TheMission: Impossiblefilm franchise began in 1996. This was 30 years after the show started in 1966, proving that reboot culture was alivein the 90stoo. After 27 years, it’s amazing that it is still going strong and with only seven films out so far.
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The series follows a group of agents in a secret division known as IMF, or Impossible Mission Force. Ethan Hunt is the main character played by Tom Cruise, and this has to be one of his best series. So, how does this latest movie,Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, stack up to the other movies?
Warning: This list contains spoilers!
7Mission: Impossible 2
This movie should have a subtitle likeMission: Impossible 2 - This Isn’t Your Daddy’s Mission: Impossible. That is the vibe this movie is seemingly trying to illustrate. There are guitar licks and “extreme” action all over the place with weird slow-mo and camera angles. Ethan feels like a new character and one that is more likea James Bond type.
In retrospect, it doesn’t feel like it belongs in this series besides all of the masks. Even if it wasn’t part of the series, it does not hold up as an action movie. It is unbearably slow at times, and it does not earn its sappy ending.
6Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossibleis such a different movie now from the others. There is not as much action, and it is more dedicated to being a spy thriller. The big mystery involves Ethan surviving a mission that kills almost his entire team.
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Who did it? Who is friend, and who is foe? It’s a gripping mystery that should keep viewers guessing until the end. The most iconic thing about it is the scene involving Ethan being lowered from a ventilation duct onto some lasers. This moment influenced many movies and othermedia, like video games, for years to come.
One ofMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One’s best aspects is that the movie actually has an ending, unlikeFast 10andSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,which had two giant cliffhangers attached to their finales. There are plenty of great things to like about the movie other than the ending, though.
It has the best car chase scene in the series, period. Driving while handcuffed is already a fun gag, but it gets even better when Ethan and Grace have to drive a tiny car through Venice. This little car looks a lot like Lupin’s from his anime series, too, which is a bonus.
4Mission: Impossible 3
Mission: Impossible 3is finally where the formula started to solidify. It’s all about the set pieces and action, and the overall plot sort of took a backseat. The team still isn’t as strong as it will be, but the film does introduce Benji, which is a huge plus.
The best thing about the movie is Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays Owen Davian, the villain. The series has been chasing a villain like Owen for over a decade now, and they still haven’t cracked the code. His imposing and sadistic attitude is hard to shake off. It’s still a tragedy that Philip Seymour Hoffman died so young.
3Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Mission: Impossible - Fallouthad a wild opening that involved the destruction of the world. Several key cities were devastated by nuclear bombs, but thankfully it was just a fake-out to get a scientist to confess something. It would have been a bold move if this movie franchise went the way of theFalloutgames.
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There are a lot of things to love about this movie. Henry Cavill is an amazing, blunt opposite to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. The bathroom fight with him, in particular, is riveting, as is the descent before that. The one downside to the movie is the length. The last bit with finding Ethan’s wife at the end felt tacked on.
2Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nationhad a great opening to the series. Tom Cruise hung himself off of a moving plane to get this stunt right. There were safety measures in place, but the practicality of everything made it look real.
There are too many great set pieces besides this one to name coherently in one breath. The fight during the opera was intense, as was the underwater mission. The only thing that would have made that underwater scene better is if that haunting tune started to play when Ethan was losing air like intheSonicgames. Not sure if Tom Cruise even knows what Sonic is besides a fast food restaurant, though.
1Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocolis the perfect blend of action, suspense, and comedy. The third movie set up what would become the formula for the movies following it, andGhost Protocolis the peak achievement. What works best of all is that nothing works.Spy moviescan become a bit predictable when everything goes according to plan, thanks to technology.
Ghost Protocolasks the audience, “What if the technology failed agents?” There is a constant level of buffoonery in the movie, but it works and doesn’t come across as a parody of the genre. From the masks not working to Ethan’s gloves malfunctioning, it’s all great. Who knew a fourth movie in any franchise could be the pinnacle?
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