Above-average brainless action

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2006)

Explosions, car chases, helicopters and non-stop action...what else would you expect? I was actually really surprised with this movie to be honest. Not having seen the other 2 films in the series I didn't really know what to expect, however I had it pegged as a brainless action flick. Though I wasn't exactly wrong in that assumption, it was better than your typical brainless action flick. Tom Cruise does a pretty good job as usual, but he wish more of his screen time would have been used on the supporting cast, Philip Seymour Hoffman in particular. He was a great villain, but we didn't get to see him nearly as much as I would have liked. Simon Pegg's small role was great as well. The plot was basic and straight-forward, but definitely exciting. I wish they would have spent less time on the whole family aspect though, a pointless and failed attempt to give the movie a deeper meaning. The effects were great of course, but the bridge scene went on way too long. It was like they had an explosion quota they had to meet. Despite it's flaws, however, it put a smile on my face, put me on the edge of my seat and kept me entertained for it's duration. Abd in the end, that counts for more than you'd expect.
7.5/10