Every Movie Ranked, According To Rotten Tomatoes

The Mission Impossible franchise spans several decades, but how do the adventures of Ethan Hunt and the IMF rank on Rotten Tomatoes?

With the next two installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise already underway, it's an apt time to look back at the action series made famous by the dizzying action sequences by Tom Cruise. A great way to do this is through the Tomatometer, which tracks both critics' and fans' responses to each film.

In a series praised for being great action entertainment, the overall trend of critical and fan reactions has been positive. While some of the earlier films missed a few marks, the recent films have consistently garnered high praise. All in all the series is one of the strongest current franchises.

6 Mission: Impossible II (2000) - 57%

The first sequel in the Mission: Impossible series was also the worst received. The John Woo-directed film was unfortunately the weakest film in a rather strong franchise. The film follows Ethan Hunt going after a biological weapon that terrorists have already stolen the cure for. Starting the trend of new figures being introduced in different films, it has one of the best characters that only appeared in one movie, Nyah Nordoff-Hall.

With a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 42% audience score, Mission: Impossible II was seen as stylish and slick, but rather dull. It was the general consensus that Thandie Newton was the best part of an otherwise uninteresting film, which had great action sequences but lacked any real depth in its storytelling.

5 Mission: Impossible (1996) - 66%

The first Mission: Impossible film was a good start to what would later become an expansive series. Cited for being helmed by one of the best directors Tom Cruise has worked with, Brian De Palma, the movie has sleek sequences and great twists. Following Ethan Hunt on the run after being accused of being a mole, the entry was a good introduction to the world of Hunt and the IMF.

With a 66% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 71%, the film was lauded for its special effects. The film set a tone for what would become a great action franchise but had moments in the plot that felt convoluted. Overall, the installment was an elegant but slightly choppy entry into the series.

4 Mission: Impossible III (2006) - 71%

The J.J. Abrams-directed Mission: Impossible III marked the first instance of Abrams' involvement in the franchise. A few years off of retiring from the field, Ethan Hunt is brought back in when arms dealer Owen Davian enters the picture. This third installment brought more personal insight into who Hunt is as a character, with the first appearance of his wife Julia. While some criticized this film for not having one of the better missions of the series, it still garnered favorable reviews.

With a 71% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was received better critically than the first but had a slightly lower audience score of 69%. A marked improvement over the previous installment, the film featured great stunts and special effects, with many Reddit users referring to it as the best movie in the franchise. However, others felt it was not the best adventure of the series and had a few plot holes.

3 Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (2011) - 93%

The fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible series breathed new life into the franchise. With an older Ethan Hunt post-Julia, the film introduces new faces and brings back old favorites in a globe-spanning mission going after stolen nuclear launch codes and a nuclear extremist.

With a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76% audience score, the Brad Bird-directed Ghost Protocol showed an uptick in fans' and critics' responses to the franchise. Featuring some of the best Tom Cruise stunts, including one where he climbs the famous Burj Khalifa, the film was good popcorn entertainment. With stylish set-pieces from Dubai and Russia, the film was said to have been missing a bit of the previous installments' sleekness but was otherwise a great entry.

2 Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation (2015) - 94%

The fifth Mission: Impossible in the series continued the upward trend in terms of critics' responses. In the first of the Christopher McQuarrie-directed movies the franchise's resurgence grew, with the first film to feature The Syndicate and its ominous leader Solomon Lane. With Ethan Hunt on the run after the dissolution of the IMF by the CIA, Hunt is set on proving the existence of the Syndicate in order to stop them from wreaking worldwide havoc.

With a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 87% audience score, the film was praised as an action-packed summer popcorn flick. Full of fun and elaborate stunts that are now a staple of the series, the intensity and fast-paced nature of the film was appreciated by both critics and fans.

1 Mission: Impossible -- Fallout (2018) - 97%

The highest-scoring film in the Mission: Impossible series was also the most recent. Following Ethan Hunt and his IMF team going after stolen plutonium cores pursued by the remnants of the Syndicate, this installment was marked by more heart and depth in its storytelling.

With a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Christopher McQuarrie continued to direct a high-octane action film that also had the highest audience score of 88%. With the now trademark fervent stunts, great fight scenes, and immense set-pieces, the film was another high mark for the series. Heralded as a quintessential summer action blockbuster, fans and critics alike enjoyed the entertaining installment that showed that the franchise could go anywhere from here.

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