With pulse-pounding action, death-defying stunts and cool spy gadgetry, the Mission: Impossible film series has delivered thrills for over 20 years. This comprehensive guide will walk you through all the movies in order, so you can fully appreciate the epic saga of super spy Ethan Hunt.
Tracing its origins to the 60s TV show, the Mission: Impossible franchise remains one of Hollywood most successful and consistent action brands. Tom Cruise has anchored the series since 1996, performing crazier stunts with each new installment.
From director Brian De Palma's original to the upcoming Dead Reckoning sequels, we'll explore every Mission Impossible movie in order. Our timeline covers casts, plots, reviews and other vital info. With this guide, you'll master the full IMF timeline and see why this blockbuster franchise just gets more impressive.
| Order No. | Movie Name | Year |
| 1 | 1996 | |
| 2 | 2000 | |
| 3 | 2006 | |
| 4 | 2011 | |
| 5 | 2015 | |
| 6 | 2018 | |
| 7 | 2023 | |
| 8 | 2024 |
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1 - Mission: Impossible (1996)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Jon Voight (Jim Phelps), Emmanuelle Béart (Claire Phelps), Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge), Jean Reno (Franz Krieger), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah Davies), Vanessa Redgrave (Max), Ingeborga DapkÅ«naitÄ— (Hannah Williams), Marcel IureÈ™ (Alexander Golitsyn)
- Director: Brian De Palma
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 7.1
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 1h 50m
- Release Date: May 22, 1996
When an IMF mission goes awry, agent Ethan Hunt becomes the prime murder suspect. Fleeing from the government, he must uncover the real traitor in his agency. Brian De Palma original adaptation of the 60s show established the Mission: Impossible style of high-tech spy thrills. It also cemented Tom Cruise status as an action star.
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2 - Mission: Impossible II (2000)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Dougray Scott (Sean Ambrose), Thandie Newton (Nyah Nordoff-Hall), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Richard Roxburgh (Hugh Stamp), John Polson (Billy Baird), Brendan Gleeson (John C. McCloy), Anthony Hopkins (Mission Commander Swanbeck)
- Director: John Woo
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 6.1
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 2h 3m
- Release Date: May 24, 2000
Ethan Hunt must secure a stolen virus, Chimera and its cure before renegade agent Sean Ambrose unleashes it. This sequel cranked up the action with director John Woo signature stylistic gun fights and slow-motion doves. Despite mixed reviews, M:I-2 still delivered thrills through Cruise death-defying rock climbing stunts.
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3 - Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Owen Davian), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Billy Crudup (John Musgrave), Michelle Monaghan (Julia Meade), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Declan Gormley), Keri Russell (Lindsey Farris), Maggie Q (Zhen Lei), Laurence Fishburne (Theodore Brassel), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn)
- Director: J.J. Abrams
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 6.9
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 2h 6m
- Release Date: May 4, 2006
While training new IMF recruits, Ethan Hunt re-enters fieldwork to rescue his trainee Lindsey who has been kidnapped by arms dealer Owen Davian. As Hunt pursues Davian, he must also protect his fiancée Julia while enlisting help from old allies Luther and Benji. With TV veteran J.J. Abrams now at the helm, Mission: Impossible III brought stronger characters and emotion.
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4 - Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Jeremy Renner (William Brandt), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), Paula Patton (Jane Carter), Michael Nyqvist (Kurt Hendricks), Vladimir Mashkov (Anatoly Sidorov), Josh Holloway (Trevor Hanaway), Anil Kapoor (Brij Nath), Léa Seydoux (Sabine Moreau), Tom Wilkinson (IMF Secretary)
- Director: Brad Bird
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 7.4
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 2h 12m
- Release Date: December 15, 2011
When the Kremlin is bombed, the IMF is disavowed and blamed for the attack. Ethan assembles a rogue team to clear their name and stop a nuclear extremist. Director Brad Bird elevated the action and expanded the world, setting new box-office highs. But the highlights remain Cruise's incredible stunts on the Burj Khalifa and in a sandstorm.
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5 - Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Jeremy Renner (William Brandt), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Sean Harris (Solomon Lane), Alec Baldwin (Alan Hunley), Simon McBurney (Atlee), Jingchu Zhang (Laurence), Tom Hollander (Prime Minister)
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 7.4
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 2h 11m
- Release Date: July 31, 2015
Pursued by the CIA, Ethan reunites with his team to take down the Syndicate – a rogue nation of assassins and spies. Ilsa Faust, a Syndicate agent who has her own agenda becomes an uneasy ally. As Cruise hangs off an airplane, this fifth entry combined its trademark stunt work with McQuarrie taut direction bringing renewed purpose to the series.
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6 - Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Henry Cavill (August Walker), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust), Sean Harris (Solomon Lane), Michelle Monaghan (Julia Meade-Hunt), Alec Baldwin (Alan Hunley), Angela Bassett (Erika Sloane), Vanessa Kirby (White Widow)
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 7.7
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 2h 27m
- Release Date: July 27, 2018
When stolen plutonium falls into the wrong hands, Ethan must partner with CIA agent August Walker to recover it. But Ethan wonders if Walker has his own motives. Fallout saw Cruise perform his most insane stunts ever like halo jumping from 25,000 feet up. Diving deeper into Ethan's life, this sixth entry became the highest-grossing and best-reviewed in the series.
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7 - Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Hayley Atwell (Grace), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust), Vanessa Kirby (Alanna Mitsopolis / The White Widow), Esai Morales (Gabriel), Pom Klementieff (Paris), Mariela Garriga (Marie), Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge), Shea Whigham (Briggs), Greg Tarzan Davis (Degas), Frederick Schmidt (Zola), Cary Elwes (Denlinger), Charles Parnell (NRO), Mark Gatiss (NSA), Indira Varma (DIA), Rob Delaney (JSOC Director)
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- IMDb Rating: 7.9
- Country: USA
- Audience: PG-13
- Run Time: 164 minutes
- Release Date: July 12, 2023
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
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8 - Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024)
- All Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), Hayley Atwell (Grace), Vanessa Kirby (Alanna Mitsopolis / The White Widow), Esai Morales (Gabriel), Pom Klementieff (Paris), Shea Whigham (Briggs)
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Network: Paramount Pictures
- Country: USA
- Release Date: June 28, 2024
Not released yet but based on speculation, in Part Two Ethan and his team will have to find Gabriel and rescue Grace while preventing the Entity from launching a global attack. Ethan will also make a final choice between his mission and his friends. The actual plot may differ when the movie is released.
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Final Verdict
Since 1996, the Mission: Impossible movies have consistently delivered heart-pounding spy thrills through exhilarating practical action and stunt work. While plots and casts rotate, Tom Cruise holds the franchise together with his unwavering commitment performing death-defying sequences himself.
Even 25 years later, this epic saga shows no signs of slowing down as Ethan Hunt continues his against-all-odds missions. Mission: Impossible will keep audiences gripping their seats as long as Cruise keeps pushing his limits with ingenious set pieces. This series remains one of Hollywood most reliable action spectaculars with two more entries on the horizon.
FAQs
Q: What is the correct order of the Mission: Impossible movies?
The correct order is:
- Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Mission: Impossible II (2000)
- Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
- Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
- Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
- Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
- Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024)
Q: Does it matter what order you watch Mission: Impossible?
It is best to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in release order. The overarching story follows Ethan Hunt's career chronologically along with evolving characters like Luther and Benji. Details and references from previous films are sometimes called back too.
Q: Can I skip Mission: Impossible 1, 2, 3?
It is not recommended to skip the first three Mission: Impossible movies. Though they have different directors, the early films lay the important groundwork for Ethan Hunt origins and introduce core characters. They establish his reputation as an unrelenting force within the IMF.
Q: How many Mission: Impossible films are there?
As of 2023, there are six Mission: Impossible movies released, with two more confirmed sequels in active development. In total, the franchise will likely reach eight films by 2024.
Q: Does each Mission: Impossible have a different director?
The first three films had different directors - Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams. But the same director Christopher McQuarrie has helmed every installment since Ghost Protocol in 2011 through the upcoming Dead Reckoning films.
Q: How can Ethan Hunt survive so many dangerous stunts?
As the indestructible star, Tom Cruise Ethan Hunt possesses almost superhuman durability that allows him to endure the incredible peril and injuries he faces on every mission. His resilience is key to the series' exaggerated spy heroics.