From Burj to Biplanes: Ranking the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies

Over the past three decades, the Mission: Impossible franchise has not only redefined action filmmaking but also set a gold standard for blockbuster entertainment. Since the first installment in 1996, the series has continually evolved. Melding espionage intrigue with high-octane stunts and globe-trotting spectacle. At the heart of it all is Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, a character who has become synonymous with death-defying commitment to practical effects and adrenaline-fueled authenticity. As each film pushed the envelope further, whether with dizzying HALO jumps, hanging off planes, or motorcycle chases through Paris, the franchise didn’t just keep pace with the modern action genre, it often led it.

Mission: Impossible has proven to be a box office powerhouse, grossing over $3.5 billion globally. The later entries, particularly Fallout and Dead Reckoning Part One, enjoyed massive commercial success. In an era where franchises often struggle with fatigue, Mission: Impossible has managed to stay fresh, thanks to its commitment to practical stunts, and a lead actor in Tom Cruise willing to risk it all for the shot. Now, after nearly 30 years of redefining the genre, the saga is approaching its end with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. As we rank all eight films. from our favorite to our least favorite (though let’s be honest, they all bring something to the table)…here we go.

#8 Mission: Impossible II

Mission: Impossible II is often considered the weakest link in the franchise and not without reason. Directed by John Woo, it swaps tight espionage for stylized slow-mo and a clunky romance, leaning heavily on a rushed love story between Ethan Hunt and Nyah (Thandiwe Newton). Despite a few standout moments—like Cruise free-climbing a cliff in Sydney—the film lacks the polish and pacing the series would later perfect. The plot centers on a pharmaceutical conspiracy involving a man-made virus called Chimera, with Ethan Hunt teaming up with a skilled thief, Nyah, to stop a rogue agent’s scheme. Despite a few memorable visuals, it lacks the taut energy and inventive set pieces that define the franchise.

#7 Mission: Impossible III

Mission: Impossible III marked a sharp course correction, grounding the spectacle with more emotional weight and a genuinely chilling villain. Philip Seymour Hoffman brings quiet menace to arms dealer Owen Davian, his calm delivery far more unsettling than any shouting could be. It’s also the film where Ethan Hunt gains real emotional stakes, thanks to Michelle Monaghan’s Julia, whose presence adds depth and vulnerability to the chaos. Tom Cruise delivers one of his most human performances here, showing cracks in the super-agent façade when his personal life is thrown into jeopardy. J.J. Abrams, in his feature directorial debut, injects the action with raw immediacy, from a harrowing helicopter chase through a wind farm to a brutal ambush on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The is a tighter, more personal installment that tried to merge style and heart.

#6 Mission: Impossible

Compared to the explosive excesses of its sequels, the original Mission: Impossible feels almost restrained, but that’s part of its charm. Brian De Palma’s 1996 thriller leans into psychological tension and stylish misdirection, kicking things off with a shocking team wipeout that leaves Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt as the lone survivor, scrambling to clear his name. What follows is a slick, twist-laden spy story full of double-crosses, floppy disks, anchored by memorable moments like Ethan’s silent drop into a pressure-sensitive CIA vault, a scene so tightly wound it became the franchise’s defining image. With sharp performances from Ving Rhames and Vanessa Redgrave, and a plot that keeps you guessing, it’s a lean, clever foundation that set the tone for the epic saga to come, even if it now plays more like an espionage time capsule than a blockbuster blueprint.

#5 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

This is where it gets tough, from here on in they’re all top notch films. Ghost Protocol was poised to be a turning point for the Mission: Impossible series, especially with Jeremy Renner brought in as a potential successor to Tom Cruise. However, Cruise’s return reaffirmed his status as the franchise’s heart and soul. The film expertly blends high-stakes action with moments of humor, particularly through Simon Pegg’s quirky sidekick. The tension between Cruise’s assured Ethan Hunt and Renner’s hesitant Brandt adds an engaging layer of character conflict. Director Brad Bird delivers pulse-pounding set pieces, none more memorable than the vertigo-inducing climb up the Burj Khalifa—the world’s tallest building—where every misstep feels life-threatening. With malfunctioning gear and an approaching sandstorm, the sequence exemplifies the film’s knack for escalating suspense. Ghost Protocol successfully revitalized the franchise, balancing spectacle, wit, and emotional depth to set a new standard for the series.

#4 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Dead Reckoning may have been overshadowed by the Barbenheimer craze, but it stands as one of the franchise’s most impressive chapters. At its core is a jaw-dropping stunt that could easily be called the biggest in cinema history: Tom Cruise’s motorbike base jump off a sheer mountain cliff, free-falling alongside the rock face before deploying his parachute. The tension is so palpable that audiences collectively hold their breath, the silence on screen amplifying every heartbeat. This breathtaking moment captures exactly why Mission: Impossible continues to captivate, combining daring physical feats with masterful storytelling that never fails to deliver an adrenaline rush.

#3 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning delivers everything fans have come to expect, bold, relentless, and unapologetically larger-than-life. Picking up directly after Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt faces a high-stakes battle against a menacing AI threat known as “The Entity,” with humanity’s survival hanging in the balance. Tom Cruise once again dominates the screen, committing to breathtaking practical stunts that push the limits, whether navigating the claustrophobic ruins of a sunken Russian submarine or free-falling between vintage biplanes in a vertigo-inducing aerial showdown. With sequences that demand to be experienced on the biggest screen possible, The Final Reckoning is a fitting, heart-pounding send-off that celebrates the franchise’s signature blend of thrilling action and cinematic grandeur.

#2 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

While some Mission: Impossible films boast flashier stunts or more iconic villains, Rogue Nation stands out as a complete package. Christopher McQuarrie, who would go on to direct many of the sequels, expertly balances jaw-dropping action with sharp storytelling and strong character work. From the electrifying opening stunt, Ethan parachuting onto a Moroccan facility and diving underwater without an oxygen tank, to Cruise’s signature death-defying moments hanging off planes and speeding on motorbikes, the film never lets up. Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust is a game-changer, bringing both fierce combat skills and a real chemistry to the screen, a rare fully realized female presence in the series. Rogue Nation not only delivers heart-pounding thrills but also layers in clever, tightly woven plot threads, this is what the Mission: Impossible franchise is all about.

#1 Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Fallout is the Mission: Impossible film where everything the franchise had been building toward peaked and it’s my number one pick without hesitation. By now, the series formula is familiar: Outsmart the villain, save the world. But Fallout takes that well-worn structure and elevates it to something astonishing. It’s the most finely engineered of them all, meticulously plotted, emotionally charged, and utterly relentless in its action. The craftsmanship is on another level, from the grandeur of the sets to the seamless, kinetic editing that keeps the pace unrelenting. Every set piece feels like a career high, especially the now-legendary HALO jump through a thunderstorm and the hair-raising helicopter chase in the Himalayas. Cruise gives the most complete version of Ethan Hunt here—physically punished, emotionally raw, and still somehow sprinting full tilt across rooftops with a broken ankle. McQuarrie directs with pinpoint control, injecting pathos without sacrificing momentum, and the result is a blockbuster that feels mythic in scale but intimate in stakes. It’s not just a great Mission: Impossible film—it’s one of the greatest action films ever made.

In a franchise defined by ever-escalating spectacle, jaw-dropping stunts, and relentless momentum, the Mission: Impossible films have consistently reminded us why we go to the cinema in the first place—to be awed, thrilled, and totally transported. As the saga races toward its conclusion, make sure to catch the final chapter on the biggest screen possible—for one last ride.

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