Mission: Impossible: See all movies in the franchise ranked!

Mission: Impossible: Reckoning Part 1 (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) premiered this Thursday (13) in theaters across the country. The launch of the feature is one of the most anticipated of the year by fans and enthusiasts who love to see Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise's iconic character, in action. With that in mind, we invite Felipe Follador, film critic and curator of the CinemaFelo, to comment on all the films in the franchise. Check out:

History

the iconic franchise Mission Impossible (film) started there in 1996, with the actor by Tom Cruise in the lead role. Inspired by the famous television series of the 1960s, the saga follows the adventures of the agent Ethan Hunt, a spy tasked with handling the fictional intelligence agency's most challenging cases. IMF.

Throughout the films, other actors, such as Jean Reno (known for his work on The professional), Thandie Newton (featured in Westworld) to Jeremy Renner (star of The Owner of Kingstown), joined Cruise in the cast. In addition, renowned directors such as Christopher McQuarrie, John Woo e Brad Bird took over the direction of different films in the series, which can currently be found on various platforms of streaming, such as Star+ and Amazon Prime Video.

Mission Impossible received a positive reception, albeit timid. At the Metacritic, the production achieved a score of 59/100. At the Rotten Tomatoes, that score came in 6/10. However, it was enough to guarantee six more launches, which you can check out in detail from now on!

The Series (1960)

Debuting in September 1966 and airing until March 1973 on the American network CBS, the series Mission Impossible won the hearts of viewers with its gripping plot and unique format, which served as inspiration for subsequent films.

Created by Bruce Geller, the series already presented from the beginning the format that would be followed in practically all episodes, both on TV and in cinema. Following the trend of productions at the time, each episode featured an independent story, with a beginning, middle and end, allowing viewers to dive into a new adventure each week, without losing the thread of the story.

During the 171 episodes spanning seven seasons, fans thrilled with the dangerous missions of the charismatic spy Jim Phelps, Played by Peter graves, and his team at the IMF (Impossible Mission Force, name kept in the movies). With each episode, Phelps assembled his team of experts in different forms of espionage, including technological gadgets, slick disguises and, of course, thrilling action sequences.

While Jim Phelps be the most recognized face of Mission Impossible on TV, it is important to mention that the series began with the spy Dan Briggs, Played by Steven hill, as team leader. However, Hill was replaced in the first season due to conflicts with the producers, paving the way for the entry of the plot's most iconic spy.

Just like in the movies starring by Tom Cruise, which has a supporting cast made up of names like Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames e Rebecca ferguson, the series team also shone with outstanding names. Barbara Bain played the stunning model Cinnamon Carter, While martin landau, known for his role in Ed Wood, embodied the master of disguises, rollin hand.

In addition, the series featured actors who gained notoriety after the end of the series, such as Sam Elliott, who later starred Ghost Rider e The Great Lebowski, in the role of the doctor Douglas Robert, still without his famous iconic moustache. And we cannot fail to mention the late Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing Spock in Star Trek, who shone like the crook Paris.

The movies

Mission: Impossible (1996) – (Rank: B+)

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the true spy within his organization. There would be no better director for this film than Brian DePalma – in the 90s, the director was known for his film-referential style Black – and that style worked with the espionage plot and elegance of this 1st film version.

by Tom Cruise is at his best: charismatic and efficient, and carries the plot and crew in the film with grace and power. The rest of the cast also delivers good performances, such as Jean Reno, Kristin Scott Thomas e Vanessa Redgrave. It's not a spectacular film, as the script has many stumbles, but it has great action scenes (like the aquarium exploding) and is full of fun twists.

• Original title: Mission: Impossible
• US box office: $181M monthly
• Worldwide box office: $457,7M monthly
• Budget: $80M monthly
• Duration: 110 minutes
• Critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
• Available in: Star +

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) – (Rank: C-)

In the second film of the franchise, the agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically engineered disease called Quimera. Unfortunately, the Chinese director's choice John Woo — known for a filmography of stylized and exaggerated violence — ended up backfiring, and the film, instead of being interesting due to the director's style, ended up looking like a slapstick movie.

The action is obviously well-orchestrated — often bordering on the ridiculous — and the pace is mind-boggling, but even so, it's unimpressive and tiring. In particular, the scene where Ethan Hunt and the villain, played by Dougray scott, if they throw themselves off their respective bikes and collide in the air, it's simply a disgrace to others. That typical case of style over substance.

by Tom Cruise remains charismatic, while the cast, made up of names like Thandie Newton and Brendan Gleeson, even tries to provide a certain drama, but does not save the film completely.

• Original title: Mission: Impossible 2
• Budget: $125M monthly
• US box office: $215,4M monthly
• Worldwide box office: $546,4M monthly
• Duration: 123 minutes
• Critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
• Available in: Star +

Mission: Impossible 3 (2006) – (Rank: B)

Em Mission: Impossible 3, agent Ethan Hunt clashes with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and those around him. JJ Abrams, fresh off two big television hits, Lost e Alias, was the right choice in giving a new and fresh approach to the story of Ethan Hunt.

After the failure of Mission Impossible 2, Paramount took a step back and waited for the right time to try again in the franchise. The choice was right, as the 3rd film definitely left the previous episode in the slipper, even if it failed to replicate the visual elegance of the 1st film.

The pace keeps going crazy, but JJ it is coherent and consistent and created sensational scenes. This new breath was necessary and opened up great possibilities for the future of the franchise. In terms of cast, by Tom Cruise keeps delivering and new names like Keri RussellPhilip Seymour Hoffman e Billy Crudup work perfectly in their supporting roles.

• Original title: Mission: Impossible III
• Budget: $150M monthly
• US box office: $134M monthly
• Worldwide box office: $397,8M monthly
• Duration: 126 minutes
• Critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
• Available in: Star +

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) – (Rank: A-)

The IMF organization is shut down when it is implicated in the Kremlin bombing, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team strive to clear the organization's name. Brad Bird, known as the director of two excellent Pixar animated films: The Incredibles e Ratatouille, was Paramount's new hire to bring a new face to the franchise.

If in the third film the choice of Abrams had already given a new freshness, Brad Bird managed to improve, and a lot, in terms of rhythm, story and action. The plot, co-written by Christopher Macquarie e Brad Bird (who had already been nominated for an Oscar for his excellent screenplay The Incredibles), is super interesting and plausible, and seeing the Ethan Hunt becoming invisible and performing even more absurd feats in equally unlikely locations is pure entertainment.

Cruise he did all the stunts and it's cool to watch the star, then 50 years old, go all out. The cast in the films of the franchise is always accurate: Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Lea Seydoux, and the British Simon Pegg (which had already been introduced in the previous film, but in this one becomes in fact an excellent comic relief) have chances to contribute to the film. Great fun and superior to all the previous ones.

• Original title: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
• Budget: $145M monthly
• US box office: $209,4M monthly
• Worldwide box office: $694,7M monthly
• Duration: 132 minutes
• Critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
• Available in: Star +

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) – (Rank: A)

Ethan and his team take on the most impossible mission of all when they must eradicate a dangerous international organization, just as skilled as they are, and committed to destroying the IMF. It is very interesting to see how the franchise Missão Impossível it took a complete turnaround from precarious action movies like the 2nd film, and nearly 20 years later, delivers the best film in the franchise.

The script, written by Christopher McQuarrie e Drew Pierce, is very well tied and the action scenes are perfectly choreographed and tense. McQuarrie takes over the direction, after having debuted in the previous film, in which he shared the screenplay credit with the then director Brad Bird. He really surprised as a director.

The scenes at the Vienna Opera House and the chase in Morocco are already among the best in the franchise. by Tom Cruise remains the personification of Ethan Hunt and the British Rebecca ferguson – as spy Ilsa Faust – is a great addition to the cast.

• Original title: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
• Budget: $150M monthly
• US box office: $195M monthly
• Worldwide box office: $682,7M monthly
• Duration: 130 minutes
• Critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
• Available in: Star +

Mission: Impossible – Fallout Effect (2018) – (Rank: A)

Ethan Hunt and his team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong. Ghost Protocol (2011, directed by Brad Bird) it was amazing. Secret Nation (2015, directed by Christopher McQuarrie) was better. Now, once again under the direction of McQuarrie, by Tom Cruise — who has creative control and asks for bigger, more “impossible” scenes — arrives at one of the best chapters.

Tom, then 56 years old, offers a great deal of charisma and commitment, and he is one of the main reasons why the film works so wonderfully. He gives 1000% to the role, doing all the stunts without a stunt double. This is also one of the longest films in the franchise, but McQuarrie, who also writes the screenplay, makes for an interesting and intriguing plot that is never boring — but can be a little confusing for some unfamiliar with the previous film. He also creates some of the most absurd scenes in the franchise.

The cast is great, featuring most of the interesting characters from the other films, and adding a great role for Henry Cavill (which is better here than in all her monotonous performances like Superman). It's definitely admirable for a franchise to deliver its best in its 6th film.

• Original title: Mission: Impossible - Fallout
• Budget: $178M monthly
• US box office: $220M monthly
• world box office: $791 million
• Duration: 147 minutes
• Critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
• Available in: Star+, Paramount+, HBO Max and GloboPlay

Mission Impossible – Reckoning Part One (2023) – (Rank: A+)

Ethan Hunt and his IMF teammates must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands. Not going to lie, the last chapters of the franchise Missão Impossível are confused, because they have very similar plots: usually a new and potent weapon, someone willing to buy it, government corruption and a sneaky villain. But somehow the movies always work.

From Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, released in 2011, the films deliver top-notch entertainment, with increasingly impressive stunts (always done by a committed by Tom Cruise) and incredible scenery.

Mission Impossible – Fallout Effect, released in 2018, is the highest-grossing and most critically acclaimed film in the franchise and has propelled Paramount and the franchise itself forward. Cruise to invest almost 300 million in this film, hoping for an even greater result – and I have no doubt that they will succeed.

The plot exists solely to take Ethan Hunt and his companions from one location to another, challenging the impossible, but it has some interesting contemporary elements that work in its favor.

The director Christopher McQuarrie, who shares production credits with Tom Cruise, who also wrote the screenplay, understands the franchise and has done a fantastic job since joining in 2011 with Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, first as a screenwriter, and since 2015, in Mission Impossible - Secret Nation, like the director.

The action sequences of Mission Impossible – Reckoning: Part One are absolutely stunning. From an insane car chase in Rome to the film's climax aboard a luxury train, the entertainment is quality.

In the cast, Tom Cruise continues with his usual charisma, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby are great in their supporting roles and hayley atwell makes a good debut in the franchise. Check out the movie in theaters as it is definitely worth the admission price.

And with Accounts Settlement - Step 1 —, we close the list with all the films of Missão Impossível. The continuation of the saga, with Reckoning – Part 2 (8th film), will arrive on June 28, 2024.

Watching everyone is your mission, reader. This post will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

Cinefelo

CinemaFelo is a movie review and streaming profile created in 2015 by Felipe Follador. The name is a play on the word cinephile and the critic's own name: Cinephile + Felo.

The profile brings reviews of films, series and related subjects, in video format, on Instagram and YouTube.

See also:

REVIEW: Mission Impossible: Reckoning Part 1 is spectacular!

Source: CinemaFelo.

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (13/07/23)