The Mission: Impossible Movies Were Great Overall, but These 4 Are Genuine Action Masterpieces
There isn’t another modern franchise that has been as consistent as Mission: Impossible, as at the very least, every single installment in the series is fairly entertaining. It’s a surprisingly impressive achievement for a franchise that has existed for as long as Mission: Impossible has, as some of the most legendary sagas in cinematic history tend to have a few installments that fans like to forget about; the Star Wars saga has suffered the blows of disasters like The Rise of Skywalker and The Clone Wars, and James Bond film are generally not that enthused about rewatching misfires like A View To A Kill, Diamonds Are Forever, Die Another Day, or Quantum of Solace. Although Tom Cruise has starred in many films that are considered to be modern classics, Ethan Hunt may end up being the character he’s most remembered for playing. At the end of the day, Ethan stands out as one of the greatest cinematic heroes, worthy of standing alongside Indiana Jones, John McClane, Rocky Balboa, and Ellen Ripley.
There are still fluctuations of quality within the Mission: Impossible franchise, as not every film in the series is unimpeachable. Mission: Impossible II is really the only film in the series that could be described as “bad,” as despite how entertaining the director of John Woo is, it’s not an entry that seems to understand what makes Ethan an interesting character. Likewise, Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning certainly has some of the most impressive action sequences ever put to screen, but falls short when it comes to some of the characters. Even if the series’ future is unclear, as it remains to be seen if Cruise will be willing to perform his wild stunts as he reaches his mid-60s, the legacy of the saga is always worth celebrating. Mission: Impossible is a fantastic franchise, but these four films are genuine action masterpieces.
4
‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996)
Directed by Brian De Palma
Mission: Impossible was an unexpected blockbuster hit, as it is easy to forget that Cruise was not considered to be an action star at this point in his career. While he had shown his merits as a dramatic performer in Oscar-nominated dramas like A Few Good Men, The Color of Money, and The Firm, Mission: Impossible proved that he had the charisma to handle an entire franchise. Although there was a boy-ish charm that was inherited from his role as Pete Mitchell in Top Gun, Cruise turned Ethan into an empathetic character, as he was working to clear his name after his entire team was killed. Ethan’s guilt over this incident became the defining motivation for his character, and allowed his performance to deepen within each installment. Considering that Jon Voight has turned into a bit of a supervillain in real life, it’s somewhat fitting that he makes for a brilliant antagonist in the first film.
Much of the brilliance of Mission: Impossible is thanks to Brian De Palma, who used a sense of tension that was reminiscent of the classic films of Alfred Hitchcock. Although Mission: Impossible doesn’t have the scale and scope of later entries in the series, it holds up because of how brilliant the heist scenes are. Released the same year as Jerry Maguire, Mission: Impossible indicated that Cruise was the biggest movie star in the world, a fact that has not changed three decades later.
Mission: Impossible
- Release Date
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May 22, 1996
- Runtime
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110 minutes
- Director
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Brian De Palma
- Writers
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David Koepp, Robert Towne
- Producers
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Paula Wagner
3
‘Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol’ (2011)
Directed by Brad Bird
Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol was a very important entry in the series because it was the first to truly embrace the team dynamic. While Cruise and Ving Rhames had reliably appeared in every film in the series, it was Brad Bird who took the time to develop supporting characters that were worthy of sharing the screen with them. Simon Pegg may have had a brief cameo in Mission: Impossible III as the analyst Benji Dunn, but he was given the opportunity in Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol to become a true field member, and one of Ethan’s closest allies. Jeremy Renner also had an interesting role as William Brandt, a member of IMF who discovers a dark chapter of Ethan’s past that relates to his ex-wife, Julie (Michelle Monaghan). Although it was sadly the only entry that had Paula Patton as Agent Jane Carter, she more than proved herself worthy of being a member of the ensemble.
Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol has some of the greatest set pieces in the entire franchise, as the fact that Cruise scales the tallest building in the world will never not be impressive. Although Bird did add some solid humor to the mix, there are some surprisingly dark moments in Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol that showed that the series was not bloodless. However, it’s also worth remembering that Bird is the same director behind animated classics like The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, as he was not afraid to get a bit goofy at times. A sequence where Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” plays as Ethan escapes prison was a perfect way to set the tone of the film, and the malfunctioning technology that the IMF has to deal with makes for a bit of fun satire on the original series.
2
‘Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation’ (2015)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation was the first film in the Mission: Impossible franchise that was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, a beloved screenwriter that had directed Cruise in the underrated Jack Reacher film in 2012. Although McQuarrie had come in to do rewrites on Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol in order to clean up the third act, Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation gave him the opportunity to make a brilliant work of classical spycraft, as the conspiracies and intrigue are among the most fascinating in the series. The Mission: Impossible franchise has historically struggled to come up with villains as impressive as those in the 007 films, but Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation was an exception to the rule thanks to the great performance by Sean Harris as the criminal mastermind Solomon Lane. Exacting, motivated, and highly dangerous, Lane proved to be the perfect antithesis to Ethan.
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation introduced the best supporting character of the entire franchise, as it marked the debut of Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. Although the franchise had traditionally struggled to develop Ethan’s romantic relationships, Ilsa was a character who was his equal, as she was also looking to clear her name and escape from her tragic past. Every moment Ilsa is on screen is electrifying, and the film makes the case for how she would become instrumental to the series going forward. Although the psychological mind games on display help to elevate Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation over other entries in the series, it certainly does not skimp out when it comes to action; in addition to the amazing stunt where Cruise hung off the side of a plane as it flew into the air, Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation had some of the best motorcycle action scenes since Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
1
‘Mission Impossible- Fallout’ (2018)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Mission: Impossible- Fallout is one of the greatest action films of the 21st century, and deserves to be ranked alongside other established masterpieces like Casino Royale, Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick, and Miami Vice. It’s the deepest installment in the series, as McQuarrie was clearly interested in deconstructing Ethan’s psychology and exploring the burden that was put on his shoulders. After the traumatic events of the first film, Ethan had become determined to never lose a member of his team, regardless of what the stakes are. The very personal journey he goes on as he chooses who to save is surprisingly emotional, as Mission: Impossible- Fallout is allowed to be more meditative and dramatic than most modern blockbusters could ever be. It’s also one of the most gorgeous looking action films ever made, as McQuarrie outdid himself with an immersive, colorful celebration of cinematic bliss.
The action that McQuarrie pulled off in Mission: Impossible- Fallout was simply unprecedented, as the film justified its massive budget with its groundbreaking commitment to spectacle. Although the death-defying HALO jump is the type of vertigo-inducing sequence that would typically serve as the climax of an action film, it marks the beginning of Mission: Impossible- Fallout, which only gets more intense as it continues. The stuntwork is equally as impressive, as Mission: Impossible- Fallout mixed in extended chase sequences with more close quarters combat, which was allowed to get surprisingly brutal for a PG-13 film. It was also a film that reused Lane as an effective recurring villain, and featured Henry Cavill in one of the best performances of his career; ironically, all the qualities that made Cavill so scary and unlikable in the Zack Snyder DC films made him perfect to play the radical extremist John Lark. Although both Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning and Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning had great moments that showed why audiences love to see movies on the big screen, the franchise peaked with the masterpiece that was Mission: Impossible- Fallout.
