Just rewatched the series,(something I do for almost every franchise film), and was amazed at how good almost all of them are. I had seen all of them at different times and enjoyed them for the most part, but watching them all in order really crystallized how kind of unique this series is. It's old-school action filmmaking in a cgi era. Here's the order of the films from best to worst:
1. Rogue Nation-you could easily put ghost protocol here and I wouldn't argue. Christopher McQuarrie really brings a solid, professional feel to the series and actually builds some Little character moments for Ethan hunt and others. It's simple, propulsive action storytelling. The villain really works here as well which is why they're bringing them back for fall out.
2. Ghost Protocol- I said before, you could put this at number 1 and I wouldn't argue. The middle eastern section of the film is one of the best set pieces in the entire series.
3. MI3- I kind of feel that this one is perhaps the most underrated of the series. It's kind of tough to remember, at the time of this release of this, but Tom Cruise was kind of in crisis mode over the couch jumping and such. He needed a hit, and MI3 was enough of one to get him back on track. J.J. Abrams simplifies the roles of the IMF and the team dynamic enough to get the series, like Cruise himself, back on track. The standout through is Phillip Seymour Hoffman easily the best villain of the series that you could tell he had a blast playing. The Vatican heist is a great set piece that redefined the team role in the series.
4. Mission Impossible- Putting this 4th seems kind of harsh because this is actually Brian De Palma's last great movie and I loved it as a kid. However, you can tell this came from a different era of Hollywood and is kind of quaint in comparison. However, De Palma shoots the hell out of this and upps the suspense factor in a masterful way.
5. MI2- If you would've told 16-year-old me who was obsessed with John Woo movies and loved the first Mission impossible film that this would be then worst in the series, I wouldn't have believed you. But it is. By a long shot. This Came out the summer I got my drivers license and also coincided with my discovery of John Woo's Hong Kong films which, when you put the two together, basically points to me being obsessed with it. Add Metallica,(still my favorite band), on the soundtrack and I was sold. I saw this movie three times and theaters and loved it. Now, as a adult, I can finally see how much of a hot mess this film actually is. Someone On this thread commented that this is like a parody of a John Woo movie, and I couldn't agreement more. The double guns, never ending doves, fire, slow Mo, etc. it is laid on thick here. Ethan Hunt is on his own, so the ever important team dynamic is lost, Thandie Newton is beautiful, but terrible in this. The only thing that came out of this movie is the very specific evidence that Tom Cruise and company were OK with a director putting their personal stamp on the series, which continued in the remaining entries to the series.
Overall, I had a blast watching these and can't wait for fallout.
