No Spoiler Review

The success of your mission, should you choose to accept it, hinges on your response to the following questions: Did you like the first two incarnations of this franchise? Can you separate Tom Cruise the actor from Tom Cruise the freak? If you answered both questions in the affirmative, you will enjoy Mission Impossible: III.

I have to admit that I did not see the first Mission Impossible film. I saw the second one, thoroughly enjoyed it, became an instant fan of Thandie Newton, and have never felt the need to see the first one. You may feel the same way about this third film in the franchise and if so I wouldn’t blame you. It is not different. It is not new. But it is the first big blockbuster of the summer movie season and it is a really fun movie.

I’ll steer clear of the plot beyond what you may have seen in the trailers. To reveal any of the major plot points would ruin the story. Suffice it to say that Ethan Hunt has once again been called up by the IMF to assist with an ‘impossible mission’, he reluctantly accepts, and action ensues. Despite the fact that the story is one we have all seen before there are several reasons I really enjoyed this film. First off, the cast.

I’ve never been a huge Tom Cruise fan, nor am I a Tom Cruise hater. I don’t go to or stay away from a film because of him. I think he does a terrific job in this type of role, however. Once the opening scene was over I was able to lay aside my visions of couch-jumping and Scientology-selling and enjoy his performance. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is outstanding. I haven’t seen Capote other than in trailers, so my exposure to Hoffman has only been with his smaller, more comedic roles. He was a fantastic villian. Cold, cruel, calculating. He makes the film. Ving Rhames is back and is his usually cocky self. In addition to Rhames, Cruise’s team is made up of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q. Laurence Fishburn and Billy Crudup turn in adequate performances as suits in the IMF and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) turns in a really fun performance as a tech-geek reminiscient of Kevin Weisman’s role in the television show Alias. And of course there is the role of the love interest, this time turned in by a relative newcomer to film, Michelle Monaghan. Monaghan turned in a refreshingly down to earth performance that only enhanced her girl-next-door looks. She was a very good choice.

The second thing I really like about Mission Impossible:III was this: The very first scene of the movie shows something that actually happens much closer to the end of the film. Despite knowing that the movie would eventually end up at this point the suspenseful moments of the film were still suspenseful. That fact alone made the film enjoyable to me.

And of course the special effects were well done. There were fewer explosions than I generally expect from an action film but that’s not to say that it is devoid of these moments. There are plenty of the requisite incidents of violence, explosions, gun-fire, chases, fights, and stunts that you expect from this franchise. I felt these were handled well and that there was less of the jump-cut edits that one expects from action films. Yes there were several implausible moments but that is true for not only these films but most of the slate of summer blockbusters to come. It is a credit to MI:III that implausibility doesn’t detract from the entertaiment value of the film.

Should you see this on the big screen? Well, that all depends on the limitations you have in getting out to the movies. As with all action/adventure films they impress more on the big screen. However this movie will be much more watchable on the television than will other upcoming movies like X-Men III, Superman Returns, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. If you are limited with your time and budget this summer, wait for those movies. If you are in the mood for an interesting, fun, popcorn movie now then I recommend checking out MI:III.