This is a hard one! Not because there isn't an answer, but because 4 out of 5 of the films are excellent, and the 5th is still pretty good. Mission Impossible 5 IMO solidifies Mission Impossible as the most solid blockbuster series of the past 50 years - arguably of all time if you find the first 9 Bond films from Dr. No to Live and Let Die too much out of date.
1. Mission Impossible 3 - it's the darkest spy film I've ever seen by far, best acted on both Cruise's part and the supporting cast. It's also unique when compared to most blockbusters *(unlike say MI2, 4, and 5). In spirit, it's the closest to the first MI film.
2. Mission Impossible 1 - iconic, has that Brian De Palma magic. Also perhaps the darkest spy film outside of MI3.
3. (tie) Mission Impossible 4 - a great and well put together film, unfortunately it didn't do anything largely unique like the first two films. It was a very safe blockbuster - but as far as the pile of formulaic blockbusters go, this is near the top of the heap; better than pretty much every super hero or disaster film.
3. (tie) Mission Impossible 5 - same as Mission Impossible 4, I'll add that this film is SPECTRE if SPECTRE were actually good.
5. Mission Impossible 2 - This film is kind of brain dead and more or less similar to your formulaic superhero/disaster film/blockbuster. Still better than half the post-Dalton Bond films (Skyfall, Casino Royale, Goldeneye, and Tomorrow is Not Enough are better than MI2). In spirit, this is the furthest thing from the original MI film in the series.
One of my favourite scenes from the whole franchise, from MI3:
Mission Impossible is also heavy with Hitchcockian themes and references, hard to go wrong. The first MI is directed and has a very similar feeling to what a Hitccock directed film in the 90s would feel like; De Palma also replicated several classic Hitchcock scenes in the first Mission Impossible. Mission Impossible 2 virtually copies the plot of Hitchcock's Notorious. And of course, this scene from MI5
Last edited by Jumpin - on 27 July 2018
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
