Mission Impossible Films Ranked
I went with my wife to see Mission Impossible Final Reckoning last week. Now that the series is supposedly done (we’ll see), here’s my ranking of the films, worst to best.
- Mission: Impossible II (2000) ★ ★ ★
It’s watchable but what a disappointment after the first one. The main problem is the choice of Director. John Woo brought his signature style and tropes - Gun-Fu, slow-motion, white doves, etc., which unfortunately made it style over substance. Everything that made the first one great was put aside and the result was just another generic action film. It’s only Tom Cruise that elevated this from a 5 to a 6/10 for me. Mind you, I did not like the hair!
- Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) ★ ★ ★ ½
Simon Pegg’s character - Benji - gets promoted to a full field agent. His comedy adds a little extra to the franchise.
The first 90 mins of the movie skips along. There’s the decent pre-title sequence escaping from a Russian prison to the backing track of Frank Sinatra. There’s great use of gadgets for the Kremlin Heist, then a classic escape from the hospital in Moscow. They then go to Dubai and the whole Burj Khalifa sequence is fantastic.
After that, I find the film lulls a little before the final sequence which goes on a tad too long.
The end sequence in the car assembly plant feel much like the sequence in the tech factory in Skyfall. Both involved fights while dodging machinery. Skyfall was released a year after this, so it was probably just a coincidence.
A lovely ending moment with his wife.
- Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning (2025) ★ ★ ★ ★
First of all, the fact that I’ve placed this sixth on the list yet still given it four stars is, for me, a testament to the overall quality of the series. I’ve only seen this once, so over time the ranking may change.
In summary, the action set-pieces are spectacular. How Tom Cruise is not dead baffles me. Yet, the criticisms are valid - there’s too much exposition, particularly in the first hour, and it’s too long. Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise are known to work on the action set-pieces first, then build the plot around them. In the case of the final film, it shows. The way they linked the previous films in to one continuous plot-line didn’t entirely work for me. Bringing back William Donloe from the first film absolutely did fit. The rabbit’s foot from MI: III, on the other hand - give me a break. The rabbit’s foot from MI:III was a mysterious MacGuffin and it should have been left that way. This film is best enjoyed if you don’t overthink the plot-holes.
Despite these criticisms, it’s a thrilling cinematic experience. I’d rather watch this over some CGI Marvel nonsense anytime.
By the way, the cinema showed a short trailer I hadn’t seen before for an upcoming Liam Neeson film. I won’t spoil it by describing it. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. We nearly fell off our seats laughing. There’s a trailer for the film online but it’s not the same one as they showed in the cinema. The cinema one was hilarious.
- Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023) ★ ★ ★ ★
When I first watched this at the cinema I had a similar disappointment to MI: II. The previous instalment (Fallout) was such a fantastic film that I fully expected the same. After all, it also has Christopher McQuarrie at the helm.
It never quite reaches the heights of Fallout but I recently watched this again and enjoyed it much more on the second viewing. I think part of the problem was that the main stunt - Tom riding his motorbike off a cliff - was trailed and discussed so heavily leading up to the film’s release that, by the time I watched it, I felt like I’d already seen it. On second viewing I was able to sit back and just go with it. You could still easily cut 30 mins from the running-time, but the film was much better than what I remembered.
- Mission: Impossible III (2006) ★ ★ ★ ★
This was the directorial film debut by J.J. Abrams and, thankfully, he brought the series back on track. I know it faces some criticism in terms of the directorial style. The main criticism seems to be that J.J. Abrams brought the same TV aesthetic as if he was shooting another episode of Alias - shaky camera, close-ups, over-the-shoulder camera angles, quick-cut edits, with flat lighting and colour grading - making the film less cinematic. I have to admit I never noticed or was bothered by any of that when I first watched it. I fully went along with the plot and the action. I also enjoyed the love story with Michelle Monaghan’s character. Plus, Phillip Seymour Hoffman was a superb baddie and Tom Cruise does some excellent running!
- Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
This is the film that introduced The Syndicate - I suppose the MI version of SPECTRE from the James Bond books and films.
Again, this is very much a string of great sequences. It does you no favours if you try to think too hard about the overall plot.
The opening sequence with Tom Cruise hanging off the side of a cargo plane is superb. It really does add something when you know Tom is doing this himself. The nutter.
Rogue Nation also introduces the badass character of Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson.
I’m glad they didn’t dilute the franchise by doing a spin-off movie or TV series, but if they did, a movie based around Ilsa Faust would have been absolutely viable.
I loved the Vienna Opera sequence - very reminiscent of a similar sequence in The Living Daylights. It’s hard not to think of James Bond films when you watch these.
There’s also a really decent underwater impossible mission sequence. Ethan has to infiltrate an underwater vault beneath a power plant to retrieve a digital ledger that purportedly contains the names of all Syndicate operatives. Reminiscent of the NOC list heist from the first film.
There’s a great chase scene through Casablanca, and a fine ending in moody London.
I like how in many of these films London is a character in itself.
- Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
This took what Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise were building in Rogue Nation and ramped it up to another level. Everything was bigger and more exciting - and yet has a fantastic rhythm and pacing. It’s 147 minutes long, and I often have a problem with long action films, but not in this case.
I remember at the time feeling a little jaded with blockbusters at the cinema - endless reboots, sequels and video game-esque CGI sequences. Despite this also being a sequel, it felt like it saved cinema. I had that felling again in 2022 when I went to see Top Gun: Maverick. More of this, please.
- Mission: Impossible (1996) ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
There’s not much in it between Fallout and the original. Both are top-drawer, big-budget, thrilling blockbusters. However, the first one still holds a special place for me. I remember exactly where I first saw this and how I felt coming out of the cinema.
Putting it into context, this was released a year after Pierce Brosnan had rebooted the Bond franchise with Goldeneye. I’m a massive Bond fan but I’ve always been of the opinion that Pierce Brosnan made a great Bond, but was let down by the films.
Goldeneye was good, but Mission: Impossible seemed on another level.
Whereas the later Mission Impossible films lean in to spectacular action, the original has a specific balance and style that sets it apart from all the others. It’s more of a traditional spy thriller rooted in espionage, misdirection and psychological tension.
Then there’s the way it is directed by Brian De Palma. I love film-noir and neo-noir, and he somehow manages to brings this style to an action film - moody lighting, dutch angles, thematic colouring, POV framing - it’s stunning - definitely the best looking of the franchise.
That’s not to say that it skimps on action. Despite Ethan Hunt not firing a single shot throughout the film, it has spectacular action sequences. The Langley heist scene is cinematic poetry - almost shot in silence, yet absolutely gripping. Finally, there’s the end set-piece on the Eurostar accompanied by that fantastic score by Danny Elfman, with a perfectly timed musical cue. I distinctly remember that moment at the cinema - the feeling was just as visceral as that one time I jumped out of an airplane. Except this time I didn’t end up with vertigo.
As an aside, I think that feeling is called ‘frisson’. People might say it’s Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), but I think ASMR is more relaxing. This wasn’t relaxing - it was electrifying.
What Next?
With those films done and dusted, I’ll be interested to see what Tom Cruise does next. IMDB has him listed with 5 upcoming films - an untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu film in production, and four others in development or pre-production. There’s even talks of another Top Gun sequel. As much as I would love this, I’d like to see him mix it up a little - take a few chances like he did earlier on in his career. He could absolutely carry on as an action hero. Liam Neeson has proven that age isn’t a barrier. However, he showed in earlier films like Magnolia, Jerry Maguire and Born on the Fourth of July that he’s a great actor. He absolutely could move in to different genres.
In 2012, I wrote In Defence of Tom Cruise. My opinion hasn’t changed (although my ranking of his films has).