This mission just got a whole lot more impossible...

Rating: 7/10 (8 May 2006)

With all the hubbub surrounding Tom Cruise's religious eccentricities and bizarre behaviour, it is nice to see him go back to doing what he does best - running, shooting, shouting and looking generally concerned about the welfare of his loved ones. MI:3 is by no means a classic, but it is certainly enjoyable, and despite the heavy use of genre clichés it avoids the fate of MI:2, which was pretty much a ninety-minute music video. The second film in the series also seemed to take itself rather too seriously, indulging in cringeworthy 'romantic dialogue' and a soundtrack of vaguely ethnic wailing, whereas Abrams manages to bring to this film a definite sense of fun, sometimes verging on the ridiculous. That said, there is a darker edge to this - Phillip Seymour Hoffman provides the sleaziest of baddies, with a penchant for the old trick of planting explosive capsules in his enemies' brains. Most importantly, MI:3 offers an engaging story to go with the stunts and glamorous locations, and while it may not be up to the standard of great spy films, it is thoroughly engaging and enjoyable.