Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Member since:29.08.2002
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It has been 6 years since Tom Cruise last graced our screens as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible 2. At the beginning of May he returned for the 3rd instalment in the series, ten years after the original brought Hunt to our screen's the first time round. Cruise has also taken a step up to not only star in MI:3 but also take a producers credit for his latest all action adventure. I decided that as I had nothing to do this morning that I'd go and see if the third part is as enjoyable as the previous 2.
Cruise resumes the mantle of Ethan Hunt, now a training officer for new recruits to the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). Having met the woman of his dreams he took a step away from active duty, but when one of his prodigies goes missing he returns to aid in the rescue attempt. They track her to a warehouse and Hunt and his team go in after her to rescue her from a vicious arms dealer (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). When it doesn't all go according to plan Hunt takes
it personally and vows to find out exactly what Lindsey (Keri Russell) had stumbled upon.
The start of the film is a little confusing as before the credits roll we are confronted by Cruise tied to a chair facing a woman bound in a chair with a gun to her head. After a short scene and the credits the film flicks to a party some unconfirmed time before and for a moment it leaves a gapping question of what's actually going on. From here though the film quickly settled down and although the mission brief is a million miles away from MI:2 it soon becomes a familiar pattern. It is a typical all out action movie and fans of the other films in the series shouldn't be disappointed, but there does seem to be a hint of story trying to shine through with Hunt's latest love interest.
For director J J Abrams it is his first foray into the Hollywood mainstream, having worked on TV series like Alias and Lost. His first major budget movie seems to do pretty well. It's packed full of action and special effects as you might expect and its all done in quite a creative way. The explosions look good and the stunts all work in context with the role. His use of camera angles and directions also seem to suit the style of the film and add a little too how enjoyable it is. While the plot works well I felt the script tried to make the film into something it wasn't.
Abrams is joined on the writing side of things by two of his co writers on Alias, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. They've tried to blend a love story in behind the main storyline and unlike previous films where Hunt finds a gorgeous girl, beds her then she doesn't appear again they have this time married him off. While a lot of films seem to scream out for a sub plot like this, Mission Impossible 3 isn't one of them and instead it leads to sections of the film unnecessarily becoming bogged down in these romantic memories and moments.
I think the key for the director was getting Cruise back to resume the role of Hunt. Unlike the Bond series I don't think Mission Impossible could have survived a change of lead character and at the moment that doesn't look like changing. Cruise puts in quite an accomplished performance as you would expect from an actor of his stature and he doesn't disappoint. He has this side as a movie action hero that people forget but I think he suits the role of Hunt nicely.
A few of the cast return from previous films, with Ving Rhames in particular turning in a very good performance as ever. I felt that Phillip Seymour Hoffman could have brought a lot more to the role of Davian than he was allowed to show, but the scene's he was in showed his acting ability. A special mention also goes to Simon Pegg, who also appears briefly in the film and puts in a decent performance. Not the sort of place you would expect the Shaun of the Dead creator to appear but a welcome surprise. The cast on the whole is well chosen and doesn't contain any weaker performances; rather everyone does their jobs to make this a decent action movie.
Overall the third instalment in the series is a decent one. It isn't better than the first and its probably on a par with the second. If it wasn't trying to be something it wasn't then it could easily have ranked up their alongside the first. That's really my only major complaint with the film and it certainly didn't hamper my enjoyment of it. If you liked the first two or perhaps you haven't seen them but like Bond or xXx then I can thoroughly recommend Mission Impossible 3. It is a film for the lads but the girls will enjoy it as well, especially if they are fans of Mr Cruise.
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