All Mission: Impossible Movies Ranked
For nearly 30 years, Tom Cruise has led what is quite possibly the biggest and best action movie franchise in Mission: Impossible. Watching Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, an agent of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force), take on world-saving missions while performing death-defying stunts has all culminated in this year’s final M:I film, The Final Reckoning. With each film being so different, ranking them might seem impossible, but that is our mission, should we choose to accept it.
—Spoilers Below for every Mission: Impossible film—
8: Mission: Impossible II (2000)
M:I 2 is the biggest outlier of the series. Directed by John Woo, this is where M:I became an action franchise, for better or for worse. More accurately, this feels like a failed James Bond rip, as Ethan Hunt is no longer the scrappy rookie from the first film, but a smooth, womanizing killer engaged in a terminally boring romance with Thandiwe Newton’s Nyah, a failed femme fatale. I wanted to like Dougray Scott’s character, who is set up as an anti-Ethan Hunt, a concept that is executed better by later films, but he comes off as flat and underdeveloped. Besides the explosive final act, where the film finds its pulse, the film is quite the bore.
7. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
I know Fallout is a fan favorite, but hear me out. At this point in the series, it became more serialized, resulting in this being a direct sequel to the previous film instead of a new adventure. I don’t mind this approach; in fact, I enjoy it more than the more anthology-esque nature of the first 3 films, but I fear that Fallout just doesn’t capitalize off the momentum of Rogue Nation (2015). The film’s second act gets distracted by Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow, a character so clearly created to be a recurring player in future films that she bounced right off me. That, and her anti-charisma with Ethan Hunt. Henry Cavill, too, is another distraction. He’s better executed anti-Ethan Hunt, but I just couldn’t take him seriously as some anarchist mastermind.
The film’s strengths lie in the character moments found in the last act, especially with the return of Michelle Monaghan playing Ethan’s ex-wife, Julia, but like M:I 2, the action focus leading up to this just couldn’t grip me. Fallout is considered by many to be the best M:I, but I just don’t see it.
6. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning (2025)
Alas, the “final” M:I film is one of its weakest. Final Reckoning is poorly paced and over-plotted. It has little time to develop its large cast yet continues to introduce new characters, and relies on weak antagonists. Gabriel (Esai Morales), who is really just a henchman for the real villain, the super-AI known as “The Entity,” might be the worst in the series thanks to a lack of backstory and screen presence. What’s worse, this hardly feels like a finale, as it ends just like any other M:I would, with our heroes going their separate ways, likely to reunite again when the world needs them again. So what do I even like about it?
Despite its flaws, it’s such an engaging film. What it lacks in the writing department it more than makes up for with some of the franchise’s most grandiose stunts and tense set-pieces. With its nuclear intrigue and world-ending states, it puts the thrill back in political thriller. Every scene set on the submarine was impeccable. The crew was so distinct and memorable that it was like Ethan was guest starring in their story for an hour. And the entire third act, with its biplane-jumping and bomb-defusing antics, is the reason I can’t rank this one any lower.
5. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
This ends the original trilogy with a bang. While many find this to be a lower-key mission thanks to J.J. Abram’s television-derived directorial style, I find this to be one of the most gripping. Instead of the world being in danger, its Julia, and the lengths Ethan will go to to save her are what make the story enthralling. Despite not having stunts and action on par with later films, it’s the motivations of the characters that make its highest octane moments memorable to me, if not the general public. This film also has some of the best spycraft. Sneaking into the Vatican in the first act of your movie is a gutsy move, and to this day, remains one of my favorite operations performed by the IMF.
M:I 3 also has the series’ best villain: Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Davian. Effortlessly cold and psychopathically effective, Davian’s sheer presence has not been matched by any antagonist since. Seeing as how I’ve done nothing but praise M:I 3, that clues you in as to how much I love the proceeding films on this list.
4. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning (2023)
This movie marks the twilight years of the franchise but proves it’s still got it. Being the first half of the “Reckoning” duology, it establishes Gabriel and the Entity while introducing new characters like Paris (Pom Klementiff) and Grace (Hayley Atwell). Cruise and Atwell’s chemistry elevates the best sequences of the film, like the spectacular Rome car chase. Grace’s fish-out-of-water routine was more than just comedy, as it results in some tender moments between her and Ethan that genuinely resonate. And what will always please me is all of the references to the first film, those being Ethan Hunt’s sleight of hand tricks, the third act taking place on a train, and the return of the series first antagonist, Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny). While a competent outing, it has some flaws that hold it back from climbing higher.
Besides its length, the film’s worst sin is that it kills off my favorite character, Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Whether it’s for shock value, to motivate Ethan, or to prop up Gabriel as a villain, it’s not that Ilsa is dead, but rather the death’s poor execution. It’s a sad way to go for a character that was established as nigh as capable as Ethan, and who I saw as the heir apparent to the franchise. Despite this affront to me, personally, Dead Reckoning is a rock solid entry, especially for one so late in a franchise’s lifespan.
3. Mission: Impossible (1996)
The first M:I might feel slow and boring compared to the others, but its emphasis on paranoia and spycraft is what makes it worth coming back to. While later entries would ride the line, this is a true political thriller in the way it’s focused on tension and conspiracy over breakneck action or high-flying stunts. Sure, it has the fish tank explosion and final train sequence, but when I think of this film, I think of the iconic Langley heist and the opening Prague operation with the doomed IMF team. It’s in the intrigue where this movie thrives. I genuinely struggle to think of any flaws besides the fact it can be somewhat slow, but if you’re buying what it’s selling, you’ll never be bored.
2. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015)
I already told you I love Ilsa Faust, so of course her introductory film is one of my favorites. While this one might fly under the radar, its quality is undeniable compared to others. Thematically, it’s one of the strongest, as it discusses how agents like the IMF are expendable to their governments, something that hasn’t been seriously examined since the very first movie. What carries this theme is the blistering chemistry between Ethan and Ilsa, who becomes the film’s second lead. She’s more than a femme fatale, as we see she’s just as ensnared in conspiracy as Ethan was way back when. She changes the paradigm of the series by being a foil, a companion, and a compelling character on her own with just as much protagonist potential as Ethan.
The film’s only real flaw is that it’s simply not as memorable as the others, despite having what I think are great stunts and action scenes. The film’s opener gets a lot of attention, as Tom Cruise really hung off the side of that plane, but the underwater heist is much more interesting to me, as we see Ethan fail and have to be bailed out by Ilsa. Like M:I 3, the stunts might be tame, but with more engaging character work, they become more impactful, and that’s the way it should be.
1. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)
If there’s an M:I that’s got it all, it’s this one. Action, espionage, and the best stunt of the series, Ghost Protocol is an exemplar of Mission impossible excellence. It’s the last great spy movie in the franchise, as its early Kremlin infiltration is one of the series’ best, and everything that happens in the Burj Khalifa is non-stop tension. Speaking of, watching Tom Cruise climb it remains the best M:I stunt, period. No matter what aircraft Tom Cruise would fly in the films after this, nothing compares to the simple terror of watching a man climb the tallest building in the world.
But this movie is more than a single stunt. While the story is nothing amazing, its plot is always a masterclass in how to execute thrilling moment-to-moment spy thrills that break the mold and always keep the audience guessing. The third act might lose some steam, but it rebounds for the action-packed finale where the cheesiest line of the series is delivered: “Mission accomplished!” Ethan shouts as he averts nuclear war…again. And that’s what I watch these movies for.
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