All 8 Mission: Impossible Movies, Ranked

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read this post.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has been in theaters for about a week now. I'm a bit late to the party, but I finally saw it the other day and have prepared a ranking! This is one of the most consistent action franchises out there. 7/8 movies are at least good, and the worst one isn't even that bad. Tom Cruise really owned the action genre for his run as Ethan Hunt, which may or may not be over now. Anyways, here is my ranking of all 8 missions.

8. Mission: Impossible 2

Mission: Impossible 2 is pretty much the unanimous worst film in the franchise, and I think it's obvious why. John Woo, while an iconic action director, really goes in a completely different direction than Brian de Palma did with the first film, and it's jarring. This movie feels like Mission: Impossible's attempt at being James Bond, and it doesn't work all that well. Ethan Hunt is now a womanizer trying to stop a very Bond-esc villain from spreading this lethal pandemic across the globe. The action is cool, but the excessive slow-mo and messy plot just feel out of place in this franchise. It's probably the most unique film here, so I'll give it that, but this isn't exactly unique in the way you want it to be.

7. Mission: Impossible

I think Mission: Impossible is a good movie, but I think it's a very tough one to rank. This, like Mission: Impossible 2, feels very different from the rest of the franchise, but it's on the complete opposite side of it's sequel. Instead of being a James Bond-esc action movie, this is an espionage thriller with very little action and stunts. This movie feels like it's the closest to the TV show that it was based off of. I love certain sequences and I think Tom Cruise immediately steals the spotlight as Ethan Hunt, but the film is a bit too convoluted and tries to have a few too many plot twists for my liking. It's good, but it's definitely still a step down from basically everything that comes next.

6. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

I would say there's a pretty big leap in quality from Mission: Impossible to Ghost Protocol. I think this is a very good action film. It has one of the greatest action sequences I have ever seen in a movie, and I am of course referring to the Burj Khalifa stunt that is pictured above. That, paired with a very likable team of characters we would actually see return makes this a step forward in the franchise. I think this movie does have one of the weaker villains and some of the performances are surprisingly dull, but this is still a very good action flick.

5. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning

Dead Reckoning is an undeniably great movie. These last two Mission: Impossible films have seen Tom Cruise at the height of his insanity, and it just makes for really fun theatrical experiences. I think, after Fallout and Maverick, my expectations were very high for Dead Reckoning, and it didn't quite live up to those. It felt like it had the highs of the best of these movies but also some of the lows of the worst of them. Ilsa's death is a complete disservice to her character. Luther and Benji are completely sidelined. The individual sequences are great and the story does a fantastic job of setting up Final Reckoning, but I think this movie has a lot of problems that hold it back from being one of the best in the franchise.

4. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Rogue Nation feels like a continuation of the turning point that was Ghost Protocol. Along with introducing Ilsa (who is probably my favorite side character in the franchise), this movie really ups the scale and size of the story. Introducing the Syndicate, this rogue version of the IMF, is a very exciting way to give Ethan a new type of threat. Solomon Lane is one of the best villains in the franchise, and I think Rogue Nation is his best movie. The plane sequence is thrilling, the team is tons of fun...this is just classic Mission: Impossible at its most entertaining.

3. Mission: Impossible III

I think this is one of two heavily underrated films in the franchise. Mission: Impossible III does something entirely different with the mission by making it personal to Ethan. It's definitely weird to see him have a personal life, but I think it adds to the stakes and makes the film feel more urgent. This is one of the darkest and most intense chapters in the franchise, and I think that is a tonal shift that really helps after 2 was really over-the-top and cartoonish. This is also where we get introduced to Benji, who is one of the best side characters in the entire series. And, of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman gives us Owen Davian, my personal favorite villain in the franchise. He is so scary because he is as calm as ever while also saying these terrifying, menacing things to Ethan. I also love the way it was connected into Final Reckoning. I think this is a great movie and I am surprised more people don't love it the way I do.

2. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Speaking of not loving it the way I do...I thought Final Reckoning was fantastic. The most epic and intense mission is (possibly) the last, and it was just so enthralling to watch. From the opening scene, you understand the stakes and the consequences that will take place if Ethan's mission fails. Every scene feels like it builds the tension and puts you further on the edge of your seat. The action set pieces, especially the submarine and plane sequences, are just incredible. The movie lands the ship in a satisfying way if this really is Ethan's last ride, and for that, I think it is very close to the top of this list.

1. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Fallout is, in my opinion, one of the best action films of the 21st century. The characters are at their best. The story feels urgent and exciting. Obviously the stunts are incredible. But what makes Fallout stick out from the rest of the movies is its ability to provide actual emotional stakes. Final Reckoning does this a little bit as well, but Fallout really gives Ethan a personal side in this mission. This movie also delivers some of the best twists and most clever storytelling of the entire franchise. I'm not a huge Henry Cavill fan, but his character in this is one of the best parts of the movie. This is just everything Mission: Impossible should be: exciting, entertaining, jaw-dropping, and a bonus of actual, solid emotion. This is a great movie, and it is the best in a great franchise.