Top 5 films of the Mission: Impossible franchise, ranked

For nearly three decades, the Mission: Impossible franchise has transformed the spy thriller on screen. From the slick first film of 1996, the franchise has served exhilarating adventures involving high-stakes, global conspiracies, spectacle packed with death-defying stunts, double-crossing operatives, and more, over seven films.

The latest and eighth installment, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, is scheduled to drop in the U.S. on May 23, 2025, and Tom Cruise as series protagonist Ethan Hunt will be back doing things no insurance company would ever approve of! In the past films, he has done some of the the most daredevil action sequences — from scaling the Burj Khalifa without a harness to hanging off the side of an airborne cargo plane, Cruise has redefined what it means to go “above and beyond” for your job. “This message will self-destruct...” may have been the catchphrase that started it all, but the franchise has delivered a whole arsenal of memorable moments since.

With each installment, IMF agent Ethan Hunt has danced with danger in increasingly audacious ways, and yet somehow, the franchise keeps topping itself. As Hunt puts it in 2018's Mission: Impossible – Fallout,

“Hope is not a strategy.”

Yet, against all odds, the franchise keeps getting better with age. But which Mission: Impossible films truly detonated the box office, and blew our minds? We've run the diagnostics, dodged the lasers, and infiltrated the top-secret archives to come up with the definitive list, counting down the Top 5 Mission: Impossible Films.

From brutal betrayals to motorcycle chases that break the sound barrier, these entries prove that some missions are so iconic that they end up being unforgettable. Let's dive in!

** Disclaimer: This article is purely based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised. **

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Top 5 Mission: Impossible films, ranked

1) Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

A 2018 release, Fallout', was nothing but unrelenting adrenaline rush for around two and a half hours. Widely hailed as the crown jewel of the franchise, Fallout is where the stakes reach nuclear levels for our IMF agent and the world at large. Ethan Hunt faces a dilemma that every spy dreads: choosing between saving one life and millions. Henry Cavill joins the fray as the burly CIA assassin August Walker, a character that is equal parts sledgehammer and snake. Cavill’s mustachioed menace is unforgettable, especially in the now-iconic bathroom brawl.

The film’s finale, with helicopters dogfighting through the Himalayas, makes it like the spiritual successor to Mad Max: Fury Road, but with extra vertigo. And the emotional weight that Michelle Monaghan brought to the screen as Julia, Ethan’s ex-wife, with her reappearance, brings with it a sobering sense of closure. Director Christopher McQuarrie proves his mastery of the spy genre as he blends pulse-pounding action with moral complexity. Fallout stands out from the other Mission: Impossible movies because of its genuineness in exploring complex character arcs.

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2) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

The film that resurrected the franchise, Ghost Protocol, came after a lukewarm reception to M: I III, and boy, did it deliver. Under the direction of Brad Bird, the film injected the franchise with a newfound sense of style, daring, and an interesting sense of humor. The plot sees the IMF disavowed (again) after a Kremlin bombing, as Hunt’s team operates without safety nets or backing from the government after being blamed for the terror attack.

What immortalizes Ghost Protocol is probably the Burj Khalifa scene. Climbing the tallest building in the world with nothing but suction gloves is no small feat. Jeremy Renner enters as William Brandt, a mysterious analyst with a tragic past and killer moves, while Simon Pegg’s Benji finally gets field duty, bringing levity to the team’s high-stress missions. Paula Patton’s Jane Carter adds the sentimentality that resonates deeply with the movie's central themes, seeking justice for a fallen agent and proving herself to be a commanding presence. Although the villain, Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), isn’t the franchise’s strongest, the film more than makes up for it with explosive set pieces, clever gadgetry, and sleek visuals. This is Mission: Impossible at its most playful, while still being effortlessly and powerfully precise.

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3) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Rogue Nation, the chapter that officially recalibrated the franchise into the sleek, cerebral thrill ride it is today. Christopher McQuarrie made his directorial debut in this movie, and we witness his signature style, as the film balances elegance with intensity. The villain here is Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), a rogue intelligence agent leading The Syndicate, a shadowy anti-IMF organisation. Harris’s whispery menace is spine-chilling, as he dominates with his cold presence in every scene he is in.

However, the true star of Rogue Nation is Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, the enigmatic MI6 agent who moves like a ghost and shoots like a storm. Her chemistry with Hunt is electric. From the Vienna Opera House sequence, which is a visual feast of Hitchcockian suspense, to the underwater vault heist that had Cruise training to hold his breath for six minutes, Rogue Nation is all about spycraft precision coming alive cinematically. The film reinvigorated the series with layered storytelling, daring stunts, and character-driven drama. No wonder, this movie in particular became the blueprint for what followed.

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4) Mission: Impossible (1996)

Before the skyscraper jumps, motorcycle duels, and AI-powered enemies, there was a room. A quiet, temperature-controlled, laser-protected CIA vault. A single bead of sweat, and one man, suspended by a cable, arms outstretched, attempting an impossible mission that had the audience on the edge of their seats. That single moment defined not just a film, but an entire franchise that would run on the big screen for decades to come. This was where it all began. Brian De Palma’s Mission: Impossible is a sleek, cerebral spy thriller that blends noir-ish suspense with '90s high-tech cool. It’s not the film's action spectacle that fans necessarily associate with today, but its precision, atmosphere, and twist-laden storytelling remain unmatched.

The film introduced us to the Ethan Hunt we know and love, the IMF’s golden boy — charming, clever, and soon to be backstabbed. When the film opens, Hunt is part of a covert team led by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), a character carried over from the original 1966 TV series. After a botched mission in Prague ends in bloodshed, Hunt finds himself the lone survivor and prime suspect of the tragic incident. Tom Cruise, then still cementing his leading-man legacy, gives us a younger, more paranoid Ethan, a man not yet hardened by loss, but haunted by the fresh wounds of betrayal. The real coup of Mission: Impossible lies in its plot mechanics, as De Palma’s stylish direction turns the film into a maze of mirrors, an anxiety-inducing, psychological, character-driven thriller. Despite mixed reviews upon release, and some viewers being baffled by its labyrinthine plot, the film was a global hit and a template for the thinking man’s blockbusters.

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5) Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Before the franchise found its modern rhythm, M: I III was its beating heart. Directed by J.J. Abrams, it brought a much-needed emotional weight to the spy saga and gave us one of the series’ most chilling villains in Owen Davian, played with venomous glee by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Davian doesn’t care for world domination. He’s not ideological — just pure cruelty manifested. His raw intensity gives the film a ticking-clock urgency, making the stakes feel personal and visceral. Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, now trying to settle into domestic life with Julia (Michelle Monaghan), is torn between the pull of love and the obligation to duty.

The film opens with Davian holding Julia at gunpoint. It is a scene so tense, so stripped of cinematic comfort that it lingers long after the credits roll. Abrams, in his feature film debut, uses handheld cameras and character-driven storytelling to ground the action. The Vatican break-in, the bridge ambush, and the explosive climax in Shanghai are all well-executed, but it is the emotional resonance that sets this film apart. Mission: Impossible III is grittier, more grounded, and a lasting proof that the franchise had more than just slick tricks and action-packed machismo sequences; it had heart.