The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Franchise, Ranked

Hollywood loves franchises. It’s been clear from the first sequel ever that more films equal more money. Out of all of the film industry’s movie franchises, however, one has stood out amongst the crowd for decades thanks to its well-developed characters, increasing stakes, and incredible action sequences. That franchise is that of Mission: Impossible, which initially started off as a film follow-up to the ’60s/’70s television program of the same name.

With IMF member Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) headlining each entry, audiences are guaranteed to keep pouring into theaters for the newest installments. As for now? Six entries still manage to be impressive. No franchise is free of their setbacks, though, and today we’ll be taking a look at the Mission: Impossible franchise’s entries and ranking them from worst to best.

6. Mission: Impossible II (2000, John Woo)

Where it counts, Mission: Impossible II is an unforgivably lackluster entry in a franchise packed with excellence. This John Woo-directed flick currently stands as the worst of the bunch for multiple reasons, which include a contrived love interest (Thandie Newton), the uninspired plot, a mediocre villain, and a heavy batch of ludicrous dialogue that feels forced and clichéd instead of smart and grounded.

Woo uses the “mask” trick so much that it becomes both unbearable and unexplainable, while the cinematography ends up being so ridiculous in both look and feel. Despite these issues, however, the film does have some redeemable qualities. The last twenty minutes is completely insane on all levels, abandoning every ounce of logic for a grand finale that stands out from the rest of the movie and saves it from being a complete misfire. Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle through fire will never get old.

5. Mission: Impossible (1996, Brian De Palma)

The first entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise isn’t bad. Being the starting point, though, it ends up feeling exactly just that upon reflection, and the sluggish pacing surely doesn’t help. Tom Cruise has a great on-screen presence, but a movie like this needs supporting players and the unfortunate absence of a finalized crew works to the film’s detriment instead of to its advantage. The action sequences still feel unique, but don’t hold up, especially when compared to the incredible ones that audiences have gotten in recent years.

On the other hand, the story feels perfectly simple and yet grandiose in its entirety. It embraces its straightforwardness, and that’s definitely not a bad thing for a franchise that had yet to find its footing at this point. A reliable dishing-up of plot twists serves as a welcome introduction to a series that only gets better from there on out.

4. Mission: Impossible III (2006 J. J. Abrams)

Easily one of the most impressive directorial debuts of all time, J.J. Abrams‘ Mission: Impossible III manages to be both a hard-as-nails thriller and a spectacular action film in its own right. Right from the get-go, it throws viewers into the tension-filled world and disturbing situations that Ethan Hunt has the unfortunate displeasure of living through. This allows the viewing experience to kick off in a surprisingly weighty manner.

Within the first half hour, it’s not hard to see that this is a much different movie than its predecessors, focusing on Ethan’s internal crisis as a result of the kidnapping of his wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) on the part of one of the franchise’s most intimidating villains, Owen Davian (the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman), who steals every scene he’s in. But this film also checks all the technical boxes, with immersive cinematography, astounding sound editing, and a thrilling score. This was easily a major turning point for the franchise, a Revenge of the Sith of sorts that took the self-aware, campy tone of its predecessors and tossed it aside in favor of a stronger, more cohesive, and astoundingly dark narrative. It’s gritty; it’s ferocious; and most of all, it’s not afraid to take risks.

3. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011, Brad Bird)

This is where the rankings get really condensed. With Ghost Protocol, the fourth film in the franchise, director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles) made his live-action debut with a film so groundbreaking in its action that it’s hard not to give it a high grade based on that alone. Under the surface, it’s got plenty of issues; characters with a lack of emotional resonance or development is one of them. But then there’s Cruise, climbing the tallest building in the world. Why, you ask? Well, it’s pretty hard to remember when this is the main show.

However, even when you take away that incredible stunt and how it pretty much elevates the film to new heights on its own, the film is certainly special in its own right and utilizes its setpieces to its advantage in ways other action flicks just haven’t caught on to yet. From an exhilarating opening scene in a prison (“Light the fuse” still remains one of the franchise’s most iconic quotes), to the Kremlin destruction at the end of the first act, Ghost Protocol may seem a bit too much at first, but eventually levels out. The biggest issue is its third act, which suffers from weak pacing (and therefore, a lack of engagement). When taken into consideration how much of a blast the rest of the film is, though, it’s easy to forget and forgive, especially when looking at how amazingly epic Bird manages to convey everything.

2. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015, Christopher McQuarrie)

At this point in the franchise, there was nowhere to go but up. Director Christopher McQuarrie proved just that with his first outing, which follows an internalized structure as Ethan’s world implodes with the arrival of the Syndicate, an organization focused on destroying the IMF. It’s a pertinent setup that feels entirely robbed of any originality at first, but thanks to another committed lead performance and excellent supporting players (most notably the charismatic Isla Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson), it achieves greatness in spades.

There’s really nothing that feels off here. Everything here feels laced within the story perfectly, never once struggling to gain footing. The setpieces feel more grounded, and for some that may be an issue coming right off of the heels of Ghost Protocol, and despite sticking closer to what’s known rather than unknown, there’s still an everlasting feeling of excitement. The motorcycle chase near the end of the second act is so unabashedly high-octane, and the opera bit still remains one of the greatest scenes in the franchise’s history. The third act feels a bit middling within its own flaws, maybe a bit imposing and unnecessarily dragged out. In the end, though, McQuarrie‘s vision evens itself out and is easily identifiable as an intoxicating action flick with an equally engaging plot and characters.

1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018, Christopher McQuarrie)

When it comes to action films in this day and age, very few are downright exhilarating from start to finish and filmmaking masterclasses in their own right. Mission: Impossible – Fallout is one of those films. It’s near perfect in every way, shape, or form, with McQuarrie returning as director and bringing back the plotline from Rogue Nation as well as many of the characters. It’s the first time the franchise has felt seamless between entries, proving that a direct sequel can be just as investing as its predecessor could. It pulls absolutely no punches in how raw and gripping it tells a story, utilizing every technicality it has at its disposal and merging them together in the shape of one cataclysmic collision course.

Half an hour in and Cruise is already performing a HALO jump, leaping out of a plane 25,000 feet in the air. Five minutes later, there’s a brawl in a bathroom that doesn’t even use a score, allowing the viewer to truly feel the weight of each and every punch that lands. When it does use Lorne Balfe‘s score, however, even that feels completely fresh and reinvigorating. Every track is a complete joy to listen to and it fits within each scene surprisingly well, a character of its own.

It’s incredible how refined McQuarrie‘s craft has become in the few years between Rogue Nation and Fallout, essentially making himself known as a force to be reckoned with in pretty much every sense of the word. Everything about Fallout feels like flowing water: fluid and never-ending, and that’s definitely for the better. For two and a half hours, the viewer is taken on an astoundingly effective, pulse-pounding journey. Ultimately, what makes it so worth your while is that it feels like it could be the end of this franchise and works its magic so well that even if it was, it’d be such an amazingly fitting conclusion.

What is your favorite Mission: Impossible film? How about your favorite action film altogether? Let us know by responding in the comments section.