10 Reasons Mission: Impossible - Fallout Is The Best Ever

Most importantly of all, no other film in the franchise has gotten to the heart of Ethan Hunt quite like this one does.

The character arc for Hunt has always been there, its just never gotten the spotlight before. It was always second fiddle to the action sequences and the plot itself. But here, McQuarrie opts to make a character-piece, rooted entirely in Ethan Hunt.

From the opening frames foretelling his greatest fears, to him having to consistently push himself beyond the boundaries of mere mortal men for the sole purpose of saving those he loves, the film continuously challenges Ethan in new and increasingly difficult ways. By the time the film reaches its finale, everything and everyone Ethan loves is on the line and the only way to save them is by nearly killing himself.

So he does, with barely a second's thought.

Between exploring his relationships with Luther, Benji, Hunley, Ilsa, Julia, and even Walker, the film paints a firm picture of a good man just trying to do right by the world. As Hunley points out early on, Ethan's greatest strength is that he values the life of one man just as much as he does the life of hundreds. He can't bring himself to kill a police officer or even leave one to die, even if it means blowing his cover.

He's a good man trying to remain good in terrible times, a message incredibly relatable to anyone living in 2018.