Ranking the 'Mission: Impossible' Movies From Worst to Best

It's amazing how Tom Cruise has been playing the role of Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible for 22 years now. And with the release of the newest film, Mission: Impossible—Fallout, I wanted to share my thoughts on each and every one of these films.

So, I'll rank the MI films from worst to best, starting with the worst, and ending with the best. I'll share some thoughts on it, and hopefully, you enjoy the article.

6. 'Mission: Impossible 2' (2000)

When I watched this movie, it felt like they were actively trying to confuse me to death. The plot about Chimera and Bellerophon was just really incoherent and uninteresting.

And the relationship between Ethan and Nyah just felt so weird and forced. Like, they meet in a club, Ethan pushes her off a cliff and saves her life, and then they have sex. I mean, seriously?

Now, I appreciate the film for incorporating more action than the original did. But John Woo's slow-motion directing and his obsessive use of birds and fire just made the movie look really corny.

Take this scene for example:

I mean, that's just really corny.

Not only that, but Sean Ambrose is a pretty boring villain who I really don't care about. In general, the film's plot was just really confusing and it bored the hell out of me. But time for the next movie!

5. 'Mission: Impossible' (1996)

My complaints about the original movie are similar to my complaints about the sequel. Essentially, the first MI had an incredibly convoluted plot that was difficult to follow.

It had poor exposition, an uninteresting story, and the thing is, it just wasn't an action movie. While I wasn't in love with the action scenes in Mission: Impossible 2, the first movie literally had no action until the very end.

And this is the most impossible, corny, fake scene I've ever watched in a movie that it's infuriating that they want me to believe this is all possible. Exploding chewing gum is some bulls**t as well.

But the point is, I don't care about the NOC list, and I don't care about the whole plot. All the twists and everything were poorly done and just kind of confusing.

4. 'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' (2015)

Now, for the record, I really liked Rogue Nation. It had some really good action sequences (my favorites are the plane scene and the opera scene), but something about this movie just felt off.

I mean, the plot wasn't as good as I thought it would be, the ending wasn't as action-packed as it should have been, and scenes like the one below with the endless car flip just really irritated me.

Solomon Lane was a really good villain, and I liked this movie, but I think it rightfully deserves its spot as #4 on my list.

3. 'Mission: Impossible 3' (2006)

I consider Mission: Impossible 3 to be the first good MI movie. It finally has well-directed, heart-pounding action sequences, a good story that engaged me, twists in the right places, and Philip Seymour Hoffman NAILED his role as the villainous Owen Davian.

This film also introduced Benji Dunn into the franchise, and had a MUCH better final action sequence than either of the previous two films.

2. 'Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol' (2011)

This movie was bloody amazing. For the first time in MI, we finally get a clear idea of the stakes. We know that if Ethan's team fails, then the United States is gonna get blown up, and we get some thrilling scenes as they try to deactivate the missile.

We also finally got a huge stunt performed by Tom Cruise in which he scales the Burj Khalifa.

All in all, the action and the thrills of this movie made it one of my favorite action movies ever, and the final fight for the briefcase is so gut-wrenching that I just love it.

1. 'Mission: Impossible – Fallout' (2018)

I say this with complete confidence. The newest MI film, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, is not only the best film in the series, but I'd say it's one of the best action films of all time.

We have some real stunts in this film, including a HALO jump and hanging from a rope attached to a helicopter.

Every single thing about this movie was so damn good. The directing, the twists, the story, the music, the pacing, and everything was just so well-made.

Instead of doing what MI movies usually do, which is bring in a new villain in each movie, the film brings back Solomon Lane from Rogue Nation, while also introducing a new antagonist—the mysterious John Lark.

It had brilliant suspense, and this is the kind of movie to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Not a single moment drags on, and the performances are amazing.

Fallout not only tops McQuarrie's Rogue Nation, but it tops every single predecessor yet, making it the best MI movie to date. If you want to read my full review of the movie, click here.

Man, I need to see this movie again.

But it's time for a BONUS ROUND! Here are some "Bests" and "Worsts" of the MI franchise.

Best Villain

When it comes to MI villains, none of them came close to Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible 3. Like I said earlier, Hoffman stole the show with his villainous portrayal.

Davian was such a menacing villain, whether he was simply speaking calmly or yelling at the top of his lungs, threatening to kill Julia. I mean, just watch the opening of MI 3 and you can see how terrifying Davian is.

Solomon Lane was a close second in terms of MI villains, but Davian is unpredictable and dangerous. He's a no-nonsense villain who Hoffman played in an incredibly threatening way. Props to him for his portrayal.

Worst Villain

The villain of the first Mission: Impossible is a pretty close second, but Sean Ambrose...damn. I did not care about this guy at all. His motives and his actions were pretty short of despicable, and the ending of Mission: Impossible 2 was just so dumb that I'm just gonna spoil it.

So, Ethan's officially kicked Ambrose's ass, right? Then, with Ethan's back turned, Ambrose grabs a gun, and what does he do?

What the f—why would you call out Ethan's name?! Ethan has his back turned to you, and you're pointing a gun at him. Why the hell would you WARN Ethan that you're still alive?!

And he still can kill you, given the fact that you're pointing a gun at him, and for some reason, you're still not firing a shot at him. WHY HAVEN'T YOU SHOT HIM BY NOW?!

But it gets even worse. After Ambrose goes, "You shoulda killed me!", it takes him THIRTY SECONDS to shoot at Ethan. THIRTY SECONDS!!! WHAT WAS HE WAITING FOR?! WAS HE WAITING FOR ME TO SCALE THE BURJ KHALIFA IN THAT TIME?!

Best Team Member

We were first introduced to Ilsa Faust when Ethan was being held in captivity in Rogue Nation, where she helped Ethan escape. She is a former MI6 agent who goes rogue to help Ethan's team stop the Syndicate.

She is an AWESOME agent, as she can fight bad guys as much as Ethan can. Ilsa isn't just the typical "love interest" in the film. She actually kicks serious ass, instead of just being used as a sex object.

But a huge honorable mention to Benji, Luther, and Brandt. They're awesome.

Worst Team Member

Uh...who was this guy again? Was this guy even in a Mission: Impossible movie? Where is this guy from?

It turns out that is Billy Baird, the non-Ethan white male team member from Mission: Impossible 2. After I heard his name for the first time, it took me about a minute to realize that this character actually existed in an MI movie. I mean, I just don't even know what this character did, because he was that forgettable.

Now, I think the runner-up for the most forgettable team member might be Declan Gormley in Mission: Impossible 3.

Now, Fallout had a really good opening, but this opening scene where we see Ethan hang off the side of a plane as it's taking off is EXACTLY how you should start an action movie. It was a thrilling scene and is the best MI opening.

But Ghost Protocol also has a really solid opening scene, with the chill-inducing line, "Light the fuse," right before the theme starts.

Well, as you saw in the beginning, I'm not a big fan of the original MI. The opening scene of the first contains no action, it's really silent, and it's almost confusing. So, I didn't like it much.

But I think I've talked enough. Are you still here? If you are, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.