Since 1996, the Mission: Impossible franchise has enthralled audiences with propulsive espionage plots and death-defying stunts courtesy of its lead star, Tom Cruise. The globe-trotting franchise has delivered eight installments, with The Final Reckoning rumored to be its last (or so they say… it’s Hollywood, nothing ever really ends.) Anywho, in honor of Mission: Impossible’s dedicated commitment to putting real thrills on screen, here’s All 8 Mission Impossible Movies Ranked from worst to best.
8. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Not that this John Woo-directed film is bad, it’s just the least thrilling by comparison. It has its moments, of course, courtesy of dramatic flair by the legendary Hong Kong action director, but stacked together, it just doesn’t stick as well as the rest of them.
Most memorable stunt: mountain climbing
Mission Impossible 2 - Intro - Rock Climbing Scene
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7. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
After the tepid critical reception to M:I 2, the third film arrived six years later with a fresh spin to revive the franchise.
The film finds Ethan retired with a wife, who didn’t last long. Director JJ Abrams seamlessly infuses the actioner with his signature twisty storytelling and introduces the franchise’s most Bond-esque villain in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian.
It’s good, but it seems to have a different soul from the other installments.
Most memorable stunt: bridge explosion
;}">MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III (2006) | The Bridge Scene | Davian Escapes 4K UHD
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6. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)
Hampered by the pandemic, it was a miracle the film even got made at the scale it has.
Being the seventh film, the scope can only get bigger, but the film feels bloated because of it. This time, the IMF crew must thwart a convoluted conspiracy with the muddied alliance.
But the worst mistake the film made was eliminating one of the best characters introduced in the series in a long time. It almost feels like she’s sacrificed due to her popularity. For all his importance to the franchise, sometimes Cruise tends to hog the spotlight a little too much.
Most memorable stunt: motorcycle over the hill
;}">"I have to...Jump?" | The MI7 scene everyone talked about
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5. Mission: Impossible (1996)
At the time of its release, studios began turning old TV shows into big-screen films. What could have been a cheap cash grab for nostalgia ended up putting a fresh spin on a tired genre. At the time, James Bond was the only other huge spy film franchise with notable pop culture cache. Mission: Impossible arrived and delivered something different: less debonair, more grunt work.
It’s the perfect marriage of spy thriller, balletic actions, and drama, heralding a new era for Tom Cruise as action hero.
Most memorable stunt: wire heist
;}">Mission Impossible's Legendary Wire Heist | Full Scene 🌀 4K
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4. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
All 8 Mission Impossible Movies Ranked
Bigger and more extravagant than ever, the final installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise suffers from becoming too big for its own good. It’s what often plagues action-adventure such as this: sometimes there is no way to go but bigger, even though it isn’t always synonymous with more meaningful or entertaining.
Thankfully, you would still find plenty of expected enjoyment out of the grandiose stunts - too IMAX-worthy to miss - and Cruise’s dependable commitment to give his 200%. The convoluted plot is not quite as satisfying as Ethan’s swan song, but the spectacle kinda saves it from total self-destruct.
Most memorable stunt: hanging off a biplane
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3. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
This outing is the first M:I film to be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who would go on to be a close collaborator of Cruise’s. Many would agree this is where the series finally found its true identity and never looked back. It features the arrival of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), finally a special ops agent who can go toe to toe with Ethan in skillsets and charisma, and a sharp plot that shows the storytelling at its insane best. This is also the moment continuity starts to matter in the series. The bigger highlights for the IMF crew are also nice.
Most memorable stunt: dangling off a plane
;}">Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - Ethan Catches a Plane Scene (1/10) | Movieclips
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2. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
All 8 Mission Impossible Movies Ranked
Widely considered to be franchise high by many admissions, the film has every element firing on all cylinders: a tightly-written betrayal plot, cool tech, a menacing villain, and a bit more personal stake than usual. It features a standout villainous turn by Henry Cavill, and Ilsa being awesome as Ethan’s foil.
As usual, it is loaded with daring stunts. Only this time, it shows just how precarious the craftsmanship really is when Cruise famously revealed he’d broken his foot performing the legendary rooftop chase scene.
Most memorable stunt: rooftop chase
;}">MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT - Rooftop Chase Scene(HD) - Tom Cruise & Henry Cavill
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1. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
All 8 Mission Impossible Movies Ranked
It’s the usual espionage plot: a deus ex machina of massive destruction goes missing, and Ethan and his IMF crew accept a mission to trace it. But not before his crew had to break him out of a Russian prison, of all places. The explanation for how he ended up there isn’t nearly as entertaining as the prison break scene that follows.
There’s only one word that best describes Ghost Protocol: fun.
Director Brad Bird, known for directing animated classics like Iron Giant and The Incredibles, took the reins from Abrams. He knows how to stage a fun action sequence, evident time and time again in this movie. The pinnacle, of course, is the exhilarating scene when Ethan must scale the side of the Burj Khalifa - then the world’s tallest building - with only a pair of high-tech magnetic gloves. (Which, of course, malfunctioned mid-climb.) There is also an emotional plot at the core of the story, which lends the film a kind of humanity not often seen in the other installments. Too bad they never had Bird back.
Most memorable stunt: climbing Burj Khalifa
;}">Tom Cruise climbs the World's TALLEST building | Mission: Impossible 4 | CLIP
That’s our ranking of the Mission: Impossible movies. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to share your own ranking on the comments below!
