Not Bad, But Little More Than An Extended Episode Of Alias

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2006)

From the patented opening scene that drops us in the middle of the action, then goes back in time and leads us in, this really isn't much more than an extended version of a typical episode of _Alias_. Except this time, Abrams and his crew can actually afford to go to the exotic places where the story is set, rather than trying to find stand-ins in LA and its environs. That said, this really wasn't a bad movie. It was enjoyable from start to finish, but not something you'll spend much time thinking about after it's over. I'm really surprised that none of the MI movies has really been a rousing action picture so far, so saying that this is the best of the three isn't saying that much, unfortunately. Still, as action pics go, you could do much worse and the film has really done a good job of kicking off the summer 2006 film season, which largely seems to be what it was designed to do.