Summer Season Has Started With M:I 3

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2006)

You would think a movie with a star would bring so much bad publicity to the project and then let it all crumble behind, which is what i was thinking going in to see Mission: Impossible 3, starring the world's most bizarre actor/Scientologist/possible crazy man Tom Cruise. I would think just like the last two, it would be all Cruise, even with TV icon J.J. Abrahams on board. But I will say I was wrong, that this is the start of what will become the most exciting summer movie season in the past five years. Mission: Impossible 3 is the one to beat so far. The Pros and Cons:
Pros: -The directing. J.J. Abrahams brings such a twisted and myriad plot and such flawless directing that it seems he will become a more Michael Mann than a Micahel Bay. If he wants an explosion, he gets it, at the right place at the right time.
-Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In his first role after the Oscar win, Hoffman proves himself to be worthy of his Oscar win with his shocking portrayal of villain Owen Daivian. He's sinister without playing it too hard.
-The script. Although I did want to see the original M:I 3 script possibility of body harvesting in South Africa, this script is able to make M:I 3 realistic in the sense that it is a summer action flick that makes the characters human. The romantic side story, although sometimes a little overboard, is very important to the story, unlike other romantic plot lines in action flicks.
Cons: -The ending. Way too TV like. It was everyone gets together and has a big party for Mr. Hunt and his new wife. Way off and didn't even signal a 4th sequel as most action flicks. Shame.
Overall, it was a summer action flick that offers something slightly different. It was not a Tom Cruise fest unlike the last two and he was able to share the scenes with Hoffman, Rhames, Fishburne, etc. And did I mention the new Kanye West track in the credits is catchy as hell?
Breakdown: Acting-16/20
Directing-20/20
Cinematography-17/20
Screenplay-18/20
Musical Score-17/20
Overall: 88-B+