Mission: Impossible III

Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, Laurence Fishburne,
Directed by: JJ Abrams
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) battles an arms dealer (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has kidnapped his fiancee (Michelle Monaghan) to force him to retrieve a device with apocalyptic implications.

Review:

Tim: I have always struggled with what to think of the Mission: Impossible franchise, and this latest entry is no exception. In some aspects, yes, the movie is entertaining, exciting, and offers some pretty amazing explosions and gunfights. On the other, it seems a bit hollow and forgettable.

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, in his most personal adventure yet. This time, his fiancée is kidnapped, and he has to get her back. Conveniently, this allows Cruise to show more emotions than in previous films, but I can’t help but feel the Mission: Impossible franchise is best when not involved in Hunt’s personal life. Oh well, I suppose this gives him added motivation. It was nice seeing Ving Rhames as Hunt’s longtime friend and partner. Philip Seymour Hoffman did a decent job as the villain, but even his superb acting skills couldn’t make me afraid of him. He doesn’t seem like a particularly memorable bad guy. Michelle Monaghan is decent as Hunt’s fiancée, but as you might expect, doesn’t have too much to do.

The film’s highlight has to be the helicopter attack on the bridge. This action sequence is incredibly impressive, especially the explosion that knocks Cruise sideways into a car, shattering the window. That was amazing. However, for all this film’s stunts, not one comes even close to the wire-dangling break-in in the first Mission: Impossible film. There has also been much criticism that Cruise pretty much just runs fast for the entire movie (he does do quite a bit of running).

Mission: Impossible III is a solid entry into this franchise, and while it at least maintains the level of effectiveness, it doesn’t improve on it too much. This movie could have been far worse, but the direction of JJ Abrams allows it to move at a good pace. I’m not horribly disappointed by this movie, but I was not blown away, either.




Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible 2, Goldeneye, Days of Thunder, The Thomas Crown Affair, Spy Game, The World is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies