Apparently, finalizing this post about Mission Impossible was a bit of an impossible mission in itself. It lay here, staring me down, for weeks and all I did was try to avoid finishing it.
There’s definitely something bittersweet about endings, especially for series that seem timeless in their own way. The first Mission Impossible (based on a TV show that ran from 1966 to 1973) plays like a substantially more serious movie compared to what followed and the main thing it really has in common with the series is Ethan Hunt. The rest is legacy and, thankfully, an effort is made to keep said legacy alive, even if it doesn’t really feel like highly intentional design.
Mission Impossible has become synonymous with the “big moments”, merging the impossible and borderline camp script with the Cruise-impossible stunts. There is consistency in the overarching themes that feature conspiracies, betrayals and world-ending ambitions, and usually some macguffin to facilitate said fate. It’s fun, it really is, particularly once a group of characters is set to carry over from one movie to another. That was the point of the show, which makes it weird that it didn’t focus so much on establishing the team until four movies in, but, hey, better late than never.
And, man, that Lalo Schifrin theme, so iconic.
Mission: Impossible (1996): I remembered bits of the original MI, which indeed begins in the way you would expect a TV based adaptation to being – with familiarity. Everyone knows everyone and the viewer just happens to get a front row seat. Even by the long ago year of 1996, spy movies had been and done a lot of things, so standing out in this busy genre was always going to be a challenge. It took MI a while to find its path. The first movie does establish some of the tricks the series will come to be known for, even if Tom Cruise (playing Ethan Hunt) is yet to do in-your-face extensive running or stunt work. Set with an expert cast of big names, including two Romanian actors with bit parts (Carmaitru and Iures), MI is intriguing enough and has a solid centerpiece of subterfuge, but it doesn’t really build up well towards the ending. It tries to do things differently though, so that deserves some kudos. 7
Mission: Impossible II (2000): Generally regarded as the weakest movie in the series, MI 2 is John Woo at his most self-plagiarizing. There’s a lot of action and even some romance, but the plot is very thin and the viewer is asked to suspend disbelief in an untoward manner. Strangely, MI 2 feels like a caricature at times, doubling down on familiar tricks, with diminishing payouts. Some moments carry the film though, and Cruise is already very involved here in doing some of that carrying himself, but in a series with the highs that we now know were to follow, MI 2 is a definite low. 6
Mission: Impossible III (2006): With the third entry, the series is starting to look and feel like what we now identify is Mission Impossible. Firstly, because we get the trio of Ethan, Luther and Benji – even Julia, to some degree-, who are core to giving the movies continuity. It’s the absence of such continuity that makes the first three movies seem somewhat disjointed, affairs with Tom Cruise and a handful of irrelevant characters. I’m a big Philip Seymour Hoffman fan, so it wouldn’t be surprising to say I think he’s the best villain in MI, but that’s something off of performance alone, because otherwise Sean Harris’s Solomon Lane has a better dynamic with Ethan. MI 3 has the most twists and turns, I reckon, of all MIs, but not everything comes together smoothly, or at least not as smoothly as it will in the subsequent films. 7
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011): The new era of MI dawns by breaking the naming convention and firmly establishing the template for what is to come, as well as the dynamic – the trio, the boss, the “guest star”, the female companion. Back in the day when Russia was just about out of the “evil” role, a heck of a mess leaves Ethan and his team exposed and the world, as usual, in danger of annihilation via mutually ensured destruction. The IMF itself is in an existential crisis and depends on Hunt to save it (unlike the later movies, where it is Hunt who poses the greater danger for the organization’s future). MI-GP has the least memorable foe, in Michael Nyqvist’s Hendricks, but the danger is more distributed. The addition of Jeremy Renner rounds our group of merry world-savers, making for an all-in-all fun ride. 7
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015): Christopher McQuarrie is up at the helm starting with Rogue Nation, and his collaboration with Tom Cruise proves a fruitful one. Even though you’ll see me rating these movies fairly similarly, there is a sense of evolution from one to the other, particularly starting with GP. Here, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) makes his debut, a turtle-necked and bespeckled villain who, as I said, is one of the best in the series. The addition of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) rounds out the MI team, as they take on a criminal syndicate of rogue agents. The standout set piece features Hunt hanging outside an Airbus plane, in a strong opening. I found RN to be the first of the series that I really enjoyed (although my initial rating was also a 7), with playful twists and turns rounding out a satisfying adventure. 8
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018): The pinnacle of the series, MIF is a movie with a lot of excitement, engaging characters, exciting action and some of the most memorable set-pieces yet. Tensions continue between the IMF and the CIA, this time with Alec Baldwin’s Hunley on the receiving end, as new IMF head. The plot does very well to combine elements from past movies and build on them creatively, while adding some spice, particularly with Henry Cavill coming in and arming his biceps. I think I’m partial a bit to Dead Reckoning as my favourite, but MIF is the best standalone experience, grounded for a MI in some ways, which makes it work better. 8
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023): While it veers into the somewhat hard to believe, with an ambitious plot that readily takes on some mumbo-jumbo mcguffins, MIDR is just an absolute blast. I gushed over it when it first came out and it stands the test of rewatching. With a good rhythm, in spite of its length, the movie stays exciting throughout. The famed cliff jump is an experience in itself, as is watching any behind-the-scenes, for this but also for most MI movies, with Cruise and McQuarrie proving very engaging and knowledgeable pragmatists – in spite of the craziness of some of the stuff they’re doing. It really is the most fun I’ve had in the series. 8
Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning (2025): Well, it was always going to be a challenge to top DR. And what MIFR does badly, is sprawl. It’s almost three hours longs, and yet feels rushed at times, with a substantial amount of unnecessary plots unfolding. The ambition was to tie in (and tie up) some of the previous movies, as well as this thirty year franchise, but the result is an uneven experience. I still think it’s a decent fare (i.e. not MI 2 levels), even if there’s a better movie underneath the one we are presented with. That said, it’s all faithful to the MI spirit, with big action sequences that make you forget some of the plot contrivances and excesses. The end of an era, the end of an icon. 7
tributary stu 