For over a quarter of a century, Mission Impossible films have continued to enthrall the audience with its spy-action drama. The iconic MI theme is enough to excite and hype the original fans, and the franchise remains one of the most beloved in history. To this day, the Mission Impossible series continues to produce blockbuster films without a dip in quality. So let us take a look at the greatest Mission Impossible films ever made, ranked from worst to best.
At the time of writing this, the latest installment in the MI franchise is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which came out in 2023. That said, let’s jump right in:
7. Mission: Impossible II (2000)
- IMDb: 6.1
- Rotten Tomatoes: 56%/42%
After the phenomenal debut of the Mission Impossible movie, avid moviegoers expected yet another exceptional espionage thriller with its sequel in 1996. However, Mission: Impossible II by John Woo completely faltered and at the end of the day, it was received as a decently entertaining action film.
Mission Impossible II marked the return of Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt; this time to put an end to a deadly German virus before it ends up in the wrong hands.
Although MI 2 had a generic plot, it was backed up by good performances and enjoyable action sequences. But it wasn’t enough to save the movie as it completely lacked the true essence of the Mission: Impossible franchise. That is exactly why MI: 2 is the weakest movie in the Mission Impossible franchise and the least favorite for longtime fans.
6. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- IMDb: 6.9
- Rotten Tomatoes: 71%/69%
After the release of Mission: Impossible II, it seemed like there was no hope left for this franchise and that it would only go downhill from there. This is when the renowned filmmaker J.J. Abrams came to the rescue and successfully revived the franchise by helming the third installment.
MI III was about how Ethan Hunt got thrown into a dilemma regarding his life as a spy. Eventually, he comes across a ruthless arms dealer who forces him to be back in action as he plans to jeopardize his and his fiancée’s lives.
Mission Impossible 3 was a solid addition to the franchise with one of the best villains, Owen Davian (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman). With a well-grounded story and characters mixed with weighty action scenes, the third installment was a blast and made for a thrilling watch.
5. Mission: Impossible (1996)
- IMDb: 7.2
- Rotten Tomatoes: 65%/71%
This is the movie where it all began and became a landmark of the espionage franchise. Brian De Palma’s direction, Tom Cruise’s first performance as Ethan Hunt, and Danny Elfman’s reimagined MI theme together made this a distinguished film in the spy genre at that time. In the first movie, Hunt gets branded as the betrayer of his organization and has to prove his innocence by bringing the true criminal to light.
The first installment in the franchise came with a very intricate plot and cleverly laid out twists that kept everyone hooked. Tom Cruise’s first performance as Ethan Hunt remained memorable. There are many iconic aspects of this movie such as the score by Danny Elfman, the legendary CIA Vault Heist sequence, and more that greatly influenced and made the franchise what it is today.
4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- IMDb: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 93%/76%
In line with the first Mission: Impossible movie, Ethan Hunt must prove his innocence once more, but this time he also has to restore the reputation of his IMF organization by going rogue with his group. Brad Bird who is famously known for his work in the animation medium, especially in Pixar movies, took the baton to deliver the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise, which landed as a blockbuster hit.
After the first generation of MI movies, this fourth installment reshaped the franchise with more refreshing and intense action set pieces, including the legendary Burj Khalifa scene. It had an intriguing story packed with wonderful performances from the star-studded cast.
As this movie became a smash hit at the box office, it successfully sowed the seeds for future sequels that just got only better and better.
3. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- IMDb: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94%/87%
After working with Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher, the popular filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie came in clutch to direct the fifth installment in the MI franchise titled Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
As usual, Ethan Hunt and his team have to defeat a ‘rogue’ organization dedicated to annihilating their group. This movie begins with one of my favorite opening sequences to this day, which is the iconic scene of Tom Cruise hanging on an airplane.
McQuarrie vicariously managed to come up with one of the best MI movies of that period with breathtaking action scenes, a good story, and fine performances from the cast. With the success of the fifth part, Christopher McQuarrie went on to direct all of the sequels that came after this which speaks volumes about how he elevated the MI franchise to the next level.
2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- IMDb: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes: 97%/88%
The sixth entry in the franchise is Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which straight away became the best Mission Impossible movie of all time for me at the time when it came out. The Apostles, a new organization of adversaries, want to launch a synchronized nuclear attack around the world. So, to neutralize the Apostles and avert a devastating catastrophe that awaits the world, Ethan and his group team up with August Walker, a CIA assassin.
Fallout features one of the best action scenes in the entire action genre, if not the whole Mission Impossible franchise. It had a great story, top-tier performances, exhilarating action sequences, and whatnot to make it a standout Mission Impossible movie. However, it is later overshadowed by the next installment in the series.
1. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
- IMDb: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes: 96%/94%
Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve made it to the top and the pole position undoubtedly belongs to the latest installment in the MI franchise, which is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which came out in 2023. As our world entered into the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), this newest MI part featured a lethal AI weapon called “The Entity” that needed to be located by Ethan and his team lest it end up in the hands of evil who seek to destroy our world.
McQuarrie once again came in clutch by taking MI’s well-worn ploy and infusing it cleverly with enlivening elements to make this movie the best of the Mission Impossible franchise. This movie brilliantly struck a balance between action and spy drama to transform into a spell-binding ride.
Dead Reckoning Part 1 has everything; all the top-of-the-line aspects of the MI franchise wanted by the fans, and what’s more special is that the movie just laid the foundation for the storm that’s about to come in Dead Reckoning Part 2.
This movie’s box office results were hindered due to the bad timing of releasing just weeks ahead of the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Nevertheless, it was absolutely loved by the fans and critics alike. Mission Impossible will always remain one of my favorite franchises. Which is your favorite Mission Impossible movie? Let us know in the comments below.
Ajith Kumar
