Where to start
Mission: Impossible
7 versions · originally a series, 1966
The Mission: Impossible franchise is a high-stakes masterclass in elaborate team-based espionage, precision gadgetry, and death-defying tactical execution.
✦ Most fans start here
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
The original tv
Mission: Impossible
Bruce Geller · Series · 1966
The 1966 television series establishes the foundational DNA of the franchise, focusing on procedural team dynamics and intricate, clockwork-like planning by the original Impossible Missions Force.
1996 film
Mission: Impossible
Film · 1996
The 1996 film shifts the focus to a singular, high-stakes narrative where Ethan Hunt is framed as a mole, offering a suspenseful, paranoid spin on the established espionage formula.
2000 film
Mission: Impossible II
John Woo · Film · 2000
Mission: Impossible II (2000) leans heavily into stylized, high-octane action sequences and international globe-trotting, emphasizing a more kinetic and visual approach to the classic secret agent mission.
2006 film
Mission: Impossible III
J.J. Abrams · Film · 2006
Mission: Impossible III (2006) grounds the series in personal stakes, pitting a retired Ethan Hunt against a ruthless antagonist to provide a more emotional and character-driven espionage experience.
2011 film
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Brad Bird · Film · 2011
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) revitalizes the series with massive-scale set pieces and a race-against-time urgency, perfect for viewers seeking modern, high-budget spectacle and intense team-based problem solving.
2015 film
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Christopher McQuarrie · Film · 2015
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) elevates the stakes by introducing a sophisticated, mirror-image rogue organization, offering a masterfully paced thriller that tests the limits of the entire IMF team.
2018 film
✦ Start hereMission: Impossible - Fallout
Christopher McQuarrie · Film · 2018
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) represents the pinnacle of the franchise, delivering a complex, high-consequence narrative that masterfully synthesizes previous character arcs with unmatched, visceral action sequences.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Mission: Impossible movies in?
You should watch the films in their release order starting with Mission: Impossible (1996), followed by Mission: Impossible II (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), and finally Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018).
Is Mission: Impossible (1966) a movie or a television show?
Mission: Impossible (1966) is a television series. It serves as the original source material for the subsequent film franchise that began with the 1996 feature film adaptation.
How many Mission: Impossible movies are there in the film franchise?
There are six films in the franchise. These include Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), and Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018).
Did the Mission: Impossible television show come before the movies?
Yes, the Mission: Impossible television series premiered in 1966, which is decades before the first theatrical film adaptation, Mission: Impossible (1996), was released.