Your mission, should you choose to accept it, begins today, July 1. Netflix is bringing the first five Mission: Impossible movies to the platform, giving longtime fans and new recruits a chance to binge the evolution of Tom Cruise’s legendary IMF agent, Ethan Hunt. From wire-hanging espionage to death-defying stunts atop skyscrapers and airplanes, this drop is the perfect lead-up to the recently released (and possibly final) installment: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The lineup includes:
- Mission: Impossible (1996) – Brian De Palma’s slick and twisty original where Ethan Hunt is framed and betrayed in classic ’90s spy fashion.
- Mission: Impossible II (2000) – John Woo dials everything up with slow-motion gunplay, leather jackets, and a motorcycle joust.
- Mission: Impossible III (2006) – J.J. Abrams introduces emotional stakes and one of the series’ most menacing villains, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) – The Burj Khalifa sequence redefined Cruise’s stunt game and relaunched the franchise.
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) – A critical and fan-favorite chapter that introduced the Syndicate and Rebecca Ferguson’s scene-stealing Ilsa Faust.
What is the Best ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie on Netflix?
Well, it’s entirely subjective, but in our opinion, it’s probably Rogue Nation. The fifth installment earned a 94% score from critics and an 87% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes — a testament to its stylish direction, sharp writing, and high-octane execution, and the Vienna Opera scene is a high point for a series full of high points, that’s how good it is.
Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, with Drew Pearce receiving story credit, Rogue Nation elevated the franchise’s formula by introducing a global conspiracy, complex moral gray zones, and one of Cruise’s most gripping opening stunts — hanging from the side of a plane mid-takeoff. Pearce, known for Iron Man 3, Hobbs & Shaw, and Hotel Artemis, helped lay the groundwork for one of Ethan Hunt’s most acclaimed missions.
That said, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the first four movies. The iconic CIA vault heist scene which was parodied and replayed for years, Cruise’s free-climbing in the opening scene of John Woo‘s sequel, the infamous Shanghai scenes in III, and of course, the epic Burj Khalifa climb and ensuing sandstorm chase in Ghost Protocol, which was really the launchpad for turning the franchise into what it is today.
The first five Mission: Impossible movies are now on Netflix.