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They call J.J. Abrams a franchise builder, and he is. The creator behind such great TV shows as Alias and Lost has his hands on a solid movie franchise with Mission: Impossible III. He was, arguably, the best choice to direct the film due to his expertise in the spy genre with Alias, and he definitely doesn’t disappoint with the finished project. He even managed to do a few things accomplished by the old Mission: Impossible TV show that the first two movies failed to do—he incorporated a team atmosphere effectively and with great success. It’s no longer just Tom Cruise’s movie; he shares more time with his team, and the film really benefits from it.
If Mission: Impossible III is a foretelling of the summer to come, we are in for one hell of a ride. It’s a great movie, as long as you don’t really care what they’re after. A flimsy plot device, the MacGuffin, hasn’t been used this generously since North by Northwest. (A MacGuffin is a plot device that motivates the characters and advances the story, but has little other relevance to the story itself.) The struggles and motivations of the characters are so gripping, however, that I soon forgot what they were after and why, and when I did realize this, I no longer cared. I found myself caught up in the acting, the relationships, fantastic action, and witty dialogue—and had a great time in the process.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, who is now a trainer instead of an active agent and on the verge of getting married. He gets called to active duty for a rescue operation to save the first agent he trained and sent into the field, only to come face to face with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer.
This is a true tentpole summer blockbuster, and don’t expect anything different. Chock-full of a lot of flash and adrenaline to keep you running for days, Mission: Impossible III does a summer blockbuster proud. I personally like these types of films. Tom Cruise does a great job as usual, and he surrounds himself with top-notch people. Ving Rhames is back as his sidekick and actually has a much better role to play than in the two previous movies. Philip Seymour Hoffman blows you away—he’s so good as the vicious arms dealer. He lives up to his Academy Award he won this year and also kicks butt in the process. The rest of the cast, Michelle Monaghan, Keri Russell, Billy Crudup and Lawrence Fishburne are all equally good and incredibly fun to watch. This film gives all involved some really fun things to do and makes it fun for us to watch.
The true star to watch, however, is behind the camera. J.J. Abrams was a TV genius, and now his genius has hit the big screen. He does a fantastic job and has really become a true force in Hollywood. His future is solid, and now he has a pick of anything he wants to ever do in the film industry. He has proven himself capable, and all the studios have taken notice and have been scrambling to get him something on their slates. It was announced just recently that Paramount has given him the reigns to the next Star Trek film and he will be taking Kirk and Spock, pre-Enterprise, to Starfleet Academy where they meet for the first time. Expect Abrams to continue building his franchise skills, because one thing is very clear—he’s around for the long haul. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
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