All 7 Mission: Impossible movies ranked from worst to best

5. Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible premiered in theaters in 1996, and it’s definitely one of the most exciting action movies of the era. This was such a change of pace from the original Mission: Impossible TV series.

The film tells the story of Ethan Hunt, an agent from the Impossible Mission Force, as he tries to stop a rogue agent from giving up the names of other agents to those who would kill them. The agency relies on secrecy, for the most part, to be effective, and this is a direct threat to the organization and its mission.

Mission: Impossible is full of incredible stunt sequences. Everyone loves the scene where Ethan Hunt drops into the vault and hangs around, unable to touch the heat-sensored floor. It’s an epic scene, and it holds up nearly 30 years later. With all the incredible stunts we’ve seen in Mission: Impossible, this is probably one of the first that people think of. It’s that iconic!

Mission: Impossible starts strong, stumbles a little bit in the second and third movies, and then gets really good again, starting with Ghost Protocol, which is next up on the list.

• Release Year: 1996
• Director: Brian De Palma 
• Cast: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jean Reno