Brad Bird (an animator!) saved the franchise. When Tom Cruise actually climbed the Burj Khalifa without a stunt double, the world took notice. This is where the "Ethan hurts himself constantly" gag was born. From the Kremlin to the sandstorm, this film is pure kinetic joy. It also gave us the best comic relief sidekick: Simon Pegg’s Benji.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout, also directed by Christopher McQuarrie, raised the stakes for Ethan Hunt and his allies. The film follows Hunt as he attempts to prevent a global catastrophe after the Syndicate obtains a deadly virus. The movie's climax, featuring a HALO (high-altitude, low-opening) jump and a heart-pumping chase through Paris, set a new standard for action cinema. mission impossible 1-8
The pandemic tried to kill this movie (a $300 million budget!), but it survived. McQuarrie pivots to the "Entity"—a rogue AI enemy. The Rome Fiat car chase (tiny car!) and the cliff jump into a Norwegian mountain are staggering. While it suffers slightly from "Part One" syndrome (we miss you, Ilsa), it introduces Grace (Hayley Atwell) as a fantastic, sleight-of-hand foil to Ethan. Brad Bird (an animator
J.J. Abrams took the helm for MI:3 , successfully rebooting the energy of the franchise. This film introduced the "Rabbit’s Foot" MacGuffin, but more importantly, it gave Ethan Hunt something he never had before: an emotional core. By giving Ethan a fiancée, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), and then having villain Owen Davian (a chilling Philip Seymour Hoffman) threaten her, Abrams raised the stakes beyond the fate of the world. From the Kremlin to the sandstorm, this film