10 Ways The Mission Impossible Movies Keep Getting Better

In an age of cinematic universes and incredibly complex backstories, isn't it refreshing to walk into a movie with absolutely zero baggage? When going to see something like Avengers: Age of Ultron or even Ant-Man, there's a lot of prior knowledge you need to have for the movie to make any sense. 

There's no problem with that, but it's also nice to have a completely standalone adventure as the Mission: Impossible franchise provides. There is nothing you need to know about this movie going into it, even though it's the fifth instalment in a near two-decade long series. If all you know about Mission: Impossible is that it's a spy adventure starring Tom Cruise where he does crazy stunts, you're good to go. 

By bringing in new directors and plots every time, this avoids the problem that makes so many franchises decline in quality: needing to stretch the overarching storyline out to the point that it gets stupid. Part of the reason these movies keep getting better is that they constantly bring in fresh ideas, and that's a direct result of not being weighed down by all that came before.