Best kick off to a summer movie season in recent memory!

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2006)

I just got back from viewing quite possibly one of the better action/romantic/thrillers in a long-while. Needless to say, MI3 delivers in all ways that movie can. The acting was great and so was the casting. I could not see these actors being played by anyone else. The plot was good and not too hard to follow unlike the first Mission Impossible. As much crap as people give Tom Cruise for whatever reason, be it his couch-jumping antics or his choice in religion, it is really irrelevant because he truly is an amazing actor that can pull of so many different types of movies. Mission 3 is a combo of sorts in that involves elements of romance. The beginning scene sets the tone for the whole movie and that tone can be said in one word: gritty. I was not the only person in the theater to be shocked at Phillip Seymour's brilliant turn as Owen Davian, an arms dealer, who threatens to shoot Hunt's wife in the head unless Hunt tells him what he wants to know. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has set the bar high as it comes to future actors portraying crazy arm-dealing megalomaniacal villains. Tom Cruise is well, Tom Cruise and I cannot thank him enough for really completing the movie experience. He really makes a blockbuster as far as I am concerned. The supporting cast is stellar too. Kudos to Billy Crudup for his role as Ethan's friend and boss. Maggie Q and John Rhys Meyers are excellent as well. Ving Rhames is put to good use in Mission 3 unlike previous missions and I thank JJ Abrams for that. i'd also like to thank JJ for his brilliant eye, because the he gave us one of the best action sequences (the bridge assault) in the last ten years. Not to be outdone, the Shanghai/bungee/parachute stunt will blow you away. Out of all the MI, I can easily say that this one is the best. The music is great, the locations are great and more importantly the plot is coherent. Great Summer Popcorn Movie: 9/10