The ultimate ranking of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible movies (so far)

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It’s the film franchise that, two decades ago, everyone thought was dead in the water.

The big-screen adaptation of a beloved 1960s television series that has carved out its own path and created its own army of fans.

A box-office behemoth, thanks largely to its boundary-pushing stuntwork, usually carried out by its main man – Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt has faced many perils – and sported many hairstyles – during the Mission: Impossible series of movies.

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Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt has faced many perils – and sported many hairstyles – during the Mission: Impossible series of movies.

Ahead of the seventh and potentially penultimate instalment Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One hitting Kiwi cinemas this weekend, Stuff to Watch takes a look back at the existing sextet of stories to provide the ultimate ranking of Ethan Hunt’s big screen adventures so far.

Tom Cruise sometimes looked a little lost among the slo-mo and flowing locks that dominated Mission: Impossible II.

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Tom Cruise sometimes looked a little lost among the slo-mo and flowing locks that dominated Mission: Impossible II.

6. Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Cruise’s attempts to establish Hunt’s character were overshadowed by THAT hairdo, the polarising slo-mo stylings of Hong Kong director John Woo and an unconvincing villain in the shape of Dougray Scott’s rogue Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent Sean Ambrose.

It all feels a like a sub-par Brosnan-era Bond (a series which itself was running on fumes at the time), as Hunt teamed up with professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandiwe Newton) to track down her former lover Ambrose and wrest a genetically modified disease from his grasp.

Sydney looks great though and it’s nice to remember there was once a movie that featured Richard Roxburgh, Brendan Gleeson and Rade Serbedzija.

Mission: Impossible contains some sequences that are still memorable more than 25 years on.

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Mission: Impossible contains some sequences that are still memorable more than 25 years on.

5. Mission: Impossible (1996)

Aimed at staying true to the spirit of the original series, Brian De Palma’s high-octane spy thriller suffered a little from an over-reliance on rubber masks and a conceit that felt like a rip-off of Harrison Ford’s highly successful fellow ‘60s TV adaptation The Fugitive three years earlier.

Cruise’s Hunt has to go on the lam after he’s framed for the murders of his team-mates.

Despite its flaws, it does boast some memorable set pieces (the vault descent, the train) and an ensemble that also includes Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave and Jean Reno.

Cruise gets up close and personal with Michelle Monaghan in Mission: Impossible III.

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Cruise gets up close and personal with Michelle Monaghan in Mission: Impossible III.

4. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Although Tom Cruise’s off-screen antics (especially the couch jumping) threatened to overshadow J.J. Abrams’ attempts to reset the series (which included bringing in Simon Pegg as the series’ Q/comedic-relief), audiences were won over by an excellent supporting cast, including Keri Russell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup and Michelle Monaghan.

Having retired from active duty, Cruise’s Hunt finds himself drawn back into the fray to take on a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer (Hoffman), who has not only threatened his life, but also that of his fiancée (Monaghan).

Hunt is forced to go to great lengths – and heights – to clear his name in Ghost Protocol.

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Hunt is forced to go to great lengths – and heights – to clear his name in Ghost Protocol.

3. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Former prince of Pixar Brad Bird brought the verve and invention that made The Incredibles such a hit to this fourth outing, which set the tone for future instalments.

Shut down after being publicly implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Cruise’s Hunt and his team have to eschew backup or resources in a last-ditch effort to clear their names.

Bangalore, Mumbai, Budapest, Moscow and Dubai are among the locations, while Lea Seydoux, Michael Nyqvist, Josh Holloway and Anil Kapoor feature as part of a truly international cast.

Cruise teamed-up with Rebecca Ferguson for the first time in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

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Cruise teamed-up with Rebecca Ferguson for the first time in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

2. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

Having established a pattern of wanton brinkmanship and total disregard for public safety, CIA chief Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) wants the IMF shut down. That leaves Hunt stranded in the field, having been on the trail of shadowy organisation for more than a year.

When a close encounter leaves him bloodied, he’s only saved by a mysterious woman (Rebecca Ferguson) who appears to have actually infiltrated the mysterious “syndicate”.

Perhaps the closest match to the tone of the original TV show, this globetrotting tale takes in Belarus, Austria, Morocco and Britain, with set pieces involving planes, bikes and a breathtaking underwater heist.

Cruise clearly enjoyed his time hanging around New Zealand’s South Island while filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

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Cruise clearly enjoyed his time hanging around New Zealand’s South Island while filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

1. Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018)

Opening with a wedding in the shadow of Mitre Peak and ending with a thrilling, extended helicopter pursuit through the Southern Alps, there’s a lot for Kiwis to cheer in the most recent Mission.

This time around, Ethan Hunt and his crew are on the trail of The Apostles, who are looking to acquire some plutonium with a view to creating nuclear chaos and destroying the current world order.

Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett and Henry Cavill joined in on the fun.

Sure the plot may be old hat, stolen from any number of 1990s action-thrillers, but with so much double-crossing, dastardly deeds and breathtaking stunt work, you’ll hardly care, as the near two-and-a-half hours flies by.

All six previous Mission: Impossible movies are now available to rent from Neon, YouTube, GooglePlay and iTunes. Rogue Nation and Ghost Protocol are also available to rent from AroVision. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One arrives in New Zealand cinemas on Saturday, July 8.

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