The Mission: Impossible franchise has been delivering thrills and action for decades. Brian De Palma directed the first Mission: Impossible film in 1996, with Tom Cruise taking the leading role of Ethan Hunt and Jon Voight playing the film's antagonist. Six sequels have been made, with even more death-defying stunts and state-of-the-art spy gadgets that will blow your mind. Cruise, who is known for doing his own stunts, is constantly pushing the limits, from jumping out of windows to holding on to a jet as it takes off. With each movie, fans are always eager to see what his next stunt will be.
The Mission: Impossible franchise is based on the 1960s show of the same name. Like the films, the series was known for its group of IMF agents using super cool gadgets and risking it all to save the world from evil people and organizations. Since the series was adapted into a movie franchise, several acclaimed filmmakers have directed, including John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird. We have seen characters come and go, but Ethan Hunt is always at the center of the films, putting his life on the line to save the world. Hunt is a character of such bravery, and he will often go into deadly situations and figure out everything as he goes. After Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One hit theaters this past summer, and with Part Two stopping its filming until the SAG-AFTRA strike ends, now is a great time to look at the entire film series, ranked.
Update August 31, 2023: In honor of the release of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, this article has been updated by Rafa Boladeras to include it. See where it stacks up compared to the other entries in the franchise.
7 Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Although John Woo's sequel may be the weakest of the franchise, Mission: Impossible II is certainly not a bad film. The film follows Hunt on a mission to find a deadly biological weapon in the hands of an ex-IMF agent, Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), with the help of Ambrose’s ex-lover, Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton).
While the film lacks in many aspects of the story, Woo is known for creating good action, and he does deliver many well-choreographed fight scenes. The opening shot of the film is breathtaking as we watch Hunt free-solo up a very high rock peak to retrieve his mission.
6 Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Although J.J. Abrams' directorial debut received mixed reviews, this is a solid addition to the franchise with several great performances. In Mission: Impossible III, we follow Hunt searching for an unknown object simply called "the Rabbit’s Foot." The main antagonist of the film, Owen Davian, is played brilliantly by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who gives us a chilling character who lacks all empathy. The movie is filled with explosions and car chases throughout, and the subplot involving Hunt and his fiancée (Michelle Monaghan) offers a lot of heart.
5 Mission: Impossible (1996)
De Palma's original film was a well-shot movie with fantastic performances that brought the Mission: Impossible series to the big screen. De Palma's direction is masterful and focuses on the emotional depth of the characters while delivering satisfying action scenes. Jon Voight takes the role of IMF agent Jim Phelps, who ends up being the main antagonist of the film. Hunt's team, including a helicopter pilot (Jean Reno) and a computer hacker (Ving Rhames), is top-notch. There are several memorable scenes, including the anxiety-inducing scene when Hunt must infiltrate CIA headquarters without making a sound or touching the ground. Also, the climax, including a train and helicopter pursuit, is unforgettable.
4 Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
This is the latest entry in the franchise one that, as always since Christopher McQuarrie directs the films, has incredible scary stunts by Tom Cruise, fun dialogue, and charismatic actors playing to their strengths. In Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team must defeat an AI named the Entity, which employs Gabriel (Esai Morales) and Paris (Pom Klementieff) as its pawns to get what it wants. While trying to fight it, Ethan meets a new possible ally in Grace (a magnetic Hayley Atwell), a thief who doesn’t know with whom she’s dealing.
With a very fun, surprising, comedic car chase scene in Rome, a cat and mouse situation in the Abu Dhabi Airport, and an incredible stunt jumping from a tall mountain to get to a train, this film never stops going and getting the audience's attention, as they end up as tired, and exhausted as the characters trying to survive. This movie doesn't really have an ending, as it's only part one, so let’s see what happens in part two next year, as it could be even more crazy and dangerous for our lead actor and stuntman, Tom Cruise himself.
3 Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation was a solid addition to the franchise that brought back beloved characters while introducing us to some new ones. In this film, we follow Hunt on the run from the CIA as he desperately tries to probe the existence of a terrorist group named Syndicate. Rogue Nation's villain is Solomon Lane, brilliantly played by the chilling Sean Harris.
The film also introduces us to a new member of the team, Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who becomes both an ally and a challenge for Hunt throughout the film. The movie has exceptional visuals from start to finish, including the iconic scene when Hunt holds onto a plane while it takes off.
2 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Brad Bird's addition to the franchise gives us an exceptional action film blended with humor and drama. The film follows Hunt and his team on a quest to stop a nuclear disaster before it is too late. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is filled with several memorable scenes, including Hunt scaling a towering skyscraper in Dubai while pulling off a heist to retrieve nuclear codes. Simon Pegg, who plays Benji Dunn, gives us comic relief throughout the film, and Jeremy Renner, as William Brandt, was a great addition to the cast.
1 Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Mission: Impossible - Fallout is a roller coaster ride of action that puts its characters first. Fallout brings back Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Alec Baldwin and introduces new characters such as John Lark (Henry Cavill) and the new CIA Director Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett). The film follows Hunt and his team tracking down plutonium to prevent a nuclear disaster.
The stunts that Cruise pulled off in this film are fear-inducing, including skydiving from an extremely high altitude and being airlifted off the ground by a helicopter while holding onto a rope. Lark was a great addition to the franchise and serves as the film's shapeshifter character, being that you're never quite sure whose side he is on until the end. The climax is unforgettable as we watch Hunt in an epic helicopter pursuit while his team members try to disarm a nuclear bomb. This was a high mark for the franchise in terms of box office, reviews, and quality of the film.