10 Movie Sequels That Were Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be

The Mission: Impossible franchise has an increasingly interesting and varied history. Beginning with De Palma's original film in 1996, the series was set to serve as Tom Cruise's big action franchise for years to come. But then Mission: Impossible II happened and all but derailed the entire thing.

So after years of planning and recharting the course of the series, Cruise returned to the character of Ethan Hunt in J. J. Abrams' Mission: Impossible III. And while that film is great in its own right, nothing could have really prepared for audiences for what came next.

Buzz behind the scenes was that Paramount was actively looking for a younger actor to replace the aging Cruise, to be introduced in the fourth film and take over from there. But then, Brad Bird's addition to the franchise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, was released and everything changed once again.

Bird's take on the film was over two-hours of old-school, pure adrenaline pumping action cinema, the likes of which were simply not being done anymore. Cruise had always tried to push the franchise towards more practical effects but never before had he risked life-and-limb quite the way he did in Ghost Protocol. From the Burj Khalifa-scaling setpiece, to the desert storm stepiece, to the final fight set inside of an automated car assembly plant (!?!), this film is filled to the brim with action so unreal it has to be seen to be believed.

The film ultimately renewed interest in the franchise, and the planned Cruise replacement of Jeremy Renner isn't even in the upcoming sixth film, so that tells you all you need to know about how awesome Cruise was in the role.