The Pop Culture Pundit

Forget jumping off cliffs and rappelling down buildings. The hardest mission of all might be ranking the Mission: Impossible films. Though hanging onto a side of a plane as it’s taking off might still be up there. Or, you know, jumping out of a window to save all of humanity from the wrath of Henry Cavill’s mustache. 

The Mission: Impossible series can be divided into two distinct parts: the first four films where Tom Cruise hand-selected an auteur “It” director to helm each movie (including J.J. Abrams and John Woo); and the last four where Cruise has collaborated with Christopher McQuarrie for more life-or-death stunts for the sake of our entertainment. 

Mission: Impossible is also one of the rare franchises that just keeps getting better with age. Personally, I think you could skip the first 3 films and start with the heart-pounding fourth installment, but you might miss some minor details, recurring characters, and a variety of distinct Tom Cruise haircuts. Much like every other action franchise, the plot doesn’t matter–all that does is that Tom Cruise is gonna save the world because this mission is not impossible! 

Below, I’ve ranked all 8 films, taking into consideration the stunts, direction, ensemble, and main villain. Do you accept the mission to read this post? Hopefully, because I accepted the mission to write it. 

8. Mission: Impossible: II

2000 | Directed by: John Woo | Starring: Tom Cruise, Thandiwe Newton, Dougray Scott, Ving Rhames

^{The trailer makes this movie look a lot cooler than it actually is. Paramount/via YouTube}

Four years after the first film, Tom Cruise was back….and more lackluster than ever. Really, this is the least important film in the franchise, with nary a callback since, no team member that’s returned (outside of franchise mainstay Ving Rhames), and a plot that’s as boring as it is convoluted. Who wants a whole storyline dealing with bioweapons when we’ve just experienced a pandemic, anyways? Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, who invented an entire subgenre of action movies with his signature gun-fu, couldn’t salvage what was a mess from the start. It’s like he didn’t bring an ounce of chaos from Face/Off to this, and that in itself feels impossible. Where are the golden guns when you need ‘em? 

Best Stunt: Hmmm, it’s a tough one between the barefoot cliff climb and the motorcycle chase….but I’ll go with the climb because even in a bad movie, Tom Cruise is still hot. (You can see the stunt in the trailer above). 

7. Mission: Impossible: III

2006 | Directed by: J.J. Abrams | Starring: Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Simon Pegg, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

This movie is also pretty lacklaster, but it’s important for three reasons: First, it was directed by J.J. Abrams, creator of the fantastic spy show Alias, so much like John Woo’s Mission film, it should’ve been great! But it wasn’t, and I’m sad–however, Abrams’ production company Bad Robot stayed on for the next three films so it has some significance. Second, Mission: Impossible: III introduced Ethan’s wife (!!!!!), Julia Meade, played by the lovely Michelle Monaghan (watch her in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, it’s a hoot). This is really important: even though Ethan and Julia get divorced by the next installment (RIP), she plays a pivotal part in Fallout (which is three films later, but still relevant!). Mission: Impossible: III would also play an importance in The Final Reckoning by retconning its “Rabbit’s Foot” technological device to be…the code for evil AI? Sure, why not. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) is introduced, and he and Ethan are absolutely adorable together. Desk-jockey-turned-field-agent Benji has been the best source of comedic relief since this film and has undoubtedly elevated each installment based on his hilariously exasperated remarks. I mean, take a look at this:

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube; Paramount Pictures/via Giphy (Kate Jakubowski)}

Long live Ethan and Benji’s bromance. 

Best stunt: Hands down the bridge shoot-out. Really the only redeeming action thing in the movie, really. If you’re gonna make an action movie, make it focused on the action and not the plot! 

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

Side Mission: Ranking the Teams from Each Movie

8. Mission: Impossible: II

No one is ever mentioned from this film again so it seems irrelevant. 

7. Mission: Impossible

The weird thing about this movie is that Ethan’s team dies within the first half, because the bad guys are trying to frame him for murder (it’s kind of a confusing plot). But Henry Czerny has since reprised his role as Kittridge, and Rolf Saxon reprised his role in The Final Reckoning nearly thirty years later, so it’s still relevant! 

6. Mission: Impossible–The Final Reckoning

Much like this movie, the team is chaotic. There are too many people and I simply cannot remember all of them. However, there are some standouts, including Tramell Tillman’s submarine captain, Angela Bassett playing the President of the United States, and the aforementioned Rolf Saxon returning seven installments later. There are certainly a lot of amazing actors here–yet it’s hard to get to know all of their characters despite the three-hour runtime. And they kill off franchise mainstay Luther–WHY???

5. Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol 

Benji begins to transform from feeble tech expert to superspy sidekick here; Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner should’ve been in more of these; Léa Seydoux is in, like, two seconds of it; and Ving Rhames and Michelle Monaghan only have cameos in the end. 

4. Mission: Impossible: III

 BENJI IS INTRODUCED. So is Julia (Monaghan). Maggie Q should’ve been in another like Paula Patton. Women get robbed in this franchise. 

3. Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning Part One

Luther, Benji and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) are all here and ready to kick butt, assembling like the Avengers to help Ethan as he goes rogue for just about the one billionth time. Except about halfway through the movie, the mission goes wrong…AND ILSA DIES!!! Yes, I cried in the theater. It is devastating and I am definitely not over it. That being said, Hayley Atwell is a fantastic addition as Grace, a thief with a shady past that must help Ethan, and it’s great that previous characters such as Henry Czerny’s Eugene Kittredge and Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow are back. I just wish Ilsa didn’t have to die. I was shipping her and Ethan! 

2. Mission: Impossible–Rogue Nation

ILSA FAUST (played by the impeccable Rebecca Ferguson) IS INTRODUCED!!!!! Jeremy Renner is here too, and this should not have been his final installment. The team is finally starting to feel formed, and I wish these characters were kept around longer than 2-3 movies to continue their wonderful chemistry with everyone else.

1. Mission: Impossible–Fallout

THE TEAM HAS ASSEMBLED. Luther. Benji. Ilsa. Vanessa’s Kirby White Widow is introduced. The iconic Angela Bassett is here. I love this movie. 

6. Mission: Impossible–The Final Reckoning

2025 | Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie | Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

It’s hard to believe that Tom Cruise first rebooted Mission: Impossible 30 years ago…but is this really the last time? What’s being promoted as the “final” Mission: Impossible move is a hot mess–but an entertaining one at that. The plot revolves around Ethan saving the world from evil AI known as the Entity. As usual, there are bombs to dismantle, orders to disobey, and so many death-defying stunts that Tom Cruise should really get an Oscar for putting his life on the line repeatedly all in the name of cinema. The Final Reckoning has three distinct acts, all of which reach varying degrees of success: the first act is almost a clip show of past installments that makes you think they could’ve cut the three-hour runtime by an hour; and the third act, where Tom Cruise commandeers a plane to defeat bad guy Gabriel (Esai Morales), feels like a rehash of the superior helicopter stunt in Fallout. The second act, however, is tremendous and features one of the best set pieces of the whole franchise where Tom Cruise dives into the remains of a submarine to locate the Podkova, which will help in their mission to defeat the Entity. It feels like a separate thriller within the movie itself, and with a lack of score and only Cruise on the screen, it’s a distinctly unique–and eerie–addition to the franchise. If only the rest of the movie was as heart-pounding. 

Best stunt casting: Since I just talked about the best stunt in the body paragraph, let me take a minute to talk about all the random actors the Mission: Impossible team pulled from TV shows: Angela Bassett from 9-1-1 reprises her role from Fallout and is now President; Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham plays a Commander; Nick Offerman, aka Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec, plays another military officer, but WITH NO MUSTACHE (gasp!!!!); Tramell Tillman from Severance plays a submarine captain; and Holt McCallany, who had a fantastic run on The Lincoln Lawyer as a dirty detective, plays Secretary of Defense. There are so many incredible actors I could just dance with glee–kind of like Mr. Milchick and Ron Swanson! 

^{NBC/via Giphy (Kate Jakubowski)}

^{Apple TV+/via Giphy (Kate Jakubowski)}

5. Mission: Impossible

1996 | Directed by: Brian de Palma | Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voigt, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Redgrave

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

Do I remember what the first Mission: Impossible is about? Absolutely not. But do I remember that iconic cable drop? Absolutely. The first Mission: Impossible film is important because it’s the film that started it all: in the same year that he starred in Jerry Maguire, Cruise starred in a film that was a reboot of a 1960s TV show that’s only famous for the theme song. Sure, it was random, but it launched what has been undoubtedly the next phase of his career: MAN OF ACTION. Tom Cruise was gonna save the world, and he was gonna do that by dropping down a vent shaft wearing cute lil’ glasses, a dorky lil’ headset and a lil’ black tee. It’s still the most iconic image from the franchise to this day for a reason. 

Best stunt: What else did you think it was going to be??? 

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

FUN FACT!!! To this day, the only other person who has been in every other Mission film is Ving Rhames. He plays Ethan’s top gun dog Luther. (RIP Luther in Dead Reckoning. Yet another death I will NOT get over in this franchise!!!) 

4. Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning

2023 | Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie | Starring: Tom Cruise, Haylet Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

Seven installments in, Mission: Impossible is as awesome as ever. At this point, director Christopher McQuarrie and franchise star Tom Cruise know exactly what they’re doing. Collaborating on these films together since Rogue Nation, they have one of the best moving-making partnerships ever–and it makes for an incredible movie-watching experience. Dead Reckoning continues the trend of being incredibly entertaining as Tom Cruise runs and jumps and fights his way through a movie dealing with the all too-eerily prescient theme of having evil AI take over all of humanity. Though the film may be filled with dialogue that sounds like it was written by the Entity itself, Dead Reckoning may just be the most humorous Mission: Impossible yet with sight gags (Tom Cruise carrying a steering wheel he’s handcuffed to in the streets of Rome) and even more meta-winkings to the absolute insanity he commits himself to (the amount of times characters wonder why he does what he does while also knowing he will do it is at its highest yet). My only complaints are that it follows the recent trend of being a bit too long (it’s 2 hours and 36 minutes) and that they kill off fan-favorite Ilsa Faust who KICKED BUTT and WAS AWESOME and I’m definitely NOT over her death. That being said, Dead Reckoning has one of the BEST third acts of all time with a train sequence that will have you on the edge of your seat as Tom Cruise drives a motorcycle off a cliff, parachutes into a train, fights on top of said train, and then nearly falls to his death on said train when the train itself falls off a bridge that has just exploded. (Also, I love how it looks like they filmed his cliff-dive using a GoPro–that’s how you know he really does his stunts). Of course, no mission is never impossible, and with Hayley Atwell’s intriguingly mysterious Grace by his side, Dead Reckoning is a satisfying film that left me blown away by its astonishing technical achievements (and the score is INCREDIBLE). 

Best stunt: If you like the movie Unstoppable, the underrated Tony Scott-directed flick about a runaway train (Scott directed Top Gun, FYI), you will LOVE the third act of this movie. Tom Cruise entering the train through a window after diving off a cliff with a motorcycle is EVERYTHING. 

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

3. Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol

2011 | Directed by: Brad Bird | Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Michael Nyvquist

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

THIS is where the franchise levels up–literally. Let’s turn to Rotten Tomatoes: The first film has a 67%, the second 57%, and third 71%. This one has a 93%. THAT’S CERTIFIED FRESH, people. In his live action debut, Incredibles director Brad Bird turned the Mission: Impossible franchise from drab to fab, making the action feel fun instead of bogged down by the plot. There are almost too many incredible action sequences to count from the cold open jail break (set to “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head, natch), to the Kremlin bombing, to the multiple car chases throughout. The final scuffle feels like a live-action video game come to life (Donkey Kong, as NPR puts it)–and I haven’t even mentioned yet that THIS is the film where Tom Cruise began to put his life on the line and decided to CLIMB THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD all just to entertain us. Mission: Impossible doesn’t have to be this extra, but I’m sure glad it is. THIS is the film when the franchise began to feel fun. Really, it should be tied with Rogue Nation, because they’re both so good. The only reason I ranked it third is because Rogue Nation would bring director Christopher McQuarrie on board, and this would change the entire franchise moving forward. 

Best Stunt: Tom Cruise climbed the tallest building in the world because he could. What are we doing with our lives if we’re not (literally) reaching new heights? 

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Let’s Pause the Countdown for a Moment to Rank All the Villains

7. Sean Patrick Ambrose (Dougray Scott), Mission: Impossible: II

I do not remember this guy at all. 

6. Jim Phelps (Jon Voigt), Mission: Impossible

Jon Voigt was in Mission: Impossible? Huh. I remember his cameo in Seinfeld more than I remember his appearance in this movie. 

5. Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Mission: Impossible III

I don’t really remember this villain either (guess that’s one thing the franchise could improve upon), but Phillip Seymour Hoffman seems like he’d be a good villain for the series. 

4. Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol

Alright, now we’re getting to the villains I actually remember. Hendricks wants to destroy the world by blowing it up, etc., etc., and he jumps to his death in a parking garage and Tom Cruise drives a car directly down to where the bomb is (like, the car is vertical) and he’s like “mission accomplished!” and it’s definitely not and Hendricks opens his eyes again like he’s alive and then the mission actually gets accomplished and then Hendricks really dies and it’s all very chaotic but in a super epic way. I don’t know if that was a good description, so you should probably just watch it. Ghost Protocol is so good. 

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

3. Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), Mission: Impossible–Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible–Fallout

Sean Harris is the first actor whose villain has been featured in two movies in the series. So, of course he’s memorable, and his villainous Solomon Lane is also super insane–like, wants to destroy the world not once, but twice (which is why he’s in two movies). He also looks a lot like Benji, which can be very confusing–but it’s also used to the team’s advantage when Benji pretends to be Lane in Fallout. Solomon Lane is just a good villain name in general, and he was one of the rare villains not to die in the franchise (which means they should’ve brought him back in The Final Reckoning as one of the architects behind The Entity, but they did not). 

2. Gabriel The Entity, Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible–The Final Reckoning

The human villain, played by Esai Morales, is ruthless in trying to track down Hunt, but really the Big Bad is The Entity, the mysterious AI that’s taking over humanity itself. It’s eerie in a world where Chat GPT is just beginning to take off–soon, it’s not going to just give us the answers to chemistry homework…it might start a war? Yikes! 

1. August Walker (Henry Cavill and his mustache), Mission: Impossible–Fallout

Next to Tom Cruise in basically every movie he’s in, Henry Cavill may be my next favorite person who’s played a spy, whether on the good side or bad. In The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Cavill plays the excellently named Napoleon Solo who might just be the most polite spy ever and also the most dashing. In Mission: Impossible, Cavill is the exact opposite of that character, a ruthless and cunning spy who will betray, impersonate, and, well, do anything bad, really, including teaming up with Solomon Lane to blow up the Earth. Now, not many people can pull off a mustache, but Henry Cavill definitely can. With Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill in Fallout, you really can’t go wrong. The climactic battle is absolutely epic and will have you on the edge of your seat till the very end. Henry Cavill seriously needs to be the next James Bond. 

2. Mission: Impossible–Rogue Nation

2015 | Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie | Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin  

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube} 

Rogue Nation starts with Tom Cruise hanging onto the side of a giant cargo plane as it takes off and gets better from there. This movie fundamentally changed the series–if Ghost Protocol was the stepping stone, then Rogue Nation is the keystone: without it, the entire franchise could’ve fallen apart. Cruise selected Christopher McQuarrie to helm this one, and though they had collaborated a bit before, this was the start of a beautiful partnership that I hope continues until the end of time. Since Rogue Nation, McQuarrie has directed all Mission: Impossible installments. This is also the first film in which Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust first appeared–and she has been one of the most incredible female action stars to grace our screens. Ilsa takes off her heels, has nary a romantic scene with Ethan Hunt, and is essentially the female Tom Cruise. Rogue Nation was the start of a new chapter for the Mission franchise–and somehow, it got even better.

Best Stunt: First, Tom Cruise held his breath underwater for six minutes (this man). Second, the car-to-motorcycle chase happens to be both hilarious and intense which is a really tricky balance to pull off. But of course, we’re going with the scene where Tom Cruise holds onto the side of a plane as it takes off. This was only the first two minutes of the movie. Incredible. 

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1. Mission: Impossible–Fallout

2018 | Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie | Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

This is it. How can I even describe how gloriously incredible Mission: Impossible–Fallout is? Fallout is the movie that got me hooked on action movies. I went to the theater, ready for whatever was to happen–and came out a changed person. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but wow, watching it on a giant screen while sitting on a big recliner, having zero expectations, not knowing any of the characters or the plot because it was my first time seeing any of these movies; it was something special. I gasped, I held my breath, I whispered “oh my God” as the screen cut to white in the end, wondering if Ethan Hunt would indeed come out alive in a mission that was deemed impossible in its title. 

Even if it’s no longer in theaters, Mission: Impossible is still an experience and emotional journey as you watch on a TV while sitting on the couch. With the team fully formed at this point and McQuarrie and Cruise in a comfortable rapport with each other, Fallout comes feeling like there are no question marks anymore. Everyone–on the screen, behind the scenes, and the audience–knows that Cruise will continue to push the limits of what humans can physically do, and trusts that his character Ethan Hunt will complete the mission and make the impossible possible. For this film alone, Cruise learned to fly a helicopter in 6 weeks instead of the usual 3 months, decided to skydive 100 times to get the right shot for a 3-minute long take, and even broke his ankle while jumping from one building to another–which you can actually see in the film (these insane stunts are broken down further here). Fallout is hands-down one of the best action movies of all time, and even if you’ve seen it a dozen times the ending still gives you chills. Plus, we’ve got Henry Cavill in a deliciously villainous role with a mustache. When Tom Cruise is climbing on a rope to get to a helicopter that’s already flying in the air, Ilsa exclaims, “oh my God, what is he doing?” At this point, we already know. And we know he’ll keep doing it. Because as long as Tom Cruise is leaping across buildings, flying helicopters over treacherous mountains, and skydiving onto the top of a Paris nightclub, anything in the world seems possible. Missions included. 

Best Stunt: I cannot decisively choose between any of these because they are all incredible and prove that Tom Cruise is of superhuman strength and ability. The Paris rooftop chase has comedic beats and is scored beautifully; the long-take HALO skydive scene is particularly impressive (they even designed new equipment so we could see Cruise’s face!); and the helicopter fight should be a lesson in how to do a climactic battle. And I haven’t even gotten to the Paris motorcycle chase! 

^{I didn’t even mention the bathroom fight, which is also iconic. Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}

^{Paramount Pictures/via YouTube}