Entertaining action romp and not much more

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2006)

Whether or not the Mission Impossible series needed a second sequel is debatable, but Tom Cruise and his ego obviously thought it did; and while this film doesn't exactly stink of brilliance, it has to be said that Mission Impossible 3 succeeds in providing a good old fashioned action romp, and I thoroughly enjoyed the two hours I spent watching it. Director J.J. Abrams seems keen to take more influence from Brian De Palma's original than John Woo's somewhat silly follow-up, and rather than all out action; this film features more on build-up and suspense before the over the top set-pieces kick in. It has to be said that a lot of the movie is as difficult to take seriously as its lead star, but then again; it is mission 'impossible', so you've got to expect that. The plot once again focuses on Ethan Hunt; the daring agent who has decided to hang up his rubber masks and various technical gadgets to settle down with his new wife. Of course, it's not long before he's back in the field and on the case of something called 'The Rabbit's Foot', a secret object being sold by a callous weapons dealer to an unknown buyer.
Of course, the main point of this movie is to give an excuse for Tom Cruise to flex his ego, and the fact that every single sequence in the film is obviously designed to make him look awesome shows that quite clearly. This could be annoying, but even though I don't like Tom Cruise much; the film benefits from the same idea that made the first sequel fun to watch; that being getting to watch Cruise making himself look a little bit silly. Cruise is joined by series co-star Ving Rhames, who once again isn't given a lot to do. Phillip Seymour Hoffman effortlessly steps into the role of the bad guy, and given what we all know he's capable of; it's safe to say he sleepwalks through it. Of course, the performers aren't the real star of the show; as that accolade goes to the generous special effects budget, which is put to use well in a series of stunts, which are well shot and great to watch. A sequence on a bridge is of particular note, and the locations used offer a varied platform for the stunts to take place. The fact that a major plot point is left open at the end to create mystery feels lazy; but considering that this is a third entry in a series that I'm not a massive fan of, and that it entertained me throughout means that I have to give it a thumbs up overall.