Since 1996, the Mission: Impossible movies have become more than just an action franchise — they have become a pop culture phenomenon full of twisty plots, death-defying stunts, and heart-warming friendships. All eight movies follow a different mission that American super-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must accomplish to save his loved ones, or even the whole world!

The last movie, Final Reckoning, came out a few weeks ago and wrapped up his story in a satisfying way. However, it shed a new light on some of the franchise's previous installments. This begs the question: which Mission: Impossible movie is truly the best?

8. Mission: Impossible 2

The second installment in the Mission: Impossible saga is by no means a bad action movie, it just pales in comparison to the rest of the films. This movie sees protagonist Ethan Hunt sent to Sydney to destroy a genetically engineered weapon called Chimera.

While exciting at times, this movie seems overly formulaic for this often innovative series. Not to mention, the female lead, Nyah (Thandiwe Newton), has very little agency and seems to only exist for Ethan to save her.

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7. Mission: Impossible 3

Directed by JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias), Mission: Impossible 3 felt more like a drawn-out TV pilot than an action movie. Nevertheless, it was full of the franchise's signature action as Ethan Hunt clashed with arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

This movie also introduced several key characters, such as technician and field agent Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) who would later become one of Ethan's best friends, and Julia Meade (Michelle Monaghan), Ethan's ill-fated fiancée. Focusing more on character development that plot, this movie was less memorable than its successors.

6. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation

Rogue Nation, the fifth Mission: Impossible entry, saw the closure of the Impossible Missions Force that had drove the previous installments. Ethan Hunt, now on the run from the CIA, had to prove the existence of a powerful criminal organisation called the Syndicate without the backing of his agency.

Ethan also seemed to meet his match for the first time in Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed MI6 agent forced to collaborate with him. Arguably the funniest Mission: Impossible movie, this film was a true thrill ride, but did not leave a lasting impact on the saga.

5. Mission: Impossible — Fallout

Mission: Impossible — Fallout had a lot going on: working out the morality of Agent Walker (Henry Cavill) and the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby), simultaneously detonating plutonium bombs around the world, Ethan's reunion with his estranged fiancée.

Despite incredible plot twists, jaw-dropping stunts, and dark humour, Fallout was sometimes difficult to follow because it simply had too much going on. A slightly simpler story would have heightened the impact of tense situations since the audience could be truly immersed in the movie instead of being mildly confused.

Regardless, it is an incredibly entertaining movie with unforgettable sequences like the Parisian motorcycle chase, the climactic helicopter chase, and fighting while skydiving!

4. Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning

The conclusion to the Mission: Impossible franchise was equally satisfying and exciting. This film saw friends and foes new and old reuniting to help Ethan Hunt fight against the Entity, a powerful AI weapon with plans to take over the world.

Tom Cruise truly outdid himself in this movie, setting the Guinness World Record for the most burning parachute jumps by an individual (16!), holding his breath for six-and-a-half minutes in a daring underwater stunt, and dangling off the wing of a bi-plane!

Many people criticised this movie's nearly three-hour runtime, saying that the expository flashbacks to previous movies could have easily been cut. While this is somewhat true, it only makes the ending more impactful for the main characters we have known for so long.

3. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol

In Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt and his team are disavowed after being falsely accused of bombing the Kremlin. They are forced to invoke Ghost Protocol, a contingency for if the Impossible Missions Force fails.

The antics required for the protagonists to prove their innocence are nothing short of heart-pounding, particularly the sequence when Tom Cruise actually climbed the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building).

What made this movie stand out from the rest was that, instead of being Ethan Hunt-centric, it focused on the four agents impacted by the Kremlin bombing: Ethan Hunt, Benji Dunn, Jane Carter (Paula Patton), and William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who would be a major character in future installments.

2. Mission: Impossible

When the first Mission: Impossible movie came out in 1996, it introduced audiences to the world of Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt, full of death-defying stunts, audacious face reveals, and seemingly impossible missions to accomplish!

After tragically losing their entire team in an operation gone wrong, Ethan Hunt and his mentor Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) must prove their loyalty and find out who was responsible for the death of their fellow agents.

The most memorable scene in this film was undoubtedly the CIA vault break-in, which has gone down as one of the most pivotal sequences in the entire franchise! This movie's signature wit, twists, and action have shaped three decades of Mission: Impossible movies, building a loyal fanbase around the franchise.

1. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning

The only film that can beat the original is Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, the penultimate movie. This film saw Ethan Hunt begin his fight against the Entity, a dangerously sentient AI, while evading capture by the CIA and uncovering secrets about his past.

Numerous sequences made this installment superior to the rest, such as Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff and somehow managing to land on a moving train! It also revitalised the often cliché car chase by having two characters handcuffed to each other during the chase.

Above all else, this film seamlessly introduced new, complicated characters like pickpocket Grace (Hayley Atwell) and deadly assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff) with legacy characters, including Luther (Ving Rhames) and Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny). It is the most insanely rewatchable, incredibly tense movie in the series.

Image Credit: Paramount Pictures from Wikimedia Commons

In summary, the Mission: Impossible movies have revolutionized the world of action movies and made numerous actors into action stars.

Now: your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pick your personal favourite Mission: Impossible movie. Thankfully, this article will not self-destruct in five seconds.