(Welcome to Where to Watch, which provides a clear and simple answer to the question, “Hey, where can I watch this thing?” In this edition: the Mission: Impossible franchise.)
Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has taken control of this franchise in recent years (largely for the better), and he’s currently working on making two more Mission: Impossible films with franchise mega-star Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt. Licensing rights are notoriously finicky, but as of this writing, here’s where you can stream every Mission Impossible movie. Just, uh, don’t try any of these stunts at home.
Mission: Impossible
Where to stream: Paramount+, FX Now
Brian DePalma directed the first entry in this film franchise way back in 1996. While it’s fairly low-key compared to what would come later, it’s still a crackerjack thriller with a great ensemble, some surprising twists, and one of the very best heist scenes ever committed to film. How many other heist films feature my dude Jean Reno killing a rat with his bare hands in an air duct to keep his colleague from being detected? I rest my case.
Mission: Impossible II
Where to stream: Paramount+, FX Now
John Woo‘s sequel is largely maligned, but I’m willing to go to bat for this one. It’s far more stylish than its predecessor (arguably even too stylish for its own good), but at least it has a distinct identity, which was seemingly the point of hiring a different director for each entry in the early days of this franchise. I also enjoy the relationship between Cruise and Thandiwe Newton, as well as the scenery-chewing villain turn from Dougray Scott, and god damn it, Woo’s whole “slow-mo birds” schtick actually conforms pretty well to Hunt and his antics.
Mission: Impossible III
Where to stream: Paramount+, FX Now
J.J. Abrams‘ feature directorial debut feels like this series’ most forgotten entry, and frankly, there are parts of this movie that don’t work very well. Ethan Hunt and his team spend the whole movie chasing a MacGuffin called the “rabbit’s foot” and it’s never made clear exactly what that even is, and the actors playing Hunt’s team are a bit lackluster. (When was the last time you saw Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in anything?) But Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers the greatest villain turn in the entire franchise, and the introduction of Michelle Monaghan and Simon Pegg as vital supporting players makes this an important, if somewhat slight, entry.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Where to stream: Paramount+, Hulu
Incredibles director Brad Bird stepped into the director’s chair for this entry, which, if you’d like to define these movies by their recognizable stunt sequences, is “the one where Tom Cruise scales the Burj Khalifa.” It’s also the one where Jeremy Renner was seemingly going to take over the franchise as a new leading man, but Cruise wrestled control back when he realized he didn’t want to give this up quite yet. Good call, Tommy.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Where to stream: Paramount+, FX Now
McQuarrie’s first directorial entry into this series introduced Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), the most exciting female character in these movies. There’s a great opera sequence in which an assassination attempt is foiled, and in a stunt that is basically just shrugged off as no big deal, Cruise grabs onto the outside of a god damn plane as it takes off.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Where to stream: Paramount+, FX Now
The best Mission so far, this one introduces Henry Cavill as the heavy and features the best and most well-rounded collection of stunts in the whole franchise. Ethan Hunt sprints, flies, climbs, fights, hangs, and skydives his way into our hearts all over again, and I can’t wait to see what this creative team has up their sleeves with the next two movies.
The post Here’s Where You Can Stream Every Mission: Impossible Movie appeared first on /Film.
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