Watching the "Mission: Impossible" movies in order is an underrated movie marathon. Everyone defaults to "Star Wars" or "The Lord of the Rings," but "Mission: Impossible" is an excellent action movie series with very few low points. Even the worst movies in the franchise still provide action set pieces worth watching.
Unfortunately, there is a small complication when it comes to watching these movies — you need more than one streaming service. Despite every movie in the franchise being distributed by Paramount, you can't find every movie on Paramount Plus.
The good news is most of these movies are on Paramount Plus. At the moment, only 2015's "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" is exclusive to Prime Video. You can also watch last year's "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" on Prime Video, but thankfully it's also available on Paramount Plus.
If you don't want to spend any money, you can watch some of these movies — "Mission: Impossible," "Mission: Impossible 2," "Mission: Impossible III," and "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" — for free on Pluto TV. Just know you'll still ultimately need Paramount Plus and Prime video if you want to watch all the "Mission: Impossible" movies in order online.
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How to watch the 'Mission: Impossible' movies in order
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible' online
This movie rebooted the "Mission: Impossible" franchise following the cancellation of a 1988 sequel TV show that rebooted the original 1966 show. It kicks off with the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) in Prague to prevent Alexander Golitsyn (Marcel Iureș) from selling off the CIA NOC list. It ends in disaster, and team member Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is the sole survivor
IMF director Eugene Kittridge (Czerny) believes Hunt is a mole responsible for the failed mission. When Hunt realizes this, he blows up the restaurant they're in with chewing gum, and escapes to try and find what he needs to prove his innocence. The plot gets convoluted after that but the special effects will have you enjoying it regardless.
Director: Brian De Palma
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Jean Reno
Watch on Paramount Plus or Pluto TV (free with ads)
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible 2' online
Ethan Hunt is back in action in "Mission: Impossible 2." The movie starts with a shot where Hunt hangs from the side of the Grand Canyon, one of several iconic Tom Cruise stunts from the film series. This chapter is all about a plot to threaten the world with a biological weapon known as the Chimera virus, and how IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Scott) has gone rogue and has its cure.
"Mission: Impossible 2" isn't most people's favorite movie in the franchise. It spends a lot of time on a potential romance between Hunt and Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Newton), Ambrose's ex who becomes wrapped up in the Chimera chaos. Still, it offers thrilling action ... and an odd take on the Mission: Impossible theme song from Limp Bizkit.
Director: John Woo
Stars: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandiwe Newton, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, Rade Sherbedgia, Ving Rhames
Watch on Paramount Plus or Pluto TV (free with ads)
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible III' online
"Mission: Impossible III" completes the team that most people are familiar with in the most recent movies from the series. It introduces Benji (Pegg), who joins the team of Hunt (Cruise) and Luther (Rhames).
It begins with Hunt out of the IMF and trying to live a normal life with Julia (Monaghan), a nurse. But, of course, Hunt's forced back into action when one of his trainees (Russell) is held captive. Will Ethan ever be able to have a life outside the IMF? Not if maniacal arms dealer Owen Davian (Hoffman) has anything to say about it.
Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan, Maggie Q, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Billy Crudup, Keri Russell, Simon Pegg, Laurence Fishburne
Watch on Paramount Plus or Pluto TV (free with ads)
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' online
If you thought Tom Cruise had been doing wild stunts in the previous "Mission: Impossible "movies, you were probably shocked by "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." The fourth chapter sees Hunt scale the side of the massive Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, among other major moments.
This movie is also when the franchise turns from popcorn action blockbusters into critically acclaimed films. "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" impresses with its fantastic set-piece action scenes and scales back the drama surrounding Hunt's personal life. This focus on just becoming the best action movie pays off, and you could almost start here and skip the first three movies if you wanted.
Director: Brad Bird
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Léa Seydoux, Josh Holloway
Watch on Paramount Plus or Pluto TV (free with ads)
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' online
While "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" kicks off the franchise's run as a critically acclaimed series, the current era of "Mission: Impossible" movies begins here. "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" is the first film in the series to pair Cruise with his frequent collaborator writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and it's paid off dividends ever since.
In "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" Hunt is a man without a home team. The government has shut down the IMF, absorbing it into the CIA and forcing IMF agents Benji (Pegg) and William Brandt (Renner) to work for the agency. Meanwhile, Hunt is on the run as a fugitive with MI6 agent Ilsa Faust (Ferguson) having escaped capture by the treacherous Syndicate organization, which was teased at the end of the previous film.
Unfortunately, this is the one "Mission: Impossible" movie not currently available on Paramount Plus.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin
Watch on Prime Video or MGM Plus
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible — Fallout' online
In "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," we're still reckoning with the fallout from the events of "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation." 'The Syndicate has reformed as the Apostles and they've been hired by extremist John Lark to acquire three plutonium cores for nuclear bombs he will use to dismantle the existing world order.
Hunt thinks he's eliminated the threat of Lark after an incredible fight in a nightclub bathroom between Hunt, Lark and CIA agent August Walker (Cavill) ends with Lark dead and Hunt assuming the terrorist's identity. But as Hunt quickly discovers, not all is as it seems in this dark world of espionage.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Stars: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin
Watch on Paramount Plus
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
How to watch 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One' online
"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" kicks off with an advanced Russian AI gaining sentience and going rogue. Once it's discovered this AI — later dubbed "the Entity" — is a threat, IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) recovers a piece of the two-part key to controlling the rogue AI from his old ally Ilsa Faust (Ferguson).
But he's not the only one looking to destroy or control the dangerous AI. Ethan and his IMF compatriots Benji (Pegg) and Luther (Rhames) team up again to intercept the other key piece. In the process, they meet Grace (Atwell) who becomes a tenuous new ally for Hunt. As a "Part One" movie, the story doesn't feel over when the credits finally roll. But don't worry, a sequel is currently slated for May 23, 2025.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Stars: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny
Watch on Paramount Plus, Prime Video or MGM Plus
Buy or rent digitally on Amazon
