The Best and Worst Mission: Impossible Movies, Ranked

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible – Fallout
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in 'Mission Impossible – Fallout' | © Paramount Pictures and Skydance

Editorial Manager

To celebrate the release of the sixth Mission: Impossible film, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Culture Trip ranks the franchise’s instalments from worst to best and picks out the most impressive stunts from Ethan Hunt and the team.

‘Mission: Impossible’ films, ranked from worst to best

Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Thandie Newton and Dougray Scott in ‘Mission: Impossible II’

Widely regarded as the worst film in the Mission: Impossible series, the sequel is rightly lambasted for being far too inconsequential in comparison to the original. It seems director John Woo chose style over substance.

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CentralAmerica

GORGEOUS GUATEMALA

Gorgeous Guatemala

5 days . Mini
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1. Guatemala

An express adventure for those with limited time off. Prepare yourself incredible experiences. You will hike a volcano, visit mayan temples and witness a ceremony and take in beautiful colonial Antigua.

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CentralAmerica

BEACHY BELIZE

Beachy Belize

5 days . Mini
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2. Belize

A quick trip not too far away for those seeking a relaxing mini break. You will have plenty of free time to relax but also some awesome activities to experience the rainforest and the caribbean sea.
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CentralAmerica

COLONIAL MEXICO

Colonial Mexico

5 days . Mini
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3. Mexico

An exciting mini trip exploring the lesser known colonial towns of central Mexico. This is hte perfect trip for someone with limited time off and still wants to turn on explorer mode and do something different.
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SouthAmerica

ADVENTUROUS ECUADOR

Adventurous Ecuador

8 days . Epic
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1. Ecuador

A remarkable 8 days adventure through the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. The best choice for adventure seekers wishing to visit the 2 most iconic areas of South America, in only 1 week and no flights.

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SouthAmerica

ANCIENT PERU

Ancient Peru

9 days . Epic
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2. Peru

An alternative itinerary to classic Peru, from Cusco to Arequipa. This itinerary is great combination of highlights Cusco and Machu Picchu with the lesser known Arequipa and Colca Canyon.
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Europe

SEDUCTIVE SOUTHERN ITALY

Seductive Southern Italy

10 days . Epic
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1. Italy

The ultimate Italian experience from the vibrant streets of Naples to the breathtaking sceneries of the Amalfi Coast followed by Matera and down to Puglia with its golden beaches, intense flavours and fascinating destinations.

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Europe

EDINBURGH AND THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS BY TRAIN

Edinburgh And The Scottish Highlands By Train

7 days . Culture
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2. Scotland

Embark on this great adventure starting from London all the way to Scotland with a true Scottish experience made of breathtaking sceneries, whisky tasting and ..lots of fun! Ideal for train lovers and explorers.
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Europe

COMPLETE PORTUGAL BY TRAIN

Complete Portugal By Train

8 days . Culture
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3. Portugal

A wonderful train journey around Portugal, from the romantic city of Porto to the Douro Valley, to the beautiful Aveiro all the way to Lisbon and Sintra. The perfect trip to train, culinary and culture lovers.
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Asia

SOULFUL SOUTH KOREA

Soulful South Korea

10 days . Epic
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1. South Korea

Discover incredible temples, mountains and modern cities on this 10 day adventure. This trip is perfect for those seeking immersion in the cuisine, culture and natural wonders of South Korea.

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Asia

THAILAND, CAMBODIA & VIETNAM

Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam

11 days . Epic
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2. Thailand

From Bankgok to Angkor Wat to Ho Chi Minh City and everything in between - adventure through the heart of South-East Asia. Taste the delights, see history brought to life and unwind on a Mekong River cruise.
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Asia

SECRETS OF SRI LANKA BY TRAIN

Secrets Of Sri Lanka By Train

10 days . Culture
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3. Sri Lanka

A fantastic adventure that showcases Sri Lanka's fantastic landscapes, wildlife and flavours. With 3 epic rail journeys, 3 UNESCO heritage sites and time to relax, this trip has loads to offer at a great price
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Africa

EPIC MOROCCO

Epic Morocco

11 days . Epic
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1. Morocco

An epic journey across Morocco: from Casablanca to Marrakech, through the blue city of Chefchaouen to the wonders of the desert and deep to the High Atlas Mountains - this trip has it all! Ideal for true explorers!

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Africa

ULTIMATE EGYPT

Ultimate Egypt

9 days . Epic
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2. Egypt

From Cairo to Aswan, this trip brings the land of the pharaohs to life. You'll visit the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple and cruise down the Nile in style. This is the perfect way to explore Egypt.
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Africa

IMMERSIVE KENYA

Immersive Kenya

8 days . Epic
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3. Kenya

An immersive blend of culture and wildlife for first time travelers to Africa. Learn about Nairobi, sample local coffee in the Aberdares and finish up with a fantastic safari stay in the Masai Mara.
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On the plus side, the opening sequence, which sees Tom Cruise free climbing up Dead Horse Point in Utah, established a franchise trademark. Cruise was willing to hurl himself into almost any scenario in search of authenticity and, as we’re about to see, things only got more extreme.

You might also like: The Best and Worst Pixar Movies, Ranked

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’

Everyone seems to love the latest instalment of Mission: Impossible, but Culture Trip wasn’t convinced by Christopher McQuarrie’s follow up to Ghost Protocol.

Wouldn’t it have been great if the script had been tweaked to account for the broken ankle Cruise acquired while filming Fallout? (The actor hit his foot jumping from one roof to another for a stunt). This real-life injury would have instilled the situation with jeopardy had it been incorporated into the fictional storyline. It may even have forced our hero to adopt a more cerebral approach for the rest of the film, adding depth and variety to an otherwise one-dimensional film. Instead, we see Hunt carry on unimpeded, maintaining his reputation as an unrealistically indestructible force.

The protagonist’s durability in Fallout is bizarre even within the overly macho confines of the Mission: Impossible world. Hunt crashes helicopters, is involved in high-speed motorbike crashes, free falls from great heights and beats up several assassins without breaking a sweat.

The trailer for McQuarrie’s film (which actually features several scenes that don’t make it into the movie proper) hints at the return of characters from the past, but these only serve to provide Hunt with closure and add a layer of moral infallibility to his character too. Fallout is visually impressive, but it’s shallow plot line keeps it from matching up to the best films in the franchise.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’

Try as we might, we can’t remember the villain from this instalment. In fact, we’re struggling to recall the plot details too. Producers at the time were lining up co-star Jeremy Renner to take over the lead role as the head of the IMF initiative, but we were never convinced this would happen.

The Incredibles (2004) director Brad Bird took the audience on a fanciful tour of some spectacular locations, and this fourth film in the series was the first to explicitly sell itself on the many risks Cruise was willing to take to get the perfect shot. The actor had done a number of his own stunts in the past, but here it was actually part of the marketing.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible III’

Much grittier than Mission: Impossible II, the franchise’s third film was made by JJ Abrams prior to his Star Wars adventures. We join Hunt in apparent semi-retirement, happily married and settled into an ordinary life… until duty calls. The McGuffin of the movie is the fabled Rabbit’s Foot, but the real antagonist is the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who is superb as the chillingly calculated Owen Davian.

The team around Cruise is a little unnecessary here. The film would have worked much better as a personal battle between Hunt and Davian.

Mission: Impossible (1997)

Tom Cruise in the original ‘Mission: Impossible’

The original film that kick started the billion-dollar franchise was released at a time when TV remakes were all the rage in Hollywood. Where films such as The Saint (1997) and Lost in Space (1998) failed to deliver, the all-action twists and turns of this Brian De Palma effort were able to convey the spirit of the small-screen series while adding in a dash of big-budget glamour.

Aside from a nonsensical (yet admittedly thrilling) climax involving a helicopter careering through the Eurotunnel, the script added tension via some excellently crafted set pieces. The heist portion of the movie, which sees Cruise dangle precariously from a harness while hacking into a government computer, remains one of the most-spoofed scenes in cinema history.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’

The Mission: Impossible formula was perfected in its fifth instalment. The stunts were outrageously good, the twists were enthralling and the cast all pitched in to elevate Cruise’s Ethan Hunt to a level he had never attained before.

The obvious highlight is the opening sequence, which sees the star hanging off the side of a plane as it takes off with stomach-churning velocity. At first, the stunt seemed like a great piece of computer trickery, but it was later revealed that Cruise did the stunt for real. Even looking at still images from the movie is enough to make one feel slightly queasy with fear.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is on general release from 25 July.

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