IMF: Incredibly Massive Fun

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2006)

I can imagine J.J. Abrams being told by producers Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner: "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to direct the sequel of Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible II and to make it a worthy action picture and a great blockbuster." That's a tough job and maybe that Cruise and Wagner didn't get the right person to do it.
Abrams has never directed a motion picture before. His notable works were on television, as he directed episodes from "Alias" and "Lost". So, let's not hide it, the expectations were very high.
So, what's the result? Did Abrams complete his mission? In two single words: OH YES! "M:I-3" is by far the best film of the Mission series and it mixes elements from the previous episodes, while adding a touch of things that weren't. I know now why the majority of the film critics loved this movie, because I was astonished too by the extremely well-filmed action scenes and the surprising, but fairly welcomed drama and emotion which weren't really present in the first two movies.
First, the action. Because Mission is firstly an action scenes maker. I have to say that the action in "M:I-3" is by far the most elaborate and the most spectacular, and the locations are well-chosen for them. For example, there is the helicopter chase in the beginning inside a field full of windmills. The cameras are shaking and shaking 'till it's over. The viewer really has the impression of being trapped in a thrilling roller coaster ride and the only thing to do is to grab the seat and hold on.
I also liked the attack on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. These are epic scenes, because of the high level of circulation and the number of fighters involved. The images of Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise, who else?) hanging from the hole in the way are captivating.
There's also a surprisingly high level of emotion and drama inside the movie. Hunt and his wife Julia are an appealing couple and the interaction between both of them is real and attracting.
The gadgets in the Mission series are as inseparable as in the James Bond series. There are dozens of computers, guns, vehicles, chips etc. But director Abrams finally reveals how do the agents create their famous masks and the vocal stickers that come along. I was wondered.
I kinda noticed a lot of references to Quentin Tarantino's movies in this picture. First, there is the very first scene which repeats itself later in the movie and the adrenaline injection inside agent Lindsay's body, which recall "Pulp Fiction". There's also the stealing of a secret item called 'Rabbit's Foot', but we only see the before and the after, much like in "Reservoir Dogs". However, in Mission case, I don't think that this kind of scene was necessary and it may just hide an event that the screenwriters weren't able to develop.
Another weak point: I don't believe that it was necessary to give Ethan's wife a gun and to make her fight. I simply didn't like that scene. The kicking-ass-woman is too cliché (I don't want to look like a macho, however).
Overall, "M:I-3" is a really great blockbuster and it brings a holy part of sunlight into the 2006 movie year. A big, big thumbs-up!