And a lot of that is due to the stylish work of director DePalma.
shareI do like the first and it perhaps has one of the best tension filled scenes in the franchise - the scene of Hunt breaking into the secure room to steal files. I would have Ghost Protocol above it though.
The only one not worth any sort of rewatch is the second one.
I mean just the fact it was directed by Brain Defuckin Untouchables/Carrie/Scarface Palma should raise it to a level above the sequels..
Its like having Spielberg or Coppola directing a MI
The rest I mean yeah some personally feel better/more engaging/fun (for me MI3) and have the crazy Cruise stunts, but really the 'best' has to be the first ..and it also feels most like the original show (despite the absolute sinful act of making Jim Phelps the villain). Maybe bc it came out during the era where hollywood as remaking many 60s shows as big budget summer movies (Fugitive, Lost in Space, Avengers, even Batman&Robin) .. its abit strange looking back bc at the time it was criticised by some for not being like the show, but the sequels feel even less so imo (although MI3 feels most like MI1)