Mission Impossible Ranking

With the release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1, I decided to update my ranking of the Mission Impossible films. The Mission Impossible franchise is one of the few franchises that have gotten better with each sequel. The action is always exciting, the set pieces are great and the stories are always fairly straightforward. Tom Cruise just carries the whole franchise and has really made it what it is today. This franchise has become one of the most consistent franchises out there with each entry being just as good or better than the last. With that being said, I am going to share my thoughts and ranking of these films.

7. Mission Impossible 2

Mission Impossible 2 is definitely the weakest of the franchise. It still has some decent action sequences but the overall film is just kind of forgettable. None of the characters are all that memorable, the villain isn't all that great and the overall plot about a killer virus is just so lackluster. Even, the big mission sequences are pretty lame and not up to par with the rest of the franchise. I also felt that John Wu was not a great choice as a director. He has a very distinct style to his films and I felt that he just shoehorned too much of his typical tricks and made feel less like a Mission Impossible film and more like an early 2000s John Wu film. Overall, while the film is still exciting and entertaining, it just does not have the storytelling and characters at the level of the rest of the franchise.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

6. Mission Impossible 3

Aside from the bottom film, the rest of these missions impossible films are quite difficult to place as they are all very good. Mission Impossible 3 does a lot of things really really. It has an interesting story with Ethan getting married and having to take his wife into account when going on these intense missions. There are also a lot of fun characters with Laurence Fishbourne and the addition of Simon Pegg into the franchise. The villain is also really well done. Phillip Seymore Hoffman gives a very strong and chilling performance as Owen Damien. There are also some really good sequences in the film specifically with the Gala scene toward the beginning of the film. The thing that holds the film back for me is that it is a little slim on the excitement. There is action at the beginning and at the end, but the middle act is a bit slow and doesn't have much to it. Finally, I felt that Hoffman was a bit underutilized in the film. He gives such a strong performance and really should have been given more screen time.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

5. Mission Impossible

Surprisingly, the original Mission impossible is not one of the best films in the franchise. It is still very good and introduces us to Ethan and Luthor that will continue to appear in the rest of the franchise. The story is also very simple. There isn't a lot of over-the-top action going on and everything is very grounded. The mission in the CIA headquarters is one of the best and most iconic scenes of the franchise. The end train sequence is also very well done and quite exciting. I also liked what they did with the villain and gave the whole movie a bit of a who done it mystery vibe. The main issue I have with the film is that it gets a little bit too confusing when Ethan is trying to find the villain. The whole thing with Job and the bible verse being an email aspect was just a bit too confusing to me and left things a bit hard to follow on how they get to certain conclusions. Overall, this film is a solid introduction to the Mission Impossible franchise.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

4. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is a significant step up from the previous 3 films and is where the franchise really starts to shine. The basic premise is really interesting, with the IMF shut down and Ethan and his team having to work with their limited resources. This movie also gives an introduction to Jeremy Renner's character who is another strong performer in the franchise. The action sequences in this film are also some of the best in the franchise with the standouts being the Kremlin infiltration at the beginning of the film as well as the Dubai tower sequence which is arguably one of the best action sequences ever put to film. The film also manages to have a really exciting ending and manages to have a heartfelt closing scene. The only thing holding this film back is that the whole subplot with the French agent tailing Ethan felt a bit unnecessary and didn't really add a whole lot to the film. Other than that, this is a fantastic addition to the Mission Impossible franchise.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

3. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is really neck and neck with the top two film on this list. This film takes what worked on the previous film and builds on it. It has a lot of exciting action sequences with the underwater sequence and the opera sequence as the two standouts. Solomon Lane is probably the best villain in the entire franchise and gives such a solid chilling performance. This film also provides the introduction of Ilsa Faust who is one of the standout characters in the franchise. The story is also very interesting with Ethan having to go on the run and being hunted by his government. The stunts in this film are just so good and it is really cool to see all the stuff that Tom Cruise is willing to do for our entertainment. There isn't anything negative to keep this from the top two spots, the only reason is that I just like the next two films so much more. Overall, this is a solid action movie and a great addition to the fantastic Mission Impossible franchise.

Score: 8.9/10 Grade: A-

2. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1

This film is essentially tied with Mission Impossible: Fallout. There are certain things I like better about this film and certain things that give Fallout the edge. The action in this movie is some of the best in the franchise. I had so much fun with the final train sequence and Tom Cruise literally flying off of a mountain and skydiving into a valley. Hayley Atwell is a solid addition to the cast. She does a great job interacting with Tom Cruise and the two have some great chemistry together. Pom Klementieff is also a lot of fun in the film and plays a pretty good henchman with some solid action moments. I feel that this film has the clearest plot out of all of the films. The mission is very clear and it is established right away what the team is looking for and what it does. This movie also has some solid emotional moments that the other films just don't have. It gives Ethan some real consequences and some very high stakes. Even though this is a part 1 film, it still feels like a complete story. The mission is resolved at the end of the movie and it doesn't end on an abrupt cliffhanger. There is more to tell in the story but it doesn't feel like an incomplete plot. Right now it sits at number two but when part 2 comes out, it may bump this film to number one on the list. Overall, this is a solid entry in the Mission Impossible franchise and shows that these films just get better and better.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A

I. Mission Impossible: Fallout

Mission Impossible: Fallout is the pinnacle of the franchise. It has the best story out of the entire trilogy. It has some fantastic action sequences and stunts in this film such as the skydiving sequence and the helicopter chase. Henry Cavil is a fantastic addition to this film and is really able to keep up with Tom Cruise in terms of action and stunts. I also like how this film brings back Solomon Lane as he gave such a solid performance in the last film and continues to shine in this film. The pacing in this film is also really well done. It is essentially nonstop action for the entire film and really doesn't let up until the end. The big finale is so exciting and heart racing, no matter how many times I see it, I still get caught up in the excitement and feel like I am on the edge of my seat. This is a film that knows how to do an action movie right. It balances the tone and action perfectly and gives you nonstop thrills until the very end. This film is not just my favorite Mission Impossible film but also one of my favorite movies of all time.

Score: 9.6/10 Grade: A