Tom Cruise is preparing for his last hurrah as Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt, bringing the franchise to a close after nearly 30 years.
The first Mission: Impossible movie came out in 1996, exploding onto screens in a quippy blend of explosions, car chases, and gun fights.
It’s been home to various stars over the years, including Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, J. J. Abrams, and many more.
The face of the franchise is undoubtedly Cruise, however, playing agent Ethan Hunt who stops at nothing to bring down the bad guys.
In honour of almost three decades of some of the best action movies of the genre, here’s a look back at them, in order of popularity among audiences.
Mission: Impossible II
Sequels are always hard to pull off and Mission: Impossible II is no exception. It follows Ethan travelling to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera".
Despite the change in scenery, it failed to impress fans, leaving it with a 6.1 rating on IMDb.
“I was really looking forward to this film coming out,” wrote one fan reviewer. ”When I saw it a while back I was pretty disappointed. John Woo proves once again that action is forte, but MI2 really needed some espionage spy suspense and plot rather than Tom Cruise looking good in front of the camera.
“The action sequences were very impressive but that doesn't hold a film together. There just didn't seem to be any conflict going on to really get my blood pumping!”
Mission: Impossible III
The third film in the franchise puts Ethan up against a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.
Although it has proved more popular than its predecessor, the 2006 movie racked up a 6.9 on IMDb, with one reviewer describing it as ‘not the best’ in the franchise – but that’s not to say it didn’t have its moments.
“Easily not the best mission, but thanks to JJ Abrams direction and an absolute menacing performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman this movie is more than deserving of repeat viewings,” they continued.
Mission: Impossible
Taking it back to the start, the 1996 hit is the best ranked of the first three films. It introduces us to Ethan and the rest of the IMF team, forcing him to go undercover to find a double agent within his own organisation.
That’s earned it a 7.2 out of 10 on IMDb and certainly strong enough to foster a long-running franchise across three decades.
“Everyone seems to complain that the plot in this film is too confusing, but just because you don't 'get' it doesn't mean it's a bad movie,” wrote one reviewer on the community platform. “I thought that the plot was superb; it may be a little difficult to follow, but with a little thought it isn't at all hard to understand. It is refreshing to have a big budget thriller with a clever plot, not just masses of pyrotechnics and gunplay.”
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Moving onto the fifth movie in the franchise, which has earned itself third place on this list with 7.4 out of 10.
Ethan and the rest are tasked with wiping out an international rogue organisation with skills just as strong as theirs, to avoid the IMF being destroyed itself.
“Another energetic, pleasingly implausible through ride with Ethan Hunt and company,” reads one community review. “This time he gets his best female rival/love interest since Emanuelle Beart in the original.
“Like in Ghost Protocol, the action is nearly nonstop but creatively drawn such as a hair-raising motorcycle chase and then under water infiltration that you don't feel like you're watching the same thing again and again.”
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Speaking of the fourth film, Ghost Protocol, that movie has reached 7.4 on IMDb, following the fallout of the IMF being shut down after getting the blame for the bombing of the Kremlin.
Ethan and his new team must go rogue to clear their organisation's name, with the usual action hijinks you might come to expect at this point.
“The first half of the movie is probably the best action movie of the last 20 years,” applauded one reviewer on IMDb. “It is intense, well shot, engaging and absolutely stunning visually. The stunts and action set in Budapest, Moscow and Dubai and are absolutely fantastic and make the movie.
“Unfortunately, the movie slows down greatly in the second half of the movie in Mumbai and loses itself in some common genre traps.”
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The best movie in the franchise, according to audiences, scored a whopping 7.7 out of 10, with glowing reviews from press too.
The plot centres around a group of terrorists, with plans to detonate three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on different cities. Naturally, Ethan and the IMF team are the ones for the job to prevent bloodshed.
“It continues the tradition of the series, where it gets better with each film,” wrote a fan critic. “This one improves on the older films in every aspect. It has pretty much everything: the action, the stunts, the visuals, the twists. It's a thrilling experience where the viewer is kept on their toes at all times.”
