taking over the reins of “M:I” from Brian De Palma to craft the first sequel in this now long-running franchise. 

While the result is a refreshing stylistic change (Woo and De Palma could not be more different filmmakers), the moments between the handful of action scenes are such a slog to sit through. Cruise still gives it his all and there are hints of what could have been good on-screen chemistry between he and his co-star Thandie Newton. But it’s all buried by too much plot getting in the way of the story and further hindered by Scottish actor Dougray Scott, who plays the series’ worst villain.

But even the worst “Mission: Impossible” has its pros and while “M:I-2” is pretty disastrous in the storytelling department, at least Woo brings his signature style to the proceedings. The climactic motorcycle chase, in particular, is delightfully over the top and it’s exciting seeing Cruise relish in a great action auteur’s bombastic style.

7. Mission: Impossible 3 (dir. JJ Abrams)

After the tepid response to the series’ second entry, JJ Abrams’ “M:I-3” does an admirable job of taking Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt away from being an emotionless, ultra-cool, motorcycle riding badass and turning him into something more relatable.

The result is by far the most personal entry in the series, with Ethan trying to live a normal life with his wife, Julia (played by Michelle Monaghan) and tying in these personal struggles with the larger world-saving plot. It leads to a solid performance from Cruise who gets to delve more into the psyche of this previously vapid character. Yet, Hunt’s transition into a loving husband feels like it comes out of left field as a result. One can’t help but feel like it’s a very calculated decision from Cruise and Abrams to try and make their leading man more relatable after Cruise himself was hot off of his disastrous “War of the Worlds” press tour a year prior. 

Still though, we get the introduction of Simon Pegg’s Benji who would go on to become one of my favorite characters in these movies and the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a genuinely frightening adversary.

6. Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning (dir. Christopher McQuarrie)

Featuring some of the series’ highest highs and its lowest lows, “The Final Reckoning” is an alleged finale that is both satisfying and baffling.

After taking over the series as writer/director with 2015’s “Rogue Nation”, Christopher McQuarrie’s three prior “Mission: Impossible” films have worked thanks to his incredible understanding of pacing and how to give audiences information on the fly. “The Final Reckoning”, on the other hand, spends its first hour committing narrative sins that McQuarrie and Cruise have fought so hard to avoid in the past. Endless exposition, various callbacks to previous films and a shockingly self-serious tone that clashes with the pulpy storyline. For a film that was conceived as the second part of a duology, it’s pretty unforgivable how much table setting is being done in this film’s first act.

However, even in its weakest moments, “The Final Reckoning” has a certain mood I found quite compelling. If this really is the end of an era for “M:I”, then the film does a good job of giving a thematic and even mythic weight to Ethan’s final mission. And Cruise goes to surprising emotional depths in the film’s early scenes as a result, even as the screenplay takes some of the goofiest narrative turns this series has ever seen.

The real reason “The Final Reckoning” is ranked higher than “M:I-2” and “M:I-3”, though, is thanks to the film’s second half. Once the table has *finally* been set, “The Final Reckoning” rushes to two of the greatest set pieces I have seen in modern cinema. The underwater sub sequence and the show-stopping bi-plane sequence are sure to be talked about for decades to come. 

While Cruise’s ego might be getting to a point where it’s damaging these movies at a script level, it's at least gotten him to cheat death for our entertainment and the results have been consistently awe-inspiring.

5. Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (dir. Christopher McQuarrie)

While prior entries had their fair share of great action sequences, McQuarrie’s first “M:I” film behind the director’s chair is what turned these movies into set piece machines.

Starting with Tom Cruise hanging on the side of a cargo plane (FOR REAL!), “Rogue Nation” moves at the pace of a bullet, zigzagging between beautifully orchestrated action to meaty dialogue scenes for most of its 131 minute runtime. 

Another ace up “Rogue Nation”’s sleeve is the introduction of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, a semi-love interest/femme fatale, who winds up being one of this franchise’s very best characters. It’s the first time Ethan is given a partner who seems to be his equal in many respects and their chemistry is a wonderful surprise.

The biggest issue with “Rogue Nation”, however, is the fact that it front loads its best action sequences, leaving the film’s climax to feel like somewhat of a letdown compared to the plane hanging, extreme diving and motorcycle chasing that came before it. 

4. Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning (dir. Christopher McQuarrie)

 

Following up 2018’s “Mission: Impossible-Fallout” can’t be an easy task and for many viewers, “Dead Reckoning” suffered from being in that film’s shadow. Personally, though, I love Cruise and McQuarrie’s decision to pivot “M:I” away from standard espionage and into the world of cyber thrillers. 

The camaraderie of the core cast has never been as strong as it is here and Cruise’s devotion to great stunt work is at an all-time high. Hayley Atwell also proves to be a solid addition to the ensemble and her car chase in Rome alongside Ethan is part “Mad Max”, part screwball romantic comedy. The result is one of my favorite vehicular action sequences in recent memory.

Throw in a jaw-dropping motorcycle stunt, a wonderfully constructed train set piece and the great Henry Czerny throwing heat, and you have what I believe is the most underrated entry in this long-running series.

3. Mission: Impossible (dir. Brian De Palma)

 

For as much as I’ve enjoyed the bombast of the more recent entries, I am often nostalgic for the quaint, Hitchcockian throwback that Brian De Palma made with the first “Mission: Impossible”.

The first four “Mission: Impossible” movies are each carried by wholly unique, established auteurs and what I love about the first “M:I” is that it doesn’t seem interested in starting a franchise nearly as much as it does being a holistic vision from Brian De Palma. With split-diopter shots, a vibrant color palette and heavy emphasis on analog technology, it fits nicely alongside other great De Palma joints like “Blow Out” or “The Untouchables”.

Is it slower than the rest? Sure. But don’t let your fried attention span keep you from going back to the great film that kicked this series off. 

2. Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol (dir. Brad Bird)

Director Brad Bird followed up his hot streak of animated films (“The Iron Giant”, “The Incredibles”, “Ratatouille”) with a show-stopping first foray into live action.  

“Ghost Protocol” represents a fascinating transition for the series as it puts a heavier emphasis on the IMF team and an even heavier emphasis on Cruise’s stunt work. Both of these elements converge in a masterful sequence where Ethan has to climb the Burj Khalifa in Dubai while trying to communicate with his teammates down below. For me, this is when the series reaches legendary status. Moments like this and the opening prison break sequence are the templates by which these movies craft action sequences moving forward.

Even though “Ghost Protocol” is yet another entry that struggles to end at the same height as the rest of the film, I find Bird’s playful tone and breakneck pacing to make it one of the most rewatchable films in the entire series.

1. Mission: Impossible-Fallout (dir. Christopher McQuarrie)

 

It really doesn’t get any better than this. 

McQuarrie and Cruise pulled out all the stops for this one, combining a compelling narrative with a consistent series of the greatest action sequences ever committed to film. 

Each character on the team gets a moment to shine and for the first time, we get a real sense of the emotional connection these characters have built up over the course of these films. As a result, the action sequences feel like more than just spectacle, but like there’s a dramatic heft to them. 

On top of this, Henry Cavill plays my personal favorite villain in this series. Angela Bassett’s character says it best when she compares Cruise to a scalpel and Cavill to a hammer. These are two skilled, but unevenly matched adversaries and the David and Goliath aspect makes for some fantastic brawls.

Though Cruise followed this up with two more “M:I” movies and a handful of other death-defying stunts, the defining image of Ethan Hunt for me is still when he’s dangling from that helicopter above the mountains of New Zealand. What a moment and what a picture.