Action-Adventure Month (2026) – Mission: Impossible

For Action-Adventure Month in 2026, I decided to watch all eight Mission: Impossible movies. It’s been a while since I watched the first few, and I’ve never seen all of them. Actually, I haven’t seen any of them since Ghost Protocol. I feel like I was under the impression that when they added Simon Pegg to the cast, they changed the films’ mood because he’s a comedian.

I was wrong to assume that. Simon Pegg isn’t just a comedy actor; he’s great in drama and action. In fact, by the end of the eighth film, Benji becomes one of my favorite characters (Luther being my first). Obviously, Benji and Luther’s technical prowess is probably one of the qualities that endears them to me. It’s Luther’s nerdy confidence and willingness to die for his team that makes him my favorite character.

The Movies

Typically, this is where I will separate each movie into its own respective section. I’m not going to do that with these films. I’m just going to talk about the series as a whole. The plot is essentially the same in every movie, just a different bad guy with a different evil agenda that only the IMF can thwart.

The first film is the most iconic and really sets the bar. Tom Cruise suspended by a wire just inches above a pressure-sensitive floor is probably the most iconic scene from the first film (maybe even the franchise). My only real criticism about MI2 is that the second half of the film felt a bit rushed. Thandiwe Newton’s character injects herself, giving Ethan 20 hours to find the antidote and find her. The movie basically jumps right into the third act without really explaining the antidote or how they found Ambrose’s location.

Mission: Impossible II is probably the weakest film in the franchise. Personally, I feel each film following it gets better and better. I also admire Tom Cruise for performing nearly all of his own stunts in all of the movies. He must take his inspiration from Harrison Ford, who also performed most of his own stunts in the final Indiana Jones movie at 81 years old!

I don’t know which film was my favorite. If I had to choose, I’d almost pick the last two despite Luther’s death. The anti-AI part of me appreciates the necessity to keep AI in check.

I love Hayley Atwell’s character, and there is a part of me that wishes the franchise continued, but she becomes the new Ethan Hunt.

All in all, these are fun movies. You do have to allow for some suspension of disbelief, but isn’t that what the Impossible Mission Force is all about?

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