"Your mission - should you choose to accept it . . ."

This now-iconic proposition has kicked off every Mission: Impossible film since the original hit cinemas way back in 1996. For over two decades, this franchise has managed to adapt and survive through different cultural periods, slowly but surely rising to dominance as one of Hollywood's best cinematic offerings.

Last month, Mission: Impossible - Fallout hit theaters, marking the sixth time Tom Cruise has portrayed super-spy Ethan Hunt. With this latest film raking in box office dollars like a clever simile that I can't think of right now, it seems like as good a time as any to look at why exactly this franchise has managed to stay relevant for two decades - and how it'll continue to do just that. That is, until Tom Cruise's inevitable and untimely death, resulting from some mind-bogglingly dangerous stunt. But we'll get more into that.

*Quick note: when talking about action franchises, we won't be considering superhero, sci-fi, or fantasy movies, like Marvel and Star Wars*

The Undeniable Insanity of Tom Cruise

Love or hate the guy, Tom Cruise is one of the few proper "Movie Stars" we have left in Hollywood. And what's more, the man is relentlessly dedicated to providing realistic, jaw-dropping action through the Mission: Impossible films. Since the original film, he's insisted on doing all his own stunt work - whether he's dangling from cliffsides in M:I-2, swinging around the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, or literally hanging from the side of a plane in 2015's Rogue Nation.

For Fallout, Cruise reportedly trained for two thousand hours learning to fly a helicopter for the movie's finale. Last year, news broke that the star had shattered his ankle leaping between buildings on the set of Fallout, and that's only one of many injuries Cruise has sustained over the years. Tom Cruise is, to put it bluntly, absolutely insane.

This is a man who shows reckless disregard for his own personal well-being just to bring audiences the best possible movie-going experience (not unlike how his fictional counterpart, Ethan Hunt, relentlessly risks his life to save the world.) Plus, Cruise has an undeniable charisma as Ethan Hunt that keeps audiences waiting to see what this guy will do next. And that's with all the weird Scientology stuff aside.

Tom Cruise casually sits atop the highest building in the world, putting all our Insta games to shame.www.3sproduction.wordpress.com

Breathtaking Action Set Pieces

Going hand-in-hand with the madness of its leading man is the Mission: Impossible series' dedication to some truly incredible action sequences. The creators of Mission: Impossible have always found ways to propel the films to new heights, both figuratively and literally in some instances. In making Fallout, Cruise made history as the first actor to perform a HALO jump on-camera. And this is just the latest in a long line of escalating action spectacles.

But beyond daring escapades involving planes, trains, automobiles, helicopters, and skyscrapers, M:I also manages to offer up some surprisingly tense, smartly-staged fight sequences. For example, Rogue Nation features a twenty-minute backstage fight in an opera house that seems to get better with every rewatch. And of course, the Langley heist from the 1996 original gave us some of the most iconic moments in cinema history.

Intelligent Story Lines

There's an idea in Hollywood that blockbuster movies must feature dumbed-down plots designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. But while franchises like Fast & The Furious and Jurassic Park seem set on getting bigger, louder, and more explosion-y with each new entry, only M:I continues to bring complex, intriguing tales of espionage to the big screen.

Sure, the franchise has its share of familiar beats - four of the six films revolve around retrieving nuclear or chemical weapons, and Ethan Hunt finds himself "disavowed" in all but two movies. Nevertheless, the Mission: Impossible movies all feature smarter-than-average storylines designed to make the audience think and keep us engaged.

Preparing for a HALO jumpwww.entertainment-focus.com

Adaptability

Fallout holds a unique place in the M: I series for a few reasons: it marks the first time a director has returned to the series for a second film, and it's also the first direct sequel to a previous film. Up until Christopher McQuarrie followed up Rogue Nation with Fallout, every M: I film has featured a new director and stories that remain relatively unconnected from each other.

This has served the franchise well for a number of reasons. Firstly, the revolving door of directors has ensured that each new installment has a new, unique style. M: I - 2 (by far the worst of the series, directed by John Woo) is a ridiculously over-the-top, pseudo-martial arts action flick. With M: I - 3, first-time director J.J. Abrams brought a slick, more down-to-earth style to the series (full of lense flares, obviously). The M: I franchise has proven to be a giant cinematic sandbox, ready for each new director to make their mark as they see fit.

Secondly, the loose continuity of the series makes it easy for new viewers to get drawn in. Haven't seen the first three films? Doesn't matter, you can still watch

Ghost Protocol and totally enjoy it. Every film offers a totally new villain, new conflict, and oftentimes, new team members. And while I do believe it has paid off for the series to finally go the sequel route with Fallout, I hope whatever next installment we see takes Ethan Hunt and the IMF in an entirely new direction. This should manage to keep the series fresh and adaptable for years to come.

And lastly . . .

They're Fun Movies!

Sure, we're watching a team of super-spies race against a ticking clock to save the world from wanton destruction. But hey, why can't we have a little fun? Some of the best moments in Fallout come from these little moments of levity between characters in super-tense situations - for example, there's a scene where Cruise jumps out an office window that's just hilarious (but no spoilers . . .)

And of course, there are all the little tropes and running gags in the

Mission: Impossible movie that make them so delightful. The masks. The self-destructing messages. Tom Cruise's insanely long runs. Tom Cruise's ever-changing hairstyles. Hang on . . . this is starting to become a list of Tom Cruise stuff. But you get the idea. While other spy franchises like Bond and Bourne seem to get more dour and depressing with every outing, Mission: Impossible still serves to remind us that saving the world can be a little fun, too.

You can practically see the madness in his eyes.www.heroichollywood.com

And there you have it! Mission: Impossible is pretty great, Tom Cruise is pretty bonkers, and I'm pretty bad at wrapping up articles concisely. Do you agree with my thoughts on the spy franchise? Comment and let me know!

This article will self-destruct in five seconds.