Mission: Impossible, the iconic brand that first aired on CBS, was brought to the big screen thirty years later with Tom Cruise leading the charge under Paramount Pictures. In the 17 years since, Cruise has led the series through six espionage films and helped it generate $3.5 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful action franchises ever.
The initial instalment of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning will be released on July 12, 2023. If you need a refresher on the series, now is the time to rewatch all of the Mission: Impossible films in order. If you don’t know the difference between Rogue Nations and Ghost Protocols, bookmark this page so you can always locate the Mission: Impossible sequence.
Since the seventh and eighth MI films, MI – Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two, are short to be released, we’ve compiled a list of every Mission: Impossible film in chronological order, without spoilers so that you can view or rewatch them in the correct order.
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Mission: Impossible (1996)
The Genesis of everything. Mission: Impossible was based on the popular 1966-1973 television series of the same name. Tom Cruise portrayed the action hero Ethan Hunt, an American intelligence agent who must prove his innocence following the inexplicable deaths of several members of his IMF (Impossible Mission Force) team. Brian De Palma directs the first instalment of the series, and Ving Rhames, who has appeared in every other episode, portrays Luther.
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
John Woo, a renowned action director, continues where Brian De Palma left off. This film is comparable to Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious in its slickness and intensity. Thandie Newton, a skilled criminal, must steal information from her ex-boyfriend, who possesses a biological weapon, and give it to Hunt.
Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)
In M: I 3, Ethan falls in love with Michelle Monaghan’s character Julia Meade. Julia becomes entangled in Ethan’s espionage activity, which involves retrieving a bioweapon.
Ving Rhames returns as Ethan’s dependable colleague Luther. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Keri Russell, Simon Pegg, and Laurence Fishburne round out the ensemble.
MI III was the first feature-length film directed by J.J. Abrams. He was responsible for producing the sole film in the series.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt and his team, composed of Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton, go rogue when the IMF is shut down due to a botched Kremlin explosives attempt.
Even though there were some excellent action sequences in M: I films before the fourth instalment, this is when Cruise went all out. Who could forget him ascending the Burj Khalifa in Dubai wearing only high-tech gloves? The creator of The Iron Giant, Brad Bird, is in command of Ghost Protocol. In the film, Léa Seydoux portrays a serial murderer.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Christopher McQuarrie, the director of the first four Jack Reacher films, will return to helm the fifth instalment, Dead Reckoning: Part Two. He will oversee the series until its conclusion. As with the rest of the series, McQuarrie is known for high-tech, high-suspense sequences, such as the one in this film where Hunt and his team encounter former MI6 spy Ilsa Faust behind the Vienna opera.
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Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
The most recent Mission Impossible film performed well with audiences and critics. According to IGN’s review, the primary attraction of Fallout is “Tom Cruise doing his death-defying thing.”
The Syndicate returns in Fallout under the name The Apostles. Henry Cavill’s August Walker is sent with Ethan Hunt to retrieve three plutonium cores to prevent the detonation of three nuclear weapons.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, the first of a two-part film, will be released in theatres on July 12, 2023. It is a sequel to MI: Fallout, so the plot and release schedule remains on track. Here is what Paramount has to say about the film:
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team undertake their most dangerous mission to date in MI – Dead Reckoning, Part 1. They must locate a terrifying new weapon that endangers all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. As the fate of the planet hangs in the balance and malevolent forces from Ethan’s past close in, a perilous race around the globe commences. When a peculiar, all-powerful foe confronts Ethan, he must consider that nothing is more important than his mission, not even the lives of those he adores.
FAQs
Do you have to watch the “Mission: Impossible” movies in order?
Some may argue that you can view them in any order, but this is incorrect. Each film builds on the previous one in unexpected and thrilling ways. “Fallout” and the two new films represent the conclusion of everything that came before. Even “MI 2,” which is arguably the most tedious instalment in the franchise, has paid off in entertaining ways, such as after “Fallout” (no spoilers).
Is Dead Reckoning Part 2 the last one?
Christopher McQuarrie told Fandango in June 2023 that Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Parts 1 and 2 were not the end of the series and that concepts for additional episodes were being developed.
Why is MI 7 so expensive?
The price shot up with each movie because the cast and crew continued to work. Set pieces that cost a lot of money and necessitated closing down large portions of cities, such as a large action scene during Carnival in Venice, were repeatedly postponed and reshot.
What Mission Impossible has the highest budget?
$290,000,000 for the first Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1
With so much to display, the price of Dead Reckoning Part 1 skyrocketed to a staggering $290 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made.