Ranking the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Movies

I shouldn’t have accepted this mission

It’s Mission week baby! Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning finally hits theaters this week and this has been a ScreamInn must-watch ever since these movies were first announced. In honor of it we decided to look back and what has become one of the most exciting franchises of all time, and do that silly thing all movie fans love to do: rank them. This was tough especially because personally, I don’t think there is a bad entry in these movies. For me they all range from decent to great, and in the middle is probably where I had the hardest time. But either way it was fun because I love action movies, I love this franchise (take a drink every time I say franchise in this article), I think Tom Cruise is genuinely inspiring, and I’m sad to see it go. Let’s get into it.

Spoilers ahead!

7.) Mission: Impossible II (2000)

It gets a lot of hate, and while it is my least favorite (and least watched), I don’t know, this still has some pretty fun moments. It’s also fascinating going through the earlier entries, when it felt like it was planned to go the James Bond route with different directors. You definitely feel the Woo style here, you got Cruise with the long hair, and of course, you got Limp Bizkit.

6.) Mission: Impossible III (2006)

This was my personal introduction to the franchise (and JJ Abrams), meaning I had a soft spot for it and it was on the higher end of my ranking for a while. But as time has gone on we’ve gotten spoiled with the later entries. The heist stuff is still fun, the bridge scene is exciting, and we get introduced to one of the best characters in the whole franchise: Simon Pegg’s Benji. But the action just isn’t very exciting when you compare it to other scenes, and its plot is a little bare bones. However, this movie has a big high point: it’s got the franchise’s best villain. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Owen is just fucking incredible. Every single confrontation he has with Ethan, whether it’s confidently telling him he’s going to kill him in front of his wife (after he hurts her), or his deadpan instructions to him on the phone, are nothing short of electrifying. It’s something that even the best entries have yet to reach, and is a great reminder of what a legend Hoffman is.

5.) Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)

We were absolutely spoiled getting this and John Wick: Chapter 4 in the same year, by the way. Definitely the funniest one in the franchise, with the biggest laughs right alongside the insane action. It also manages to still introduce new characters, and yet have them be fantastic. Its A.I villain is also something that has become more relevant in the very short amount of time since its release. Negative points for what they did with Ilsa Faust though.

4.) Mission: Impossible (1996)

This and the third pick have been neck and neck. If you asked me tomorrow to redo this list don’t be surprised if these switch. Not only is it important for setting the stage for the rest of the franchise, but its spy focus is so much fun to watch here, and that’s thanks to Brian De Palma’s slick direction. Ironically enough, I actually think its action heavy third act is the weakest part here. Compare that to the wire heist scene and it’s just not even close. Still one of the highest points in the whole franchise, and I think a big staple for other tension filled scenes to come.

3.) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Part one of the turning point. When this franchise became a Tom Cruise stunt show, and us movie-goers were all the better for it. It’s still crazy to me that this was Brad Bird’s first live action film and he just knocked it out of the park. Each big set piece is thrilling and hilarious, with really fun gadgetry and an awesome team (I miss Paula Patton, she kicked ass in this). But easily the peak (pun intended) is the Dubai sequence, where everything thrilling comes together. Cruise climbing that giant ass skyscraper, a tension-filled heist gone wrong, agents beating ass, a sand storm, throwing a car into another car. I genuinely think if it wasn’t for this we wouldn’t be where we are now with the M:I franchise.

2.) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Part two of the turning point. When M:I found its director in McQuarrie and turned the franchise into not just a Tom Cruise stunt show but a straight up action vehicle. You know a team is confident in their movie when its biggest stunt (Tom Cruise hanging off the plane) is the opener. When I first saw this movie I was concerned when that happened, only for that to go away just a couple of minutes into the opera scene, one of the most inventive and genius action scenes of all time. There’s just so much good here. The banter between Luther and Brandt, Benji getting in on the action, the car to motorcycle chase, Hunley’s monologue about Ethan Hunt being the manifestation of destiny. And, of course, the standout: Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. In just one movie, she became a high point of this franchise (I’m still mad at you Dead Reckoning!)

1.) Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Where it all came together in one incredible package. This is action movie heaven. The one-take heli jump sequence. The bathroom brawl. One of Henry Cavill’s best performances, and not just because of his mustache or the fact that he reloads his biceps. Vanessa Kirby as the White Widow. The motorcycle chase through the Arc de Triomphe. The Ilsa chase. The best Tom Cruise running sequence. Maybe the best score. Some of the best editing continuity I’ve ever seen. My biggest issue with even my favorite M:I films is that they usually peak too early. This isn’t the case here. The helicopter chase, with Cruise actually operating a helicopter by the way, intertwined with Ilsa and Benji versus Lane, is just as electrifying as what you see before. When I feel underwhelmed by later entries, it’s probably just because this set the bar too high. Not just the best Mission: Impossible film, but one of the best action movies ever made. 

Agree with these picks? Do I have it all wrong? Ready to go see The Final Reckoning? Let us know, and in the wise words of Tom Cruise: “We’ll see you at the movies!”