A thrill ride!

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2015)

J.J. Abrams adds his stamp of excitement and twists in his feature film directorial debut as he ups the ante in the third installment of Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible" franchise. The film opens with Ethan Hunt rescuing one of the IMF agents (Keri Russell) who has been captured by enemy agents. Unfortunately, she is killed during the rescue and Hunt assembles a team to track down the villain (Philip Seymour Hoffman) responsible. When he escapes capture, he tries to take personal revenge on Hunt by kidnapping Hunt's new wife (Michelle Monaghan) as a threat and to ensure Hunt steals a weapon for him. Some excellent, well-publicized high tension stunts done by Cruise highlight much of the action sequences, which are top notch, as Hunt's team travels the globe from the Vatican to Shanghai in search of Hunt's wife and the "Rabbit's Foot" weapon. A great thrill ride, and a sign of things to come for Abrams, putting him on the forefront of action films.