Mission Accomplished.

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2006)

Congratulations to Cruise and Abrams on a mission accomplished. "M:I-III" is a taught, suspenseful, action packed thrill ride that packs more excitement than the first two films put together. There are so truly amazing sequences, from the opening mission to the dazzling assault on an overpass by helicopters and jets as Hunt's team attempts to transport Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), easily the nastiest, and also the most low key, super-villain we have seen in the series to date.
If there is one major weakness to the film, is that the plot is extremely thin - as usual, the filmmakers provide us with a "MacGuffin," a term coined by Alfred Hitchcock to indicate an item that the heroes must search after in order to move the story forward (such as the NOC List, which matches agents code names to true names, or Chimaera and Belarafon, the monster virus and it's cure). This around, our MacGuffin is the Rabbit's foot, a mysterious, unidentified object that is the thinnest plot device we've had to swallow yet - Abrams seems so aware that it's merely excuse to provide action that he really doesn't care what the object is (bringing to mind the mysterious suitcase in "Pulp Fiction.").
But on the bright side, the characters are richer and more fully realized than ever before. Ethan Hunt has left IMF field work behind, and is preparing to marry the girl of his dreams, the beautiful young Julia (Michelle Monaghan.). Ethan's love at first sight relationship with Nyah Nordoff Hall, the character played by Thandie Newton in the previous sequel, is conveniently ignored, but if there's one thing that Cruise has taught us, besides the fact that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, it's that if you can land a hot young girl, it's best to pretend that your past romances never even happened. The film's first act recalls "Alias" so strongly that Abrams even throws in a cameo by Greg Grunberg. In addition to a more fully realized Ethan, we are treated to a true, honest to goodness IMF team, and they are given much more screen time in this film, as opposed to being relegated to the background sidekicks we have seen in the past two movies. This adds immeasurably to the film, and gives it a much less "American Bond" feel, and the witty script gives them all their share of humorous dialogue. This was a caveat Abrams insisted upon before he chose to accept this mission, and it pays off gloriously. Abrams also seems to feel the need to flesh out (no pun intended) something on a explanation of where Hunt's amazing disguises come from, and just how they are made.
But despite sharing more of the limelight, Cruise is still in top form as an action hero - he just keeps getting better with age. And the chemistry between Cruise and Billy Crudup, as an IMF colleague, is great. Laurence Fishburne adds to the proceedings as the requisite Agency Chief who suffers from a chronic case of rectal cranial inversion.
On the whole, this is an extremely solid and satisfying piece of summer entertainment, and well worth the price of an admission ticket, even if doesn't exactly break the mold. There are enough eye-popping stunts and action sequences for at least five summer blockbusters. Some may complain that Abram's constantly roving camera is distracting, but overall, a major directing talent seems to have been discovered here, and we eagerly await his next project. If the reports of Abrams helming the next "Star Trek" movie are true, it could be just the dilithium crystal needed to once again add power to the engine. And if it's this much fun, we'd welcome a "Mission: Impossible IV".