Could have established the M:i franchise, but ends up being more self-serving than anything else.

Rating: 4/10 (10 May 2006)

I went into this film without any real expectations. I had heard mixed reviews and so I watched it with an open mind, hoping for more of the Mission:Impossible magic which started with the first film and was expanded upon (again, with mixed reviews) in M:i:II.
The plot was good, and had enough twists and turns built into it to ensure that the viewer could have been thrown all over their chair as it jinxed it's way across the screen, but, sadly, some of those opportunities seem to have been sacrificed for what I can only guess is self-serving propaganda on the part of Mr Cruise.
The idea of Ethan being recalled from semi-retirement into active field duties to recover one of his students who has been captured was an interesting lead-in. However questions are raised regarding the relationship he had with his former student and none of those questions are really put to bed in any comprehensive way. The closest we get is Luther being told that Ethan considered her to be like his sister to which he replies "Did you ever f**k your sister?", but that's as close to enlightened as we get.
The juggling act which Ethan has to do trying to have a normal life an relationship as well as maintain his activities with the IMF is a nice feature in this film too. Even if it is a little close to "True Lies" in some respects.
What disappointed me the most, however, was the conclusion of the film. Davian has Ethan's wife held captive and is threatening to shoot her in front of Ethan. When I was watching this I was sure that they were going to kill her off, a la James Bond, and so establish Ethan as an eternal bachelor unable to maintain a real emotional relationship and instead committing completely to the job and the adventures. Instead, it's almost as those the film changes gears, with it going from a testosterone-fueled boys film to a soft and sappy testimonial by Mr Cruise, trying to show the world that he can be a loving and caring husband rather than a cavalier playboy.
Very disappointing. I am all for happy endings in films, but when that results in the main character just about being retired from the franchise, I baulk a little.
It's an interesting film, with some funky gadgets (even if, for the nerds out there some glaring factual errors are evident - like using alligator clips on 10baseT cable to hack a data connection), some big explosions and some good fight scenes. But it lacks the depth and substance it could have had if it remained true to the M:i vein rather than the Cuise-promoting bandwagon.