Great Action But Lacks Originality/Characters

Rating: 5/10 (10 March 2017)

After the widely-acclaimed disappointment that was "Mission Impossible II" this third installment (helmed by the formidable JJ Abrams) provides some much-needed polish to a franchise in desperate need of it. Sadly, though, there are too many missed opportunities for character growth and plot for this movie to truly rise above an "average" categorization.
For a basic plot summary, "MI3" sees Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) called back to the IMF one more time to save a fellow agent (played by Keri Russell). When that operation uncovers international villain Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Hunt is drawn into the chase in more ways than one when his wife-to-be Julia (Michelle Monaghan) is drawn into the plot as well.
In terms of action/gadgets/technology/freneticism, this movie likely has what you are looking for. The nonstop action rivals anything that, say, a "Bourne" or Jason Statham flick could ever produce, and the visuals are stunning and slick. For those only looking for action/adventure going in, there's no reason to be disappointed.
At the same time, however, two fatal flaws exist in this film:
First, the characters are mighty weak. Monaghan (though perfectly built for her role) is only "the girl to be saved", Hoffman is a terrible villain, and the script doesn't really give Cruise all that much of an opportunity to grow.
Second, the plot (while twisty/turny) is nothing that spy fans haven't seen countless times before. The names/places/dates may have been changed, but pretty much everything else is stock fare for espionage flicks.
Overall, then, while JJ did polish up this franchise a bit, I felt that he didn't buff out enough of the imperfections to make it a truly great film. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't expect it to rocket atop any "best of" lists.