Calling one of cinema’s greatest action franchises ‘forgettable’ is a surefire way to see virtual hands get thrown

It’s ironic that Mission: Impossible didn’t secure its status as one of the finest ongoing franchises of the modern era until it shed the gimmick that defined its existence for the first decade and a half of its tenure on the big screen.

The first five installments were all directed by a different filmmaker, each of whom brought their own distinct sense of style and sensibilities to the proceedings, with star and producer Tom Cruise remaining the one constant throughout. However, since Christopher McQuarrie assumed command, things have been going from strength to strength.

It’s entirely a matter of taste and personal preference as to which of the Mission: Impossible movies you prefer, but when you consider that the last three chapters are each regarded as one of the greatest blockbusters of the last decade that hold respective Rotten Tomatoes scores of 93, 94, and 97 percent, then Ethan Hunt is riding a wave of momentum few properties can match.

And yet, virtual hands are ready to be thrown after a bold Redditor asked “why are Mission: Impossible movies so forgettable?” to the shock and chagrin of many. Sure, a couple have ranged somewhere between disappointing and a complete letdown, but there isn’t a single chapter that doesn’t have at least one set pieces, stunt, or mind-boggling feat of camera wizardry that fails to stick in the memory, and that includes J.J. Abrams’ otherwise-forgettable threequel, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman just one of several reasons why the film is memorable in its own right.

Dead Reckoning is poised to raise the bar yet again, but dubbing Mission: Impossible to be a saga that fails to linger once the credits come up sounds a little far-fetched, especially when the entire point of the series is to ensure you need to pick your jaw up off the floor before exiting the theater.