If anyone needs proof the Mission: Impossible series is as good with its music as its characters, the proof is here.
- The Mission: Impossible theme. The version in the first film even made it onto top-ten charts around the world. The movie version is so closely associated with Tom Cruise that it's the background music in the infamous award video that kicked off the Anonymous protests against the Church of Scientology. If you listen closely you'll notice there's no looping, someone is actually strumming the Mission Impossible theme for about fifteen minutes. Ghost Protocol's version, "Light the Fuse
", is just insane. - The U2 version of the theme is to this day ingrained as the Mission: Impossible theme, even though it was only the end credits song in the first movie. It definitely has to be the modernized Lalo Schiffrin rhythm that keeps true to the franchise while bringing it into a modern age.
- Once you get beyond the theme tune, the films' scores are pretty awesome as well (Danny Elfman did the first one, Hans Zimmer the second, Michael Giacchino the third and fourth, Joe Kraemer the fifth and Lorne Balfe the sixth).
Ghost Protocol
- "Kremlin with Anticipation", especially with the ominous Russian chanting.
Rogue Nation
- "Solomon Lane", a sinister and slow piece reflective of the villain's calm and destructive nature.
- "Meet the IMF", a quiet and slow piece marking the downfall of Lane.
Fallout
- Imagine Dragons' "Friction" surprisingly mixes well with the Mission Impossible theme song.
- The cinematic music of the second trailer is fantastic. It's called "False Dawn", by SIIX Trailer Music and Sound.
- The third trailer has 'Run For Your Life' by THE SEIGE. Some very appropriate lyrics, set to an catchy tune.
- The series's theme has always been catchy, but Lorne Balfe's renditions of it, at the beginning and at the end, takes it to epic levels. Notably, in the second instance, there are intense percussions and Ominous Latin Chanting backed by a nuclear warning siren sound, all set to flashy montages that close the film.
- "Should You Choose To Accept", a haunting, melancholic leitmotif that shows up during several key dramatic scenes and further amplifying the emotional impact that comes with them, namely Ethan's nightmare sequences, Ethan's Imagine Spot where he has to mow down several policemen to get to his objective, Ethan and Ilsa's heartfelt talk in the park, and finally when Ethan reunites with Julia in Kashmir.
- "Consequences of Love" by Death in Vegas is played by disc jockey DJ Harvey in the Paris club scene. The song was a clear standout, possibly because it's a subtle and more lyrical track than songs one would usually find in club sequences like this.
- "The Exchange", a Hans Zimmer's The Dark Knight Rises-esque piece that plays during the scene where Ethan and Walker are preparing to ambush the police convoy in Paris. The song helps build up the tension as they wait for the convoy to arrive and steel themselves to a mission that will test not only their prowess but also their moral compass. It's like if you mix the 'Deshi Basara' beats with the Mission: Impossible theme. The result is awesome.
- "Steps Ahead", which almost sounds like a militarized version of "The Plot", plays when Ethan and his team escort Lane through the tunnels of Paris.
