Mission: Impossible III

It’s a shame how people can’t make the distinction between the actor and the character. The franchise took a major hit thanks to Tom Cruise’s over-exposure in the media. (Funny, when I was watching M:I III, I didn’t once think of Tom Cruise jumping on a couch or bad mouthing Brooke Shields and Matt Lauer.) Apparently, audiences let War of the Worlds slide (probably because of Speilberg), but they finally got tired of the opinionated actor and snubbed this highly enjoyable film. I feel bad for first-time film director, JJ Abrams (creator of Alias and Lost), who had to go down with his ship. I had a lot of fun watching this film and thought the franchise had been taken up a notch after the sub-par Mission: Impossible II, which was directed by slow-mo dove lover John Woo. This third installment reminded me of the fun that I had in the first outing (no pun intended) directed by Brian De Palma. I like the fact that they have gone with different directors for each film; it offers a unique perspective and a chance for experimentation.

What this third installment (as with the first one) had going for it was the race against time. Gotta love that every-second-counts, edge-of-your-seat action. You see, John Woo took his time and finally added the life or death countdown halfway through the film instead of from the start. While I would have liked to see what David Fincher (Seven and Fight Club), the initial director, would have done with Ethan Hunt, JJ Abrams came out of the gate swinging. JJ has a certain style, a certain passion that comes through in most of his work. I found M:I III to be what an episode of Alias would be like, if Abrams had an unlimited budget. It had classic Alias written all over it. Breaking into the Vatican? Check. Visit an Asian city? Check. Play around with time? Check. Work as a group instead of all alone? Check. Sprinkled in humour? Check. A role for Greg Grunberg (Sean on Felicity, Weiss on Alias, Pilot on Lost)? Check. And if you love JJ Abrams’ work like I do, I guarantee you will enjoy this film. It’s fast paced, action-packed and even has a plot. And with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, fresh off his Oscar win, as the newest baddie, you’ve got all the makings of a fine action flick. What a way to start off the summer! If only more people gave it a chance.