A great addition to the series.

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2006)

As a fan of the first two movies of Tom Cruise's Mission:Impossible franchise, I awaited the arrival of number three with some excitement, not only for the fact that it was continuing a movie series that has already set itself as a series with differening styles for each movie making it an enjoyable addition to the spy-fi genre, but for the fact that this installment was being written and directed by the man who had turned that said genre on its head in the last five years with his television series Alias, one Mr JJ Abrams. He is a great choice to handle this movie and it ensures that Mission:Impossible 3 is a terrific movie.
Like the television series Alias, M:I 3 features a story that revolves around its leading character living a life as a spy, while trying to juggle a personal life in which he must hide his true job from those he loves, in this case his fiancée (played by the quite lovely Michelle Monaghan). Of course, like Alias, as the film continues, said personal life and professional life becoming involved head on and the resulting plot includes kidnappings, weapons of mass destruction (which, like Alias, may have a quasi-spiritual/religious element to it) and the leading character having to go rogue for a spell. It all adds up for two hours of great fun, overheated action sequences and a fun time in the cinema, which is what this franchise has managed to do now three times. Tom Cruise seems to be welcoming playing the character of Ethan Hunt with a few more dimensions with the welcome inclusion of a life outside of IMF even though the relationship is played out in a conventional, slushy Hollywood way what with the misty eyed looks and PG-13/12 rated make out sessions. As well as a good performance from Cruise, Abrams, who is obviously a fan of the series, has decided, like in the series from the 1960's, to center his leading man around a superb ensemble. Ving Rhames makes a welcome return as Luther Stickell, while we have the additions of Maggie Q and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the rest of his team and it should be said that this element works very well, so well that it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and ensure these characters come back for any proposed fourth installment, while any film in the world that features Laurence Fishburne is worth watching in my estimation.
Of course what one expects from a film like this are action sequences, and with James Bond veteran Vic Armstrong on duty here, the audience will not be disappointed. The rescue mission of a fellow agent in the opening half four get things of to a nice start, but it is the attack sequence on the bridge that will cement this film a reputation. Brutal, chaotic and quite violent (there is a number of collateral damage in the sequence), it shows that JJ Abrams is, like Joss Whedon, born to be making movies, making his television work almost seem like a try out period.
Overall this is a superb film. No doubt like the first two movies, there will a wealth of mixed opinion, but I for one loved it, so much it made me want to watch the first two again (oh, that sounds like a nice idea for a double feature), while simultaneously making one excited for a fourth installment (please, don't make it be another six years). In the meantime, Mission:Impossible 3 ensures that we'll be humming that theme tune for a while to come yet.