Ranking All 8 ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies—Including ‘Final Reckoning'

When it comes to film franchises, very few pack a punch as hard and intense as the Mission: Impossible franchise. For nearly 30 years, we've all been blessed with eyeballs so we can watch Tom Cruise fling himself off cliffs, dangerously dangle from the sides of airplanes, and run really fast away from gunfire.

And while all 8 Mission: Impossible films are special moments in film history, there is certainly more to like about specific entries than others. With that in mind, even the worst that the franchise has to offer is charming in its own unique way.

So, let’s rank these babies—from the most explosively iconic to the ones that are kinda bad but still super awesome nonetheless.

1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Not only is Fallout the greatest Mission: Impossible film ever made, it has a strong argument for being the greatest action flick to ever grace a theater screen.

Everything in Fallout is MI turned up to 11. At one point, Tom Cruise does a real HALO jump—because green screens aren't real filmmaking. Cruise even legitimately broke his ankle during the shoot, all while doing a stunt that probably isn't even in the top 3 craziest stunts from the movie. That's why he's the GOAT, ladies and gentlemen.

Fallout didn’t just raise the bar; it kicked the bar out of a moving chopper into a canyon. It’s absurd. It’s beautiful. It’s cinema.

2. Mission: Impossible (1996)

You're probably not going to find too many MI fans who love the first entry in the franchise as much as I do. And while it's easy to admit that Fallout is Ethan Hunt's peak, the first film is easily my favorite.

In fact, it's one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time.

This one’s got everything: Dutch angles. Fish tanks exploding. Creepy masks. A hacking scene that feels like an ASMR video. And THAT vault heist scene—aka the moment every film student tried to “recreate suspense” and ended up face-planting into a beanbag.

Sure, it's much slower than the other entries in the series. But the stylish suspense still slaps. It’s less boom-boom and more hmm-hmm, and honestly? That’s what makes it iconic.

3. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)

My expectations for 2023's Dead Reckoning were pretty high. After all, I love MI more than just about any other movie franchise ever created.

But then the behind-the-scenes video of the motorcycle stunt hit the internet, and I thought to myself, "Oh my god, this one might have a chance to be the best one yet."

Is it long? Yes. Is it full of exposition dumps, subplots, and a villain named Gabriel who looks like he just wandered in from a cologne commercial? Also yes. But Dead Reckoning is a high-speed fever dream of stunts, espionage, and Tom Cruise trying to outrun Skynet’s artsy cousin.

4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ghost Protocol is when the franchise remembered how to have fun again.

After the mid-2000s grit of M:I-III, director Brad Bird said, “What if we gave Ethan Hunt a sense of humor and also vertigo?” The result is the Burj Khalifa scene, which remains one of the most hand-sweatingly tense sequences in movie history.

I mean, we got Jeremy Renner out here doing backflips in a magnet suit. At one point, Paula Patton dropkicks a French assassin out of a Mumbai window. And Tom Cruise runs through a sandstorm like he's trying to win a Fitbit challenge.

Is the plot a bit forgettable? Yeah. Some guy wants to nuke the world because… reasons? But the spectacle? Top-tier.

This is the movie that made people realize Mission: Impossible could out-Bond Bond—and do it in IMAX.

5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

There are three types of MI films: the thrilling original, the weird second one with the Y2K vibes, and the big-budget, over-the-top action ones.

Obviously, Rogue Nation falls into that last category. And while it's an amazing film (every film on this list is a 5-star classic to me), it's not as memorable or as exciting as some of the others we've already discussed.

The problem? Rogue Nation is so polished, it almost forgets to be weird. It’s spy thriller competence at its most... competent. There’s a secret syndicate, a creepy villain with a Eurotrash voice, and a scene at the opera that tries its best to be De Palma-level cool, but ends up more like “Bond but make it beige.”

Still, it’s good! It’s just… safe. The Honda Accord of MI movies. It won’t blow your mind, but it’ll get you where you need to go.

6. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

It's really hard to find the perfect ending for a 30-year journey like the MI franchise. However, we think that Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie managed to pull it off with The Final Reckoning.

The first hour of this film is incredibly slow. And it's easy to start to think that things are going to end on a flat note, which would obviously be a massively disappointing way to close the book on Ethan Hunt.

Thankfully, things pick up tremendously right after that. And there's even one set piece here that has an argument for being the best from any MI film ever.

Just make sure you go see it on the big screen—after all, that's what Mr. Crusie would want.

7. Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Let’s be real: Mission: Impossible II is not a film. It’s a two-hour-long hair commercial interrupted by motorcycle fights and flamenco music.

John Woo directed this with all the subtlety of a fireworks display inside a telephone booth. Everything is slo-mo. Doves are flapping dramatically in every other scene. The plot involves a bio-weapon, a rogue agent, and a love story with Thandiwe Newton that has the emotional depth of a toothpaste commercial.

Tom Cruise wears leather jackets and gives smoldering stares like he’s auditioning for a boy band. He rock climbs to Limp Bizkit. He throws a gun in slow motion. He and the villain play chicken on motorbikes and then leap off and body slam mid-air.

This movie is campy nonsense. And if you accept that going in, it’s actually a pretty fun time. Just don’t expect logic. Or pacing. Or restraint of any kind.

8. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

M:I-III is intense, gritty, and trying so hard to be emotionally grounded that it kind of forgets to be fun.

With that being said, Philip Seymour Hoffman gives one of the coldest villain performances in any action movie ever. In fact, he might be the best villain from any film on this list. He's absolutely amazing and most certainly steals the show.

Sadly, the whole “Ethan’s getting married and wants a normal life” subplot feels like it wandered in from a Hallmark movie. The Rabbit’s Foot—the MacGuffin everyone’s chasing—is literally never explained. Like, at all.

It could be anything. A nuclear warhead. A blender. An early copy of Halo 2. Who knows, really. But I still loved it regardless.

Ranking All 8 Mission: Impossible Movies:

While the film franchise is certainly dominating the movie industry, we may never see something as great as these 8 Mission: Impossible movies ever again. What Tom Cruise—and a roster of talented directors—managed to pull off is something that truly happens once in a lifetime.

Now, your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to binge them all. Make sure you roll your eyes when appropriate, and bow at the altar of Cruise, patron saint of action cinema.

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