Every ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie Ranked: A Look at IMDb Ratings

Attention, thrill-seekers! Tom Cruise’s unstoppable character, Ethan Hunt, has returned, bringing another batch of pulse-racing action sequences in the newly released “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning.” As we revel in the exhilaration of this fresh release, it’s the perfect time to step back and traverse the electrifying history of the franchise. What could be a more fitting way to relive the rollercoaster rides than by reviewing the movies based on their IMDb ratings?

7.Mission: Impossible II (2000)

IMDb Rating: 6.1/10

Mission: Impossible II is a 2000 spy film directed by John Woo and starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent who must retrieve a deadly virus before it falls into the wrong hands. The film also stars Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Dougray Scott, and Anthony Hopkins.

The film opens with Hunt and his team infiltrating a heavily guarded bioweapons facility in Russia. They are successful in retrieving the virus, but Hunt is forced to leave behind his partner, Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Newton).

Nyah is later revealed to be working for the film’s villain, Sean Ambrose (Scott), who is planning to release the virus in Los Angeles. Hunt must team up with her to stop Ambrose and save the city.

Additional details:

• The cliffside climb scene in the Swiss Alps was inspired by a scene from the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
• The film’s score was composed by Hans Zimmer, who also composed the scores for the first Mission: Impossible film and the following four films in the franchise.
• Mission: Impossible II was the first film in the franchise to be rated PG-13
• The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $546 million worldwide.
• The motorcycle chase scene in Sydney was filmed in real time, with Cruise performing all of his own stunts.

6.Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

IMDb Rating: 6.7/10

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is a 2015 spy film directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent who must stop a rogue IMF organization from starting a global war. The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Sean Harris.

The film opens with Hunt and his team being framed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin. They are disavowed by the IMF and forced to go rogue in order to clear their names and stop the real terrorists.

Hunt and his team track down the leader of the rogue IMF organization, Solomon Lane (Harris), and they must race against time to stop him from detonating a nuclear bomb in London.

Additional details:

• The film’s title was originally going to be Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol 2.
• The film’s villain, Solomon Lane, was originally going to be played by Michael Fassbender.
• The film’s score was composed by Joe Kraemer, who would go on to score the next two Mission: Impossible films.
• The film’s opening sequence, which features Hunt and his team jumping out of an airplane, was filmed in Norway.
• The film’s car chase sequence was filmed in Vienna.
• The film’s final scene, which features Hunt and Ilsa Faust (Ferguson) escaping from London, was filmed in the United Kingdom.
• The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $791 million worldwide.

5.Mission: Impossible III (2006)

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

Mission: Impossible III is a 2006 spy film directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent who must prevent a terrorist attack on the Vatican. The film also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, and Billy Crudup.

The film opens with Hunt retiring from the IMF after a failed mission. However, he is called back into action when his mentor, Jim Phelps (Rhames), is kidnapped by Owen Davian (Hoffman), a terrorist who is planning to attack the Vatican.

Hunt must team up with his new partner, Julia Meade (Monaghan), to stop Davian and save the Vatican. The film culminates in a high-stakes chase through the streets of Rome.

Additional details:

• The film’s title was originally going to be Mission: Impossible – Redemption.
• The film’s villain, Owen Davian, was originally going to be played by Sean Penn.
• The film’s score was composed by Michael Giacchino, who would go on to score the next five Mission: Impossible films.
• The film’s opening sequence, which features Hunt scaling the Burj Khalifa, was filmed in Dubai over the course of two weeks.
• The film’s HALO jump sequence was filmed in Iceland.
• The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $392 million worldwide.

4.Mission: Impossible (1996)

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is a member of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF), a top-secret government agency that specializes in high-risk missions. When a mission to retrieve the “NOC List”, a database of undercover agents, goes wrong, Hunt is framed for treason and must clear his name.

Hunt tracks down the real mole, IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), and learns that Ambrose plans to sell the NOC List to a terrorist organization. Hunt must race against time to stop Ambrose and prevent the NOC List from falling into the wrong hands.

Additional details:

• The screenplay was written by David Koepp, who also wrote the screenplays for Jurassic Park and Spider-Man.
• The film stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, along with Emmanuelle Béart, Ving Rhames, Jon Voight, and Henry Czerny.
• The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $457 million worldwide.
• The film was directed by Brian De Palma, who is known for his work on films such as Scarface and The Untouchables.

3.Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a 2011 spy film directed by Brad Bird and starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent who must clear his name and prevent a terrorist attack on the Kremlin after he and his team are framed for the bombing. The film also stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, and Michael Nyqvist.

The film opens with Hunt and his team infiltrating the Kremlin to steal a file containing the identities of all active IMF agents. However, the mission goes wrong and the team is forced to flee, leaving the file behind.

The file is later found by Russian terrorist Solomon Lane (Nyqvist), who uses it to launch a series of attacks on IMF facilities around the world. Hunt and his team must clear their names and stop Lane before he can carry out his plan.

Additional details:

• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $694 million worldwide
• The film’s villain, Solomon Lane, was inspired by the real-life terrorist Abu Zubaydah.
• The film’s score was composed by Michael Giacchino, who would go on to score the next three Mission: Impossible films.
• The film’s opening sequence, which features Hunt and his team infiltrating the Kremlin, was filmed in Budapest over the course of three weeks.
• The film’s final scene, which features Hunt and his team escaping from a burning skyscraper, was filmed in Dubai.

2.Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a 2018 spy film directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent who must prevent a nuclear attack after a mission goes wrong. The film also stars Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Angela Bassett.

The film opens with Hunt and his team retrieving three plutonium cores from a terrorist group in Berlin. However, the mission goes wrong when the team is ambushed and two of the cores are stolen. Hunt is then tasked with retrieving the remaining cores and preventing them from being used in a nuclear attack.

Additional details:

• The film’s title was inspired by the real-life Operation Chaos, a CIA operation that was launched in response to the September 11 attacks.
• The film’s villain, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), was introduced in the previous film, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
• The film’s score was composed by Lorne Balfe, who has also scored the previous three Mission: Impossible films.
• The film’s HALO jump sequence was filmed in Norway.
• The film’s motorcycle chase sequence was filmed in Paris.
• The film’s free-fall sequence was filmed in Dubai.
• The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $791 million worldwide.

1.Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is a thrilling 2023 spy film directed by the masterful Christopher McQuarrie. It features the indomitable Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent tasked with averting global catastrophes. The film also boasts a star-studded cast including Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, and Henry Czerny,the film has set a new benchmark. Smashing records, Dead Reckoning Part One has claimed the highest franchise opening at the box office, raking in a remarkable $80M

Picking up from the seismic events of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the film sees Hunt and his team navigating through the aftermath of their previous mission. With the weight of the world on their shoulders, they now confront a new peril that threatens to wreak havoc on an unprecedented scale. With the eagerly-awaited Part Two set to premiere on June 28, 2024, it remains to be seen if Hunt and his team can maintain their momentum and tackle this ominous threat.

Additional details:

• The film’s budget is estimated to be $290 million, making it the most expensive film in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
• The music for the film is composed by Lorne Balfe
• The cinematography is done by Fraser Taggart, and the editing is handled by Eddie Hamilton
• The film is distributed by Paramount Pictures