In preparation for Final Reckoning, which was incredible, I watched all the Mission Impossible movies from the start, and I gained so much appreciation for this iconic movie series that brought us the classic theme song we all know and love, as well as the countless re-enactments in several TV shows and movies since its release in 1996.

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I grew up watching these movies: the first one, practically on repeat growing up; and starting from Ghost Protocol, I watched the remaining films in the movie theater. Each movie had me on the edge of my seat with its fast-paced, unique, over-the-top classic chase sequences. Sequences that often featured the prominent "Tom Cruise Run" -of course- and usually took place in extremely beautiful locations with breathtaking scenery. The fight sequences are hard-hitting and intense while often happening during a heart-pumping time limit. The eleventh-hour save-the-character, save-the-day, save-the-world moments are plentiful! And those last-second suspenseful sequences got me every time! 🤣

There are too many good things to say about each movie, but I will say each movie is filled with the most incredible and unbelievable action sequences I could not have even predicted to see: from the underwater and airplane scenes in Final Reckoning to the motorcycle stunt in Dead Reckoning; the rock-climbing in MI 2 and in Fallout to the sequences where he's on the side of buildings in MI3 and Rouge Nation; jumping out of planes or from one plane to another, which happened in more than two of the movies! 

The suspense, the intrigue, the subtle romances, the action, the comedic moments, and the classic perfection of it all! I mean, what more could you want from an action/adventure series? And they just kept building up each movie with the stunts, thrills, and storylines! It is interesting to see how well these films, not only kept up technology, but were often ahead of time, especially with the first movie. The casting is perfect, and the character dynamics are very well-balanced. It was fun to see these character relationships build over the course of each movie along with the elements of comic relief amongst all of the intensity.

This movie series will always be iconic. And Tom Cruise really went all out with these stunts. The amount of thought, planning, and repetitive, deliberate implementation of these stunts is beyond belief! Absolutely incredible! When watching these behind-the-scenes, and seeing the way Cruise talks about stunts, it is cool to see how passionate he is about making his vision come to life, but it is also hard to tell where the actor/producer Tom Cruise ends and the character Ethan Hunt begins!

One of my favorite things about all of these movies is how the main theme is about believing in yourself and your abilities. Both Ethan's character and Tom Cruise (the man himself) have an unassailable and unwavering belief that whatever they are setting out to accomplish, they can and will accomplish. It is rather inspiring.

In each movie, the team goes from "mission impossible" to "mission accomplished" despite coming up against the most insane and impossible missions, and even though things didn't always go according to the plan. These characters believed that they would pull through, and in that last-minute, sometimes last-second moment, the world is saved. They did it by trusting and believing in themselves, and with strong teamwork, they accomplished the impossible. 

It is interesting to observe how there is never a doubt in Ethan Hunt's (or Tom Cruise's) mind- The belief and trust in oneself is the number one thing anyone can learn from watching these movies, which is such an important and empowering message. 

I love those scenes when the crew is going over their plan, and (usually in the earlier movies) there may be someone doubting the plan, doubting the fact that success is even possible, while Ethan's character just says, "we are doing this."