Best of The Series

Rating: 7/10 (8 May 2006)

"We've implanted an explosive charge in your head. Does that sound familiar?" Crazy. Mental. Insane. Dumb. Ridiculous. Say what you want about Tom Cruise but there's one thing you cannot deny, he knows how to deliver a big action summer blockbuster and he has done so with his latest; Mission: Impossible III.
J.J. Abrams does a wonderful job, you wouldn't know its his first time directing a feature length movie. His directing is tight and you see almost everything, unlike numerous action movies nowadays who either have the cameras right up close or has wiz bang editing. The camera is pulled back and the only complaint I have is that sometimes the camera is too shaky and jittery so you sometimes get disoriented. But Abrams pulls through and I hope that if there is an M:I IV, he directs.
The acting in this is solid per usual. Tom Cruise is great in this. I put all the gossip and news about Cruise and his behavior out of my mind and enjoyed the movie, which is essentially what we should do in the first place. He's not playing Tom Cruise in this movie so don't go in expecting him to act like he's perceived in the news. I don't care how he acts, as long as he puts out consistently great flicks (side note: He's from Syracuse, NY which is about 30 minutes from where I live. Awesome!). The whole cast has a great chemistry. Ving Rhames as Stickle is great per usual. The exchanges between Cruise and Rhames are great, you really get the feeling they are good friends. It really helps the movie by having them have conversations about Hunt getting married all while they're in the middle of a mission. Laurence Fishburne was good too. He had all of the best lines. I enjoyed the "chocolate" and "intelligence" exchange in one scene in particular. The rest of Hunt's team was good as well, even if there were no stand out performances from either. Simon Pegg (Shaun from]Shaun of The Dead) was awesome in this, even if he had little screen time. He was funny as usual and has quickly become one of my favorite comedic actors. His delivery and comic timing are top notch and funny as hell. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Now this is an enemy. He was menacing and evil but not over the top. Hoffman played Davian very well, he's probably one of the strongest characters in the movie acting wise. At some points I felt like saying I was sorry to him.
Now this is an action movie and it does not disappoint. The action scenes are over the top yes, but never go into the realm of unbelievable nor make you roll your eyes. They're all wonderful. There's a lot of action too. It doesn't have an overly elaborate plot line. It gives you just enough information to know what's going on and to be interested but doesn't dwell on it too much; they know what kind of movie you came to see. It's about 10 minutes of talking then another action scene. Each one is memorable and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The score is standard action movie fare with the famous M:I theme playing only twice throughout the whole movie, at the beginning and at the end. There's nothing in particular that stands out among another piece though.
So yes, Abrams has made the best of the M:I movies. It has a story and tons of action. It isn't over the top like M:I:II was. As I said before if there's fourth entry I hope Abrams returns to write and direct. I also hope we don't have to wait till 2012 for the next one either. So you're mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see this movie if you want a good time. This post will self destruct in 5 seconds