Not as bad as everybody thinks

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2006)

As action movie franchises go, MI has had its ups and downs. If you were to compare it to the most successful "pure action" franchise ever, the Die Hard movies, it doesn't hold a candle. In those, the writing is better, the dialogue is better, the hero is easier to identify with, and the action is just as intense. Which is not to say that MI has done badly, but just like with Die Hard, you know going in what you are going to get: great action sequences, an interesting villain and a predictable ending.
But the problem with MI1 was that the plot was too convoluted (it took several viewings to really suss it out), and the problem with MI2 was that the action sequences were used as a crutch to make up for a really lame story (typical John Woo, in other words... and really, has Anthony Hopkins ever been completely wasted in a role like this?).
Now, keeping all this in mind, MI3 really does hold up as the best of the three. The action sequences are very good, the acting is better than usual and the storyline is the most entertaining of the three. We can easily follow what's going on without getting a headache, which is always nice in a "pure action" movie. It's what makes many of the Bond movies entertaining, as well.
It could be that many people have ragged on this movie simply because they don't like Tom Cruise. With all the hoopla surrounding his personal life of late, it's hard to watch his movies with a detached eye. But his performance in MI3 is no better or worse than the other two, with enough convincing requisite emotion given how the bad guy attacks him in the most personal way. I neither love nor hate the guy, just as I neither love nor hate Ethan Hunt, his character. We root for him, sure, but we know he's going to win in the end, so whatever.
If you are reading this review trying to decide whether or not to see the movie, I'll level with you. This is a very good movie. Tense, taut, and full of adrenaline. In other words, your typical summer blockbuster. It's certainly not the best action movie ever made, but if this ends up being the last MI movie, at least it went out on a positive note.
My score: 9/10.