Ep. 44: The Mission: Impossible Films Ranked

Now that the final installment is out, Alex and Lee rank all 8 Mission: Impossible films and discuss their favorite stunts, as well as the audio description tracks for the franchise.

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to share your MI rankings with us, please email darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel at @darkroomfilmcast.

The Audio Description Project: https://adp.acb.org/ 

If you have any questions or comments about anything covered in this episode, please e-mail us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com and be sure to follow us on Instagram and YouTube at @darkroomfilmcast. 

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Transcript

Movie Trailer Voice
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rank the films of the Mission Impossible series from worst to best, while also discussing their merits and shortcomings, including, but not limited to, the stunts, action, and audio description tracks. As always, should you or any member of your team be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This message will self-destruct in five in a second. Good luck.

Lee Pugsley
What's up, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of The Dark Room, where two blind cinephiles illuminate the sighted. I'm Lee Pugsley.

Alex Howard
I'm Alex Howard.

Lee Pugsley
And this is a podcast hosted by two legally blind guys for film lovers of all abilities. And we are super excited about this episode today. In In light of the recent release of Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, we thought it would be fun to rank the Mission Impossible movies. So that is exactly what we are going to do today. And to start with, Alex, I just want to hear some of your general thoughts on the Mission Impossible franchise in general.

Alex Howard
Yeah. So one of the reasons we wanted to rank all the movies is because all of the movies are audio-described on Paramount+, except for the last one, which is in theaters right now. And once that goes on Paramount+, I have no doubt that will also be described. So you can watch all the movies on Paramount+. The series is also on Paramount+, which is not described. But I did get the chance to watch a few episodes with my parents. Definitely a product of its time. It's a really good show, but there's not much dialog, so it's hard to watch when you're blind, for sure. And I think the movies took the stunts to another level. But overall, I love almost all of these movies. I think each one of them has their own little charm. And I think they really found themselves when they got to the fourth one, really found what this franchise can be. And I just think whenever one of these movies comes out, it's a ton of fun. I mean, it's weird to say it's a ton of fun to watch Tom Cruise risk his life for our entertainment.

Lee Pugsley
I totally agree with all of that. And I think it's been really fun to see the evolution of these films from the first one in 1996 to the latest one that we have now in 2025. And stylistically and story-wise, they really morphed from where they started into something that's a little different. But all of them, I would say, have an element of fun to them them. They're very engaging films to watch. And I do think that it's probably one of the best action franchises that we've been able to be so fortunate to receive in the last three decades. So I really do enjoy all of these films, even the ones that are at the bottom of my list are still enjoyable. There's not one film that I absolutely hate or anything. And I think that it also really solidifies Tom Cruise as a Hollywood star. I mean, he brings in box office, and the fact that he does his own stunts is just really impressive. And just seeing how the stunts in each film, I think, honestly, just got better and better.

Alex Howard
Yeah. And I think another significant thing to talk about is I think only one of them is Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm not quite sure about the first one. The second one is Rotten, but I think all of the other ones are Ripe, which means the majority good reviews, which is pretty rare for an eight-film franchise to have seven of the eight be mostly highly regarded is a pretty good achievement.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I agree with that. And another thing that I find really interesting, especially within the first four films, is that they brought in a different director for each film, and they really wanted that director to put their own stamp and style on the films, which is very much reflected in the first four films, specifically before they got Christopher McQuarrie to do the last four. I don't know if all of the stylistic choices that each director brought to the table fully worked, but we'll get into that more. But I appreciate the freedom that the directors were given to really make this franchise their own and to make each movie their own.

Alex Howard
Yeah, they're definitely stylized in the first four. And I think the last four, it seemed like they kept bringing in more and more people as the franchise went on. Jeremy Runner comes in, and Vanessa Kirby. They keep bringing in more people.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I always really appreciate the cast that they have been able to assemble for each of these films. And even from the very beginning, it's a pretty stacked cast as well. But they definitely didn't pull any punches in continuing to get really good people in for these roles. And also the performances are really well done for the most part.

Alex Howard
Before we get started, Lee, I wanted to ask you, when is the last time you watched all of these movies?

Lee Pugsley
That's a great question. I would say that most of these movies I've seen at the most twice. So some of them aren't as fresh in my memory. I watched the first three Mission Impossible movies, probably somewhere between 2000 to 2005. And then from there on out, I watched the rest of the movies in theaters, not with audio description, until we got to Rogue Nation. And I actually still haven't seen the earlier films with audio description. That's something that I want to go back and watch to see what I missed out on. But I would say the movies that I've seen more than once would probably be four through seven. And what about you? When was the last time you watched the Mission Impossible movies? And have you watched them more than once?

Alex Howard
So I had seen all of them except 2, and I rewatched all of them except 2 before Dead Reckoning Part One in 2023. And then for this episode, I actually watched 2 because I had heard 2 wasn't that great, so I just skipped it. I was like, "You know what? I should just check it out." So I watched 2 before this episode, and I rewatched Dead Reckoning before Final Reckoning last month. So I've seen most of them twice except for 2 and the newest one.

Lee Pugsley
And you watched all of them with audio description, correct?

Alex Howard
Yeah. So the first one I saw with AD was Fallout in theaters. But then when I did the rewatch two years ago, I watched them all with audio description. Yeah.

Lee Pugsley
Got you. I see. Well, that's cool. Then they're more fresh on your mind than they are on my mind. So you might have to help me remember certain elements that I forgot. But on that note, let's just go ahead and dive right in. And what is your number eight?

Alex Howard
So my number eight is Mission Impossible 2. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's definitely a product of the time and definitely a product of John Wu, the director. A lot of slow-mo, a lot of... It's the director of Face/Off, and you can tell. I love Face/off for... It's an ironic love for that movie. It is very cheesy, very over-the-top, but that's what's great about it. You don't necessarily want that in your Mission Impossible, but that's kind of what Mission Impossible 2 is. I think one of the things that I was like, "What is this?" is that Tom Cruise's character is very attached to the love interest, very emotional about her. I feel like in the other movies, he's less... Except for three with his wife. But obviously, with just the regular women in the cast, he's not always that attached. And so I thought that was a little out of character for him. The action was cool, but it was very 2000s. It was a lot of slow-mo, a lot of explosion. It felt like kung fu, almost. And the AD was actually pretty cool because they were describing like, he kicks him in the chest, he kicks him in the face. So that was cool. But yeah, I mean, 2 is the weakest one. It's still fun, but definitely not its finest hour.

Lee Pugsley
It is indeed a product of its time, and I share your ranking as well. So for me, Mission Impossible 2 is my number eight as well. And touching on some of the things that you said for the same reasons, I feel like it almost feels like two different movies. The first half of the film feels like an espionage, James Bond style movie, where he's just engaging with other women and everything. And then the second half becomes this John Wu action movie with gun fights and the slow-mo. I think that tonally, there's some shifts that don't quite work. The tone feels a little inconsistent. It also feels a little melodramatic in certain moments. I do feel like if you were to watch all the Mission Impossible movies but skip 2, I don't think you would be really missing anything plot-wise. I think you could still track from Mission Impossible to Mission Impossible 3, and you could totally skip 2 and you're not missing out on anything. That being said, I do think that there are some fun moments in 2, so I don't hate it, but it definitely is the weakest when you compare that movie to the other films of the franchise by far.

Alex Howard
It's funny. I didn't even think about the tone, but you're right. The first half of the movie is very spy, very espionage, and then the second half is where all action happens, pretty much. And some of the John Wu action is cool because when it is slow-mo, I'm like, "Oh, I can see it better." But then a lot of it is fast cutting as well. And so in those moments, I'm like, "Oh, what is this?" And then obviously the doves and the pigeons flying. That's what I love about Face/Off is the cheesy bird, you know, when they're walking in the church and the birds fly up. It's like, "Oh, my God, it's so cheesy, but it's so good." And they definitely did that in this one.

Lee Pugsley
For sure. And I like John Wu, generally speaking as well. I mean, I like Face/Off and some of his other films that aren't coming to mind right now. So I don't think he's a bad director. I do feel like with the slow-mo in 2, it was a little overdone, and I don't think that it had to be done as much as it was.

Alex Howard
Yeah. Oh, and the zooms as well. Sometimes they'll zoom into people's facial reactions and stuff, and like the watch. I love that. It's very, very 2000s. But yeah, that is our least favorite one. Lee, what is your number seven?

Lee Pugsley
My number seven, and this movie I like a fair amount more than Mission Impossible 2. But it would be the first one, Mission Impossible 1. I do enjoy this movie, and I think that it did a really good job of introducing us to the character of Ethan Hunt, introducing us to just his motivations for doing what he's doing. I do think that tonally, this film feels very much like an espionage spy thriller. We weren't to the point in the franchise yet where you had those really big action pieces and there weren't as many big stunts. It very much felt like a classic spy thriller. Very reminiscent of the 1990s since it did come out in 1996. I do like it, though. I wouldn't say that there's anything that significantly stands out to me about the movie, but I appreciate the movie for starting off the franchise. I don't think it was a bad start, and I think that it set things up well to move forward.

Alex Howard
I would agree. The first movie is also my seventh pick. We'll see if we're on the same track the whole time. I don't know that we will be, but we definitely are on the first two. And I think that biggest thing that stands out to me about the first one is that classic scene where he lowers down on the rope and has to break into the computer without hitting the lasers and stuff. I mean, that's been parodied so many times. It's so famous, and it's actually really intense, too, when you watch it. Like, he can't sweat. He can't let his sweat drip down. It's super intense. But I think it's more intense, and like you said, espionage-driven than action-stunt-driven. And I do think the end action set piece in the tunnel with the plane has a lot more CGI than they do in the later ones, and especially since it was CGI from 1996, it doesn't hold that very well.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, correct. Going back to what I said before is even from the very beginning, they got really stacked cast in every film, including the first one. They didn't pull any punches or hold back from getting top bill people for that movie. I think that the performances in the first movie are pretty good. I have no complaints about the performances.

Alex Howard
Yeah. I think one fun fact, I don't know if you knew this, Lee. I was talking to my dad because he liked to watch the show, and I asked him what he thought about the movies. I had heard this before I asked him, but Ethan Hunt is not the main character in the show. I can't remember the other character's name in the show, but they actually made that character the villain in the first movie. So it alienated a lot of the people who grew up with the show because they're like, "Why did you do this to our character?" But now with our generation, we grew up with Ethan Hunt being the lead and the hero of Mission Impossible, but in the show, it wasn't like that.

Lee Pugsley
That's really interesting. I didn't know that. I could see why that would be very divisive, though. Especially for fans of the show. And on that note, I'm curious to know, since you watched a few episodes of the show recently, do you see stylistically the same kind of tone maybe in the first three Mission Impossible movies that the show conveyed? Or does it feel just completely different, like no association with the show? It feels like they just reinvented Mission Impossible with the films?

Alex Howard
It definitely has some of the DNA, I think, especially in the first three movies. So obviously, we all know the classic Mission Impossible theme song. But even the more subtle songs in the show, I found myself being nostalgic for it because I've heard them in the movie. So they use a lot of the score from the show in the movie, so that's cool. But I think especially the masks, all that stuff. It feels like each episode of the show is one action set piece from the movies. I think one of the episodes I watched, they had to break into a bank vault, and then there was one where they had to change the room to make it look like another room to trick someone. I think they do that in the fourth movie. So yeah, it definitely has DNA in the movie.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, that's really interesting. I'll have to go back and watch some of the episodes of the show now. I'm very intrigued by that. So moving on then, what is your number six?

Alex Howard
My number six. My number six is actually Dead Reckoning, which used to be Dead Reckoning Part One. So that's the seventh movie in the franchise. This is where the movies are good. I mean, not that the first two weren't, but none of these movies are bad from now on. Dead Reckoning is good. It's just not as good as-- It followed Fallout, which is amazing. So I think our expectations were a little high with Dead Reckoning. I think it also suffered because they showed the stunt over and over and over in the trailers. And by the time we saw the movie, the motorcycle stunt where he jumps on the train, it's like, "Oh, we've seen this already." So, and that was the big selling point. We had already seen it. But no, I mean, I thought it was good. I think the train stunts shocked me more than the motorcycle thing because I had seen the motorcycle so many times when he's running through the train and it's going off the cliff and they have to avoid all the falling objects. That was really cool. That was my favorite part of the movie because it really kept me on the edge of my seat, like what was going to happen. And the fact that they did a lot practically where they built the train with a kitchen and the gas stoves and everything was going off, that was awesome. And the mask play in 7 is also cool. But I do think it's a little bit on the weaker side in terms of looking at the whole franchise.

Lee Pugsley
I completely agree. And for that reason, that is why Dead Reckoning is my number six as well. I feel like it's a shame that they kept showing that motorcycle stunt because in and of itself, it's a really good stunt, and it's really cool and really intense and awesome. But because we saw it so many times in the trailers and the sneak peeks and everything, it just didn't have of the same gravitas that it would have had we never seen a glimpse of it. I do agree, though, that the train stuff is really engaging and probably the highlight of that film. The other thing, though, about Dead Reckoning is I feel like it just seems like a lot of exposition, and I understand that because it was part one of two films to finish off the franchise. But because of that, it just seemed like there were stakes, but I think the stakes could have been higher. It didn't I feel like there was as much of a sense of urgency as there was just a sense of setup, introducing us to the entity and Gabriel and all of those things which are interesting premises, characters, all of that. But I just felt underwhelmed by it, honestly. I was hoping for more because of all of the hype around that film. And it wasn't bad. From a quality point of view and a filmmaking point of view, I do think it's well done. But there just wasn't anything that really stands out to me in a big way about it other than the train.

Alex Howard
Yeah. And it was the introduction of Hayley Atwell, which was cool also. The entity as a villain, and the idea is really cool. But I don't think having a faceless, speechless villain really worked for Mission Impossible, at least for me. I like having a more tangible villain that Ethan Hunt has to actually fight rather than this computer program, personally.

Lee Pugsley
I agree with that. I feel like if they were going to make the entity the villain, I think that there's more that they could have done with that villain to make it feel more, I don't know, just more threatening in some way. I don't exactly know what that would be, but I'm like, "Yeah, if you're going to use it, then give us a little bit more than what we got."

Alex Howard
Yeah. Interestingly enough, though, when I first saw this movie, I was a little underwhelmed. But then when I did the rewatch for Final Reckoning, I did like it a little bit more because I knew going in like, "Okay, this one's not the best," but It got me pumped for Final Reckoning. So I still recommend it. If you haven't seen it, it's still a good installment franchise. Just not the best.

Lee Pugsley
And one of the things I will give it credit for, too, is pacing-wise, it is a long movie, but they actually do move pretty quickly from one location to another. I mean, you have the first half hour until the opening credits, but then it just moves from one location to another to another fairly quickly. And so I do think that there still might be a little bit of pacing issues with it, but they do keep it moving forward.

Alex Howard
I completely agree with you, Lee. And with that, what is your number five pick then? We've matched up for the first three, so let's see if we can keep it going. What's your number five?

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, let's see if this is where we deviate. My number five is Mission Impossible 3. I really like a lot of what JJ Abrams did with this film. I think that there's a lot of humanity in this film. I feel like it's the film where Ethan Hunt feels really human. He feels very grounded in a way that stands out amongst the rest of the other films. In addition to that, you have Philip Seymour Hoffman as the villain, who I actually think is the best villain out of any of the Mission Impossible films. And so I think it's because of that relationship that you have going on between Ethan and Philip Seymour Hoffman's character that really worked for me, as well as the human elements. Some of the stunts in it are good. Once again, that's not the standout for me. The things that set this movie apart are the groundedness and just the incredible performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman. I mean, so many of his lines are very quotable and had become iconic in our zeitgeist nowadays.

Alex Howard
Man, I'm on the fence between my five and four. I'm going to have to agree with you, though. Mission Impossible 3, because if I think back on it, I don't remember a lot of the set pieces, a lot of the... And I just watched this two years ago. I know there's a scene in a car depot or a parking structure or something, I think, at the end. But for the most part, I don't remember a lot of the action. What stands out to me about this movie, like you said, is the Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tom Cruise relationship. Last night when I was watching 2, it auto-played 3 after. And it starts out with Philip Seymour Hoffman questioning Ethan Hunt. And he's like, "Where is the Rabbit's Foot?" And he's like, "I don't know." And he's threatening to shoot his wife. And it's super intense. I was like, I waited until the theme song started to turn it off, just to watch Philip Seymour Hoffman act. It's so good and so intriguing. I think having that flash forward, that be the hook, and then that carry you through the rest of the movie was really, really intense. I remember when I did the rewatch, I was super stoked to watch 3 because that's all I remembered about 3 was that he is threatening to shoot Ethan Hunt's wife. And it's this whole thing. I do think it's also kind of funny, though, that the Rabbit's Foot was such a MacGuffin. I don't think we ever found out what it was in 3, what they were actually looking for. So I thought that was pretty funny.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. And I guess if I had to give a weakness to 3, that would be it. It's the Rabbit's Foot, that we never really find out exactly what it is. I guess on the other side of that, to play devil's advocate, it kept us engaged the whole time because we were constantly wondering. But I would have liked a little bit more of a payoff there.

Alex Howard
Yeah, it does payoff in the franchise as a whole, but not in that movie. But no, Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best of all time. So the fact that he did a Mission Impossible movie alone makes that movie awesome.

Lee Pugsley
100%. And I also would equivocate this in terms of like, once again, the grounded idea of being human in this movie is how I feel about like in out of the original Spider-Man movies, that Spider-Man 2, there's a lot of humanity to Tobey Maguire's character as Peter Parker. And in this film, there's a lot of humanity and gravitas to Ethan Hunt living the human experience.

Alex Howard
I would agree with that. This is almost like street-level Mission: Impossible. We're not climbing the tallest building in the world, but we're doing car chases and dealing with his home life. Yeah, I would agree with that.

Lee Pugsley
So far, it's funny, but also cool that we've been on the same page with these. So I'm curious to see how long we can keep this streak going.

Alex Howard
Yeah.

Lee Pugsley
So with that, what's your number four?

Alex Howard
So my number four is the final Reckoning. It's the newest one, which is in theaters right now with the audio description. I did really like this one. I actually think I liked it more than I thought I would, considering how other people reacted to it. It's definitely another tale of two movies. I think the first half, maybe the first hour, is very exposition, a lot of... Which I'm surprised about because the Dead Reckoning ends off on like, "Oh, we're going to go do this." And it takes them a long time to go do that thing that they were talking about. But once the action picks up in the second half of the movie, it does not let go. And that's why it's so high on this because the two main action set pieces in the submarine and the plane are so good. And this one, they learned their lesson. They didn't really... Like, you saw glimpses of the stunts, but they didn't show a lot of them in the marketing. And they kind of said, "If you want to see the stunts, you have to go see the movie." And the submarine scene was so intense, even though I know they have to survive because there's more movie. I know there's a plane sequence, and I was still so stressed out. And then when the plane thing happened and he's climbing from one plane to another plane, and I know that's actually Tom Cruise doing this for real. There are no ropes. It's just like he's doing it, it makes it so much more intense. And I was so stressed. It was so, so good. I love... If the last half of Final Reckoning were the whole movie, it would probably be one, two, or three on my list.

Lee Pugsley
I whole I incredibly agree with you. And once again, we are on the same page because Final Reckoning is my number four as well. Pretty much for the same reasons that you mentioned, I do think that the first hour, or two, hour and 20 minutes of the film is a lot of exposition. It's also very serious. And you know that the action pieces are coming, you're just waiting for it to happen. And part of me was kind of like, "Okay, this is interesting enough, but let's just speed it along just a little bit and get to the good stuff." But once you get to those action pieces, the submarine scene is probably one of my favorite sequences in the whole Mission Impossible franchise. But then the plane scene also is just incredibly intense and really engaging. You're on the edge of your seat for both of these scenes, and you're just like, "How did they do this?" It's so compelling, and you really feel the threat of what's going on. Like you said, you know that they're going to survive, but you're also like, "But are they? Because this is really intense right now." And it's so immersive in the way that it's shot and the way that just everything plays out with it. They were so well-executed. So for that alone, for the last hour of Final Reckoning, I can forgive the first half of the movie because the second half of the movie really brings it home so good. The other thing I would say, though, about the first half of the movie is I'm not really a fan of when a movie relies heavily on flashbacks from other films. And I understand why they felt the need to do that. And I understand that they were wrapping up some of the loose ends. I appreciated some of the tie-ins and some of the nods to the other films. But just kind of like even within Gladiator 2, which came out last year, they were doing flashbacks to the first Gladiator. I just am not a fan of that for myself, so that didn't work for me as well. And then at the end of Final Reckoning, the end was satisfying. I would say that I wasn't blown away by the end, but it felt wrapped up enough that I was content. And it also leaves it open if they ever decide to make any more Mission Impossible movies, which I'm sure in a few years they're going to do that. But it did feel like it was a satisfying enough ending.

Alex Howard
I think one of the cool things about Final Reckoning is that in that last plane sequence, we don't know if he's going to live because they killed James Bond in No Time to Die. I'm like, they could totally kill Ethan Hunt. And even still have the franchise go on without Tom Cruise if they wanted to, Hayley Atwell is doing pretty well for herself. And so, yeah, I think having that intensity of, "Are they going to make it?" was a major part of why Final Reckoning was so good. And then, yeah, you're right. The flashbacks, I think some of them reached a little far. They were like, "Remember this from the first movie?" And I was like--. The Rabbit's Foot thing I liked because they do resolve the Rabbit's Foot. But the other ones, I was like, I mean, we could have had this movie without them. It made it a little cooler. You know, that's this guy's kid or that's this guy. But I think overall, having those layers didn't add a lot to the movie.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I agree with that. And I understand that they were trying to pay homage to the whole franchise, which I appreciate. I think that there's such a delicate balance, though, when you're trying to do fan service. I mean, I think that Spider-Man: No Way Home has probably done fan service the best out of anything in recent memory I can think of.

Alex Howard
And then, Deadpool and Wolverine as well.

Lee Pugsley
Oh, Deadpool and Wolverine as well, yeah. But it's so hard to strike that right balance without it feeling shoehorned in. But once again, I applaud the effort, and it wasn't enough for me to dismiss this film, obviously, because it's number four on my list. And one of the other things I just want to acknowledge about all of these movies that we're talking about is all of these movies are incredible theatrical experiences. I know that we talk a lot about the theatrical experience is magical, and everyone should go see movies in the theater. The Mission Impossible franchise is the definition of why movie theaters exist and why the movie experience is so magical.

Alex Howard
I completely agree. No, these movies definitely capture why it's fun going to the movies, why cinema is so great. I wanted to ask you, though, what you thought of the audio description, because specifically with the callbacks in Final Reckoning. I thought it was funny because they'd be like, they say the name of a character who wasn't in it since the first movie, and I was like, "Who is that?" Like I don't, the character name doesn't work with me because I haven't watched this movie in a while. But they couldn't be like "That guy from the first movie." You can't do that in AD. But beyond that, what did you think of the audio description overall for Final Reckoning?

Lee Pugsley
I thought the audio description was awesome. I thought they did a really good job of capturing the the action that was happening when we got to the second half of the movie. I think they did a really good job of keeping us engaged with the story and for those visual elements that we might miss because they're moving too fast or because the screen's a little bit darker. I still felt like I got a full picture of what was happening and I was fully there. In terms of them bringing back other character names and stuff, it took me a moment sometimes to register, "Wait, who is that character again?" And then after a I'm like, "Oh, that's right. He was in that movie." But it is a tough thing in this instance because you're right, they can't just be like, "This person from Mission Impossible 3." So you really have to rack your brain if you haven't watched these movies in a while to make those connections and tie-ins.

Alex Howard
Yeah. And I think, like you said, during the action scenes, the audio description was a real reason why I was so on the edge of my seat, because I'm trying to understand what's happening on the screen during the action because it's super quick. But I'm hanging on to every word of the audio description of who's punching who, who's dangling from where, he's taking off his wet suite, oh, my God, it's cold in the water. I'm listening so hard to the AD when it's intense like that.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. So I applaud the audio description track for this film.

Alex Howard
And yeah, so that is The Final Reckoning. So that is in Theaters Now, if you guys are interested. And definitely, like Lee and I said, we recommend getting a cinema experience. If you've never seen a Mission Impossible movie in Theaters, I highly recommend checking out this one because we don't know when we are going to get another one. So with that, Lee, what is your number three?

Lee Pugsley
My number three, and this I'll be curious to see if this is where we verge a little bit from being in sync with one another. I will say this about my three and two spot, they're really interchangeable. It was a tough decision deciding which one is number three and which one is number two because I like both of these movies quite a bit. That being said, though, if I have to choose, which I have to, my number three would be Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. I really like this movie, and I think that what really stands out to me most about this movie is it has a very nice balance of storytelling, intense action sequences, and humor. It doesn't feel overly serious, and it doesn't feel just light-hearted and fluffy either. But I think they had a really good balance of finding the elements of fun mixed with the elements of action and intensity to really bring home a really good story. And then, obviously, the action sequences are incredible, especially when he's climbing the Burj Khalifa. Once again, probably one of my favorite sequences in all of the Mission Impossible franchise. That's just such an incredible sequence. I really liked Jeremy Renner. I like the introduction of the new characters they brought into the MI franchise in this movie. But yeah, I'm a huge fan of MI4.

Alex Howard
So this is where we differ. And we're going to talk about Mission Impossible 4 right now because we're not going to go back and forth. But Mission Impossible 4 is my number two, actually. So this was the first Mission Impossible I saw in theaters. And I remember I was so excited to see this movie because I was a big Lost fan, and Josh Holloway was supposed to be in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and I was like, "No way. This is so cool." He played Sawyer in Lost. And then I went, and he dies in the first five minutes of the movie. [laughs] And I was like, "No, what are you doing?" But no, this was so good. This was my introduction into Mission Impossible, which this is a great jumping on point if you haven't seen any of the other ones. Jeremy Renner is great. Like you said, the humor is awesome. I love the thing when they're in the Kremlin. That whole scene when they're breaking into the Kremlin is so cool. They use the gadgets really well, the masks and the other Mission Impossible things that they use to trick people. And then, like you said, the Burj Khalifa scene is so good. That is also one of my favorite stunts in the franchise, especially like, he has the gloves that stick on the wall. And then when they start dying, you're just like, "No, no, no, no, no." It's so intense and so good. And just to know that this is the first movie that they really jumped in with the stunts and had Tom Cruise actually up there doing that. Just knowing that is insane. So I thoroughly enjoy this movie. This one's my number two.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I forgot about the... I guess I didn't forget, but you refreshed my memory about the Kremlin break-in, too. That's awesome as well. And it's cool that Brad Bird from Pixar directed this film. And I think that he really did a lot of great stuff with this film. I think he captured the tone really well. I feel like this was the gateway from elevating Mission Impossible to the next level because we have the first three films, and then I feel like the franchise kind of sat dormant for a little bit, and it didn't seem like there was much excitement or much interest for a while. And I feel like Ghost Protocol kind of reawakened the love of Mission Impossible again and got people really excited. It really just kept that wave of momentum going throughout the rest of the franchise.

Alex Howard
Definitely. And this was the one, like I was saying, where they mimicked, where they rebuilt a room in the show. When they did that in the show, I was thinking, "Oh, they did that in Ghost Protocol" because they had to mimic the room in the Burj Khalifa on a different floor, and they had to go back and forth. And so they utilize that whole thing from the show for that movie.

Lee Pugsley
Okay, so Ghost Protocol is my number three and your number two. But what is your number three, Alex?

Alex Howard
So my number three is Rogue Nation. I think... It's funny. I had an interesting journey with this movie. When I first saw it, I was very disappointed because I love Ghost Protocol so much. And I didn't get to see this one in theater, so I borrowed it from my friend. I think it was dog sitting. I watched the Blu-ray and I was like, "Why don't I love this as much as other people? It has 90 something % on Rotten Tomato. Like, What's with this?" So then when I was doing the rewatch two years ago, I was like, "Okay, let's give this another chance." And I think it's because I needed the audio description. I think when I watched it the first time, my eyesight had gone enough where I needed the AD, but I wasn't using it yet. And with the audio description, this movie is fantastic. I absolutely I love it. I think that's why it's number three for me, though, because the first time I had a bad experience with it. But it is a fantastic movie. They do a stunt where they have to swim down into a drain to retrieve something. And it's so intense because he has to hold his breath. You're just like, "Obviously, he's going to get out of this, but oh, my God, is he going to get out of it?" Rogue Nation is great. And they also introduced Rebecca Ferguson's character in this movie, which her character is awesome. So I very much enjoyed this one, especially with the AD. And I think this goes to show how audio description can impact your enjoyment of a movie as well.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, it's interesting that you mentioned that because, like I said before, this was the first Mission Impossible movie that I did see with AD. I think that did greatly enhance my experience and made me feel like I was getting the full picture of what was going on. I do think that the introduction of Rebecca Ferguson was great, and I think that she's one of the best characters in the franchise. I also loved the underwater sequence that you were talking about. And as Tom Cruise is holding his breath, I felt like I was holding my breath as well because it was so intense and so well done. And then I just love the Vienna Opera sequence. I think that everything that happens within that sequence is done so masterfully, both within the action that's happening, the cinematography, and the music as well.

Alex Howard
That sequence is, I think, the reason why I needed an audio description on this movie, because that sequence is so dark, and there are so many characters running around in so many different parts of the opera house during the opera. When I watched it with AD, I was like, "Oh, this is why I didn't like it," because you can't see anything if you don't.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah. No, I could totally understand that. If I didn't have AD for this movie, I may have felt differently about it on a first watch as well, because I would have felt like I didn't get the full picture, and yeah, then I wouldn't have cared as much. One of the other things I do have to say about this movie that will tie into other things in the franchise is, I love how in each Mission Impossible movie, they reinvent the main theme, the "da, da, da, da, da." And I love how they did it in kind of a more classical, orchestral version in Rogue Nation. But then in each of the other movies, they reinvent the theme and make it stylistically a little bit different to distinguish it from the movie that came before. And so I really appreciate all these different variations on the MI theme.

Alex Howard
See, I don't even remember the variation on that. I'll have to look it up after the show. But yeah, you're right. In all the trailers, they do it a little bit different each time. So it is cool.

Lee Pugsley
All right. So Rogue Nation is your number three, and Ghost Protocol is your number two. My number three is Ghost Protocol. My number two is Rogue Nation. So it looks like we've synced back up again for our number one, which is Mission Impossible: Fallout, which I do have to say, and we can just make this just an open conversation, going back and forth. I do think that this is easily the best Mission Impossible movie in the franchise, from a storytelling point of view, just how high the stakes are, how incredible the stunts are. I mean, if Mission Impossible had ended its franchise with Fallout, I would have been 100% completely happy with that. It's a banger of a movie for so many different reasons.

Alex Howard
Oh, yeah. And it's funny. You say you would have been happy with it, but I feel like it's so good that I was like, "No, give me more, though. I want more of this." Even though the two that followed weren't as good, it leaves you wanting more because it is so good. Yeah, the halo jump scene in Mission Impossible: Fallout is obviously the big marquee action scene. Even though it's not necessarily the climax of the movie, it is so cool to just see him skydiving out of a plane, one take with the cameraman following him and just imagining there's a guy with a camera following, and he's following, and they still have to follow him. There's a whole special feature on the Blu-ray of how they shot it. It is so insane. And he had to do that jump so many times. And I would even say, it's intense, but that seems more spectacle. I think there are more intense stunts, but it's just amazing how they even captured that.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, it is pretty incredible. When I think about Fallout, and maybe it's the title, obviously, too, the halo jump is the that always comes to mind right away. And it's absolutely exhilarating to watch. Also, this is the film that has Henry Cavill in it, who I love that addition, and the fight in the bathroom, which was awesome. I love that as well.

Alex Howard
I totally forgot about that. Yeah, that was a great, great fight scene. It reminded me of Kindergarten Cop. I think there's a bathroom fight scene in Kindergarten Cop with Arnold. But yes, that fight scene is outstanding. It's so visceral that you feel like you can feel every punch. And yeah, Henry Cavill is in this one. Angela Bassett is also an addition, and Alec Baldwin. So this one had a great, great cast.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, and it's just like every aspect of it is incredible. Once again, the cinematography, the editing, and it's so well paced, too. I think that sometimes with the other films, the pacing is a little off or could have been a little... Is a little uneven. But I feel like Fallout just has perfect pacing. It has the perfect balance of action, high stakes, character development, all of the above. It's just like such a good film. And I would say that it even transcends the Mission Impossible universe that I think it's probably one of the best action films, arguably, of all time.

Alex Howard
Yeah, definitely the last 10 years or so. But yeah, it's in the conversation for all time as well. This is one of those movies where I think if they were to rerelease this, whenever they rerelease the Dark Knight, I go. If they were to rerelease Mission Impossible: Fallout in IMAX, I would 100% go see it in theaters again just to mimic that experience with the halo jump and everything. And they also, I don't want to spoil which character comes back. But they also, this is one of the only ones besides Final Reckoning, they did have a callback to another movie and had a character come back in.

Lee Pugsley
Right, which was a great callback too. But for any of you that haven't seen this movie, if you want to know what we're talking about, go watch it. And once again, you can also watch all of these movies, with the exception of Final Reckoning which is still in theaters, on Paramount+. And they all do have audio description. And the audio description for the movies I've watched is really fantastic and really makes you feel like you're getting the full experience. So highly recommend that you check them out if you haven't already. And Alex, any final thoughts on Mission Impossible before we wrap it up?

Alex Howard
No, I mean, I think we definitely completed our mission in ranking all of them. This was a lot of fun to talk about this franchise. I think-- it's crazy, this franchise has been going on for 30 years. You said the first one came out in 1996?

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, so almost 30 years, which is crazy.

Alex Howard
Yeah. And to think that Tom Cruise actually did... I think he broke his ankle. He got severely injured on Fallout. He was running and he jumped off a roof, and he just kept going. And the scene where he broke his ankle is actually in the movie. And just to think he's been doing these stunts for so long and he's still going. I think he's going to go make a movie in space next, is the rumor. And he does this all for the love of cinema, for the love of the audience. He really promotes the cinematic experience. And I think it works out because the Mission Impossible movies really highlight that experience to another level.

Lee Pugsley
Yeah, I couldn't agree more with everything that you just said. And I'm so grateful that these movies exist. And I look forward to any rereleases of these movies that come up. I will definitely be there in movie theaters to watch them because these are the movies that deserve to be seen in theaters.

Alex Howard
Definitely. To all of you listening, if you have an opinion on Mission Impossible movies, if you're going to send us your rankings, if you want to ask us any question about our eyesight about anything, please email us. Our email is DarkRoomFilmCast@gmail.com. That is DarkRoomFilmCast@gmail.com.

Lee Pugsley
You can also follow us on Instagram @DarkRoomFilmCast and subscribe to us on YouTube at The Dark Room. We'd also like to take a moment to thank Matt Lauterbach and All Senses Go for making transcripts of this episode available. We want to thank BlindCAN for sponsoring us and the editing of this episode.

Alex Howard
Make sure you stay tuned for The Dark Room. We have some very exciting stuff coming up in July for Disability Awareness Month.

Lee Pugsley
All right. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. And now go ahead and find a mission to complete yourself. And we'll see you here next time on The Dark Room.

Alex Howard
Stay safe, guys.