Needs more Hoffman

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2020)

First of all, amazing first scene. One of the best I've seen in years. A great example of dropping the audience in the middle of it and letting them squirm. In a good way.
If only the rest of the film could have been as good. Not to say the it's a bad film. Quite the opposite. Tom Cruise has rarely been as comfortable in a role as he's as Ethan Hunt, and that shows. There's a reason why there are so many of these films. It fills a comfortable niche somewhere between James Bond and Bourne. More gadgets than Bourne, but more gritty than Bond. Plus the heists. Can't forget those.
I'd say M:i:III is not quite as good as the original, although it's a slight difference, but that it's miles better than its immediate predecessor. The plot is once again rather straightforward and mainly there to allow for cool sets and scenes. That being said, I do like that Hunt is at least attempting to settle down. I like the dynamic he has with his wife. And I like the addition of Simon Pegg into the franchise. Every franchise needs more Simon Pegg in them, but not all are fortunate enough to receive it.
But what I really like is Philip Seymour Hoffman as the villain. From the very first scene he's brutally captivating. And yet he whispers half of his lines. And that's quite genuinely creepy. It's like he's always in control, always one step ahead. Even when he's obviously not, he remains for the most part unperturbed.
Unfortunately he's not in the film nearly enough. He's there at the start and the film does revolve around him, but there are not that many scenes where he's at the forefront. And that's a shame.
Still, it's more than passable action spy film, and well worth a watch if you're a fan of the previous films.