Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stream the first five “Mission: Impossible” movies on Netflix.
As part of its July slate, the world’s most popular streaming service has added Ethan Hunt’s first five missions. While 2018’s “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” is my personal favorite in the franchise, this quintet includes some of the best Hollywood action blockbusters ever made.
From the dizzying heights of “Ghost Protocol,” which sees Tom Cruise scale the world’s tallest building in an acrobatic feat that would make Spider-Man blush, to the ultra-intense opening of “Mission: Impossible III,” which I very often watch standalone. It’s that good. "M: I" is a marvellous popcorn franchise.
To celebrate Netflix becoming the new streaming home for (most, but not quite all eight of) the “Mission: Impossible” movies, I decided to rank them from best to worst. But to be honest, they’re all worth watching, so even my bottom pick (no spoilers) should be in your watchlist.
'Mission: Impossible' movies ranked
1. 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)
Selecting my top pick of the “Mission: Impossible” movies added to Netflix this month was tricky, but I went with “Rogue Nation” in the end.
That’s largely because I think the thrilling opera scene is perhaps the series’ peak, and because it marks Rebecca Ferguson’s first appearance as former MI6 agent, Ilsa Faust. Plus, Sean Harris’ Solomon Lane remains “Mission: Impossible’s” best villain, and the lead into the iconic theme tune is exquisite.
In “Rogue Nation,” Ethan Hunt faces off against The Syndicate, a clandestine network of operatives seeking to create a new world order. The shadowy group represents a fantastic foe for Hunt and his team to battle against, and “Rogue Nation” sees the series comfortably in its groove following the standard-setting “Ghost Protocol.” It’s a phenomenal action spy movie.
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2. 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (2011)
By the fourth entry, most franchises are running on fumes, but “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” bucked the trend and delivered a popcorn spy flick with more memorable moments than I can list here.
The fan-favorite sequence that sees Hunt scale the Burj Khalifa in Dubai often gets all the plaudits, but I think my highlight is the Kremlin infiltration scene as Hunt and Benji (Simon Pegg) break into the securely guarded Russian complex before the fortified landmark is blown up with Cruise in full sprint.
After this terrorist attack, Hunt and his team are blamed for the fallout, and so the IMF team must go on the run to locate those truly responsible and bring them down. The whole disavowed by the government and left without any backup shtick is a bit routine for the spy genre, but it’s well-worn ground for a good reason. Plus, Jeremy Renner’s inclusion as William Brandt gives Cruise an extra playmate. It’s a shame he only stayed around for one more sequel.
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3. 'Mission: Impossible III'
The third “Mission: Impossible” movie hooks you from the very start with an opening scene that makes it very clear that new villain Owen Davian (an ever-excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman) is not playing around.
From here, the situation escalates further, and while director J. J. Abrams creates plenty of well-constructed firefights, they lack the memorable nature of future installments in the franchise. Still, “Mission: Impossible III” has aged well.
The flick opens with Ethan Hunt having retired from the IMF team, but naturally, this doesn’t last all that long, as he’s drawn back into the world of espionage to bring down international arms broker Davian. There’s a larger focus placed on Hunt’s relationship with Julia (Michelle Monaghan), which adds even higher stakes as his wife gets caught up in the dangerous situation.
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4. 'Mission: Impossible'
The movie that started it all, and while it’s set to celebrate its 30th birthday next year, it remains a gripping watch.
The events of the recent “The Final Reckoning” have recontextualized some of the first “Mission: Impossible”, making now a great time to (re)watch. And while it's relatively quaint in comparison to some sequences that would follow, Hunt’s mission to infiltrate the CIA headquarters at Langley remains a fantastic sequence that is still referenced and parodied in movies and shows to this day.
That iconic scene, which sees Hunt dangling on a thin wire, with one wrong move sure to alert the authorities to his presence, may be the movie's enduring moment, but the opening, a mission in Prague gone wrong with disastrous consequences, shouldn’t be overlooked either.
Ultimately, this is the movie that introduced the world to Ethan Hunt, and its place in Hollywood history is secured for that reason alone. The fact that it's a seriously enjoyable watch in its own right is a bonus.
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5. 'Mission: Impossible II'
Unquestionably the most divisive “Mission: Impossible,” the 2000s sequel saw director John Woo bring his trademark frenetic style to the series with somewhat mixed results.
For those who just want explosive action above all else, you’ll find enough to satisfy here, but the narrative is flawed, and the characters are significantly less compelling than future installments. Even Hunt himself seems to lack some of his usual gravitas. There’s perhaps a reason that it’s the sole entry in the franchise with a rotten score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
This time, Hunt is attempting to locate and destroy a deadly virus known as Chimera, and that involves coming face-to-face with a rogue IMF agent who has stolen the only antidote.
Even if it’s the worst of the bunch, it’s far from a complete disaster, with enough well-choreographed Woo action to hold your attention, just don’t expect it to match up to the standard set by future installments in the long-running blockbuster franchise.
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