Rewatching the entire series I can’t believe how much my thoughts on 1&2 have changed. When it first came out I thought 1 was entertaining but confusing and then 2 came out and totally blew my mind. I absolutely loved that movie for like an entire year. I listened to the soundtrack, rewatched it a bunch of times, bought a fake pair of those Oakleys X frame or whatever stupid name it had. It was awesome.

But now….rewatching it after so long….wow. It’s barely watchable now. It’s so bad. Just pure cringe. I think it’s a movie missing its context. Back then John Woo wasn’t well known yet to most of the general American movie audience. The slow mo and wirefu was all pretty new. And we had just finished the 90s era of action movies that were all starting to blend together in a hegemony of blahness. Then along come Tom Cruise and John Woo and a flight of doves. It was new. It was edgy. It was sexy. Now all of that is pure cringe.

Now the Original MI was really something special. It was definitely the best directed of the MI films. A true spy thriller before it transformed into an action movie. The original MI only gets better with age.

TLDR growing up is realizing MI>>>>>>MI2

For my money
MI
Fallout
Rogue Nation
Final Reckoning
Dead Reckoning
Ghost Protocol
MI3
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MI2

The Sting

Which one has Paula Patton in the green dress? That's the best one.

That’s Ghost Protocol. But don’t forget Rogue Nation has Rebecca Ferguson in that yellow dress.

To help you decide which is the better movie.
Ghost Protocol:



Rogue Nation:

III - Phoffman's performance on top of a slightly more grounded approach really work for me.
Fallout - I think most people understand why it gets ranked so high
Ghost Protocol - A dumb villain "twist", but otherwise super fun
Final Reckoning - Bit long, but had a blast
Dead Reckoning - Moved a little fast than I remembered, but is unfortunately stuck as being filmed like it's a "Part 1"
I - Really need to rewatch this. It only ranks so low because I barely remember it
II - love John Woo, but this is just a product of late-90s, early-2000s cheese
Rogue Nation - I really don't get the love for this one, I'm sorry. I find it a complete slog

1. MI:3 - it has the best opening (even though it's a straight Alias ripoff via JJ) and Hoffman is the best villain the series has ever had. The Keri Russell rescue is tense as hell, Maggie Q is great, giving Ethan an actual normal homelife was smart and the whole thing just works.
2. MI:6 - Cavill makes this one work. The bathroom fight is the best fight in the whole series. I start zoning out toward the end - the entire end sequence with the nukes and the helicopter fight is way too long. But everything before that is great.
3. MI:4 - My wife and I stole the line from Happy Endings about any time you put your hood up, you're going "ghost prots". The Burj Khalifia sequence is one of the best stunt sequences in the series. The villain is forgettable but I like a lot of things about this movie. I also wish Jeremy Renner had been in more of these. He's a great addition.
4. MI:7 - Atwell is another great add to the series, the Entity stuff works for me (the series needed a big villain like that) and I like the comedy in it. When the car rolls down the stairs and Grace and Ethan end up in different seats - that's the funniest joke in the whole series. I've never been blown away by the motorcycle jump stunt, though. I think it's one of the least impressive of the series (knowing that it is very impressive he did it, regardless). I just don't think it hits as hard as the others.
5. MI:8 - loved the flashbacks and connections to the series. A little too long but the biplane sequence is beyond impressive and I liked a lot of the character work, set pieces and the driving pace.
6. MI:5 - Love Ferguson but this one is just forgettable to me. I basically only ever remember the opera house shootout and the prison escape with Isla. I guess the underwater part too. The hanging on the plane stunt doesn't do much for me. Never really cared much about Solomon Lane.
7. MI:1 - Props to starting the series and introducing a lot of elements but it's kind of boring to watch now. And the tech is HILARIOUSLY outdated.
8. MI:2 - I actually like this movie a lot but if I have to rank them it has to go here. It has the best hand-to-hand fighting outside the bathroom sequence in Fallout. Ethan seemed the most formidable here. But I've never been a Thandie Newton fan, it is WILD that Anthony Hopkins is one-and-done in the series here and Dougray Scott is just a bad actor. That's what bogs it down - it is badly acted. I actually don't mind the Woo-ness of it. The motorcycle chase into the beach fight is a great sequence.

Not the biggest fan of the franchise but it's always been consistent overall. But Fallout was only one I considered to be a great movie.

I think they were better off swapping directors each movie (I'm aware Fallout had the same director as 5). MI just turned into a David Yates situation with McQuarrie.

Even Paramount+ admits that #2 is the worst one.

They retconned the shit out of the series and they still couldn’t find any way to mention M:I 2.

If nothing else, I suppose that we should just be grateful that MI:2 at least kept Dougray Scott from becoming Logan. That's not nothing.

I was shocked they didn't put him in Deadpool and Wolverine.

Maybe be couldn’t find anyone to cover his shift at Trader Joe’s so he could make an appearance.

As noted elsewhere on the board, I'm not great with faces, so when Henry Cavill showed up, I actually did think it was Dougray Scott for a moment.

Me too, until he 'cocked' his fists, Fallout-style.

That was my assumption until he turned too (though he seemed too bulked up to be Scott anyway).

Can I say that I hate that that's now "a move"?

He's just getting his shirt adjusted quickly to allow for greater range of motion!

I seem to remember reading an interview with Cavill where he said he didn’t want to use that take of him “Loading” his arms in Fallout. He said he was embarrassed by it and wanted to do another take but McQuarrie liked it so much he kept it in.

The first one is my favorite.

I want to hate it. I really do. But it’s just so damn cool. Cavill just pulls it off perfectly. It just fits him and especially his character in that movie.

But rewatching it recently. I think everyone forgot that right after this movie/actor/series/screen defining moment this jaw dropping seminal moment…he immediately gets his ass handed to him.

Yeah. He was going take after take and his arms were locking up so he did that movie to just stretch his tendons and loosen up. And McQ loved it and kept it in.

1. Rogue Nation
2. Fallout
3. MI3
4. Ghost Protocol
5. MI 1
6. Dead Reckoning
7. Final Reckoning
8. MI 2

Yeah, he was simply stretching his arms after multiple takes and accidentally did it during a a take. When he caught his error and didn't repeat the move during a subsequent take, McQuaurrie requested Cavil do it again for the take they finally used.

It's similar to the windup punch Donnie Yen is now known for. He just happened to do it due his arms being sore from multiple takes during the final fight of Flash Point. Wilson Yip liked it so much he kept it in the movie. Fans ate it up so now Donnie Yen works it into most of his movies. He even did a version of it in John Wick: Chapter 4.

I need to go back and revisit the franchise. I recall liking Ghost Protocol a lot but I’m not sure if it’s the best. I do think the string of Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout was solid. I actually have never seen the third film in its entirety so I can’t judge that one.

^ You should check out part 3 if for nothing else than to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman kill it as the villain. He’s definitely the best villain in the franchise. A legitimately intimidating character.

It’s also a big step up from part 2. Say what you want about J.J. Abrams but the dude knows how to re-set a stagnant franchise.

Yeah, I’ve heard it’s one of the better sequels. I’ve seen all of them except that one. I just missed it when it originally came out and haven’t ever gotten around to watching it. My wife has only seen the two newest ones so one day I’d like to go through them all with her.

Now that I've seen Final Reckoning, I can do my official rankings:

1. M:I
2. Rogue Nation
3. Fallout
4. Ghost Protocol
5. Dead Reckoning
6. M:I2
7. M:I3
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8. Final Reckoning