In my four part series on Tom Cruise’s filmography, I mentioned that the Mission: Impossible franchise deserved an entry of its own. Well, the time has come. In this three part series, I will explore the production, examine the cultural impact, and share my thoughts on each installment in the series from the 1996 original to 2025’s The Final Reckoning. Before we go any further, I should warn you, there are possible spoilers ahead. With that out of the way, let’s get started.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Director: Brian De Palma
When discussing Cruise’s filmography, it was hard not to bring up the franchise — particularly the first installment. The original Mission film marked a pivotal point in Cruise’s career, as it was his first outing as a producer. Paramount, which owned the rights to the 1960s TV series, had been trying to develop a feature adaptation for years without success. Cruise, a longtime fan of the show, thought it would be the perfect inaugural project for his newly launched production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions (founded with partner Paula Wagner).
Cruise and Wagner convinced Paramount to invest $70 million and began developing a story with filmmaker Sydney Pollack. While having dinner with Steven Spielberg, Cruise was introduced to Brian De Palma and left convinced that De Palma was the man for the job. After rewatching his filmography, Cruise offered him the position, which De Palma accepted. Dissatisfied with the existing script, De Palma brought in a rotating group of screenwriters, including Steve Zaillian, David Koepp, and Robert Towne. Ultimately, Koepp and Towne did most of the rewriting.
The film went into pre-production without a finished script — something that would become a recurring theme in the franchise. De Palma and Cruise designed the action sequences first, and the writers were tasked with shaping a story around them. Towne established the basic story arc, while De Palma and Koepp refined the plot and dialogue. Notable set pieces included the shattering fish tanks, the iconic vault heist at CIA Headquarters in Langley, and the finale aboard the TGV, France’s high-speed railway. TGV initially denied permission to film, but Cruise eventually won them over.
The movie follows Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent who, after the death of his entire team, must find a mole within the agency. He joins forces with Claire (Emmanuelle Béart), the widow of team leader Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), along with disavowed agents Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Franz Krieger (Jean Reno), to uncover the identity of a mysterious buyer known as Max (Vanessa Redgrave) and expose the traitor. Meanwhile, Ethan becomes the prime suspect and is disavowed by his superior, Eugene Kittridge.
Released on May 22, 1996, Mission: Impossible became the first film to open in more than 3,000 theaters and broke the Wednesday box office record previously held by Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It grossed $457.6 million worldwide. While reviews were mixed, they leaned positive. Critics praised the action but found the plot confusing. The most vocal critics were cast members from the original TV series, including Peter Graves, who disapproved of the villainous portrayal of Phelps.
Watching the film in 2025, it’s a bit of a culture shock to see what passed for state-of-the-art technology back then — from clunky cell phones and floppy disks to early MacBooks and the primitive internet. Apple, which had recently reported a $700 million loss, contributed $15 million in marketing to improve its brand image by featuring its computers in the film. The tech is now charmingly outdated — a perfect time capsule.
Cheesy tech aside, the film was… fine. I agree that the plot can be hard to follow at times, but I was never totally lost. The action sequences were definitely a highlight. You could tell much of it was green-screened, but it was still engaging — even enthralling. The most iconic sequence is the Langley vault heist, where Ethan is suspended from the ceiling to avoid motion and temperature sensors. The most famous moment? When Krieger slips, leaving Ethan dangling inches above the floor.
Knowing what comes next in the series, I was struck by how relatively simple this movie is. It’s much more focused on story than spectacle. There are only a couple of big action scenes, no shootouts, and Ethan never even fires a gun. The direction is stylish but restrained. In hindsight, I’d describe most of the film as a bit dull. It’s not bad — it just didn’t grip me the way later entries would.
My Ranking #7 out of 8
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Director: John Woo
After the success of the first film, a sequel was inevitable. The first big question was: who would direct? Rumors circulated that Cruise and De Palma had a falling out, especially after De Palma backed out of publicity duties. Cruise claimed that he always intended each film to have a different director. For M:I-2, he tapped John Woo, the action maestro behind Broken Arrow and Face/Off.
This film is almost the antithesis of the original. Nobody can deny the film has style — Woo brings his signature flair to the franchise — but unfortunately, it’s often cited (by fans and myself) as the weakest entry. It’s all style over substance.
The plot follows Ethan Hunt as he teams up with professional thief Nyah Hall (Thandiwe Newton) to recover a genetically engineered virus called Chimera from rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), who also happens to be Nyah’s ex.
From the start, production was plagued with delays. Shooting was supposed to begin in mid-1997, but Cruise was still filming Eyes Wide Shut with Stanley Kubrick — a shoot that famously lasted over 400 days, the longest continuous production on record. Filming didn’t begin until 1999.
A fun bit of trivia: Dougray Scott was originally cast as Wolverine in X-Men, but due to delays on M:I-2, he had to drop out. Fox ended up casting an unknown Australian actor named Hugh Jackman instead. So in a roundabout way, we have Kubrick’s perfectionism to thank for Jackman’s career as Wolverine.
Released on May 24, 2000, the film received mixed reviews. Like the first one, it was criticized for its thin plot and character work, but Woo’s direction and action style were praised. According to IMDb trivia (take that for what it’s worth), Woo’s original cut ran three and a half hours, but Paramount demanded a shorter runtime, which may explain the narrative gaps. In 2020, Newton discussed the infamous balcony sequence and how difficult it was to shoot. Cruise, under pressure to top the first film, tried his hardest to fix what wasn’t working. Newton said, “He tried his damndest to make it work.”
Though I criticized the film for prioritizing style over substance, I have to admit something: I haven’t seen Broken Arrow, and I barely remember Face/Off, but I’m aware of Woo’s signature techniques. His slow-motion shootouts and acrobatic fight choreography lend a visceral energy to the action. The final fight between Ethan and Ambrose is particularly brutal. While Ethan ultimately kills Ambrose with a gun, most of their confrontation is hand-to-hand — possibly making this the most violent installment. In fact, the film was initially rated R for violence before edits brought it down to PG-13. The stylized “gun-fu” sequences reminded me of a tamer John Wick.
Cruise, as usual, did most of his own stunts — even going as far as lying to the insurance company. In the final fight, he insisted on using a real knife, carefully rigged to stop just a quarter inch from his eyeball. The film’s standout stunt comes in the opening credits, when Ethan is shown rock climbing without ropes. While Cruise wore a harness and wire (digitally removed in post), it was still incredibly dangerous. Woo didn’t want him to do it, fearing for his life — and the potential fallout — but Cruise insisted.
A few last thoughts: I believe this is the only Mission film where Ethan isn’t disavowed at some point. I appreciated that Cruise and company tried to differentiate this film from the original. While the rotating director approach would end after the fifth film when Christopher McQuarrie became the franchise’s de facto creative lead, I liked the ambition behind the idea. That said, this entry is the weakest. Thankfully, the only place to go from here was up.
My ranking: #8 out of 8
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Director: JJ Abrams
We’ve now reached the final installment in this post: Mission: Impossible III. It’s easily the strongest of the first three films.
The story finds Ethan Hunt retired from field duty, now training new IMF recruits. He’s engaged to Julia (Michelle Monaghan) and trying to lead a normal life — until he’s pulled back in to rescue his protégé (Keri Russell) from a botched mission. This puts him on a collision course with arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
With six years between M:I-2 and M:I-3, this was the longest gap between installments at the time — just edging out the five-year gaps between M:I-3 and Ghost Protocol, and later, Fallout and Dead Reckoning. The long delay was caused by several false starts with different directors and cast members.
Development began back in 2002 with David Fincher attached to direct, aiming for a 2004 release. Fincher dropped out over “creative differences” and moved on to Zodiac. Joe Carnahan was then hired and began working with a cast that included Kenneth Branagh, Scarlett Johansson, and Carrie-Anne Moss. That version would’ve featured Branagh playing a Timothy McVeigh–style villain, but Carnahan also left after clashing with Cruise.
After binge-watching the first two seasons of Alias, Cruise was impressed with J.J. Abrams and gave him the opportunity to make his feature directorial debut. Production was delayed another year due to Abrams’ TV commitments (Alias and Lost), which gave Cruise time to film War of the Worlds with Spielberg. Eventually, Branagh, Moss, and Johansson left the project, and Philip Seymour Hoffman stepped in as Davian. Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, and Simon Pegg also joined the cast, along with Maggie Q, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and returning franchise staple Ving Rhames.
I mentioned earlier that each Mission film has one iconic stunt sequence, but this might be the exception. The bridge escape and the rooftop sequence in Shanghai are exciting, but they aren’t as memorable as the Langley vault heist or the rock climbing in M:I-2. What sticks with me most is the in media res opening — Davian threatening to kill Julia while Ethan, beaten and desperate, watches helplessly. It’s a striking way to kick things off.
I also remember the cinematography. This is, in my opinion, the best-looking film of the original trilogy. Abrams and DP Dan Mindel give the film a vibrant color palette that elevates the visuals beyond anything we’d seen in the series to that point.
The plot itself is serviceable. It’s propelled by a standard MacGuffin — the mysterious “Rabbit’s Foot,” which is never explained. That doesn’t bother me too much; it’s the character arcs that matter more. Ethan’s relationship with Julia adds emotional depth. As Davian, Hoffman delivers a terrifying performance. He’s not a complex villain — just an arms dealer — but Hoffman’s calm menace makes him truly unsettling. His restrained performance makes his rare outbursts all the more effective. Later villains, like Solomon Lane, might have longer arcs, but Hoffman leaves a stronger impression in a single film.
While M:I-3 still isn’t peak franchise, it marks the beginning of a crucial turning point. Two new additions would help shape the series moving forward — one behind the camera and one in front. Though Abrams didn’t return to direct, he stayed on as a producer and helped guide the franchise through its next evolution. The other key addition is Benji, played by Simon Pegg. He only appears in two scenes here as the IMF’s IT guy, but he would go on to become a fan favorite and a core member of Ethan’s team alongside Luther.
This is the only film for Crudup, Fishburne, Maggie Q, and Rhys Meyers. But Benji and Luther would go on to appear in every film thereafter, taking on more prominent roles each time.
The movie earned the best reviews in the franchise to date, though critics weren’t exactly blown away. It grossed nearly $400 million off a $186 million budget — not a bomb, but less than Paramount had hoped. Combined with Cruise’s increasingly erratic public behavior, the disappointing box office prompted Paramount to temporarily cut ties with him. Eventually, fences were mended, and Cruise returned to continue the franchise.
One reason I group the first three films together is that they all feel like mid-tier spy thrillers. They’re fun, but not exceptional. The other reason? Starting with Ghost Protocol, the jump in quality is massive. It took three movies for the series to find its voice — and it only gets better from here.
My Rating: #6 out of 8