Release Date: 4 May 2006

Synopsis :

Tom Cruise returns as Special Agent Ethan Hunt, who faces the mission of his life in “Mission: Impossible III.” Director J. J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Alias”) brings his unique blend of action and drama to the billion-dollar franchise.

Movie Review:

Down below, on the streets, Ethan's crew awaits. Still no sign of him escaping. Zhen quietly prays for his return, catching the attention of her team mate and ask what she was doing. Zhen confesses that when she was little she use to do alittle prayer so that her cat would return home. Declan looks gently at her and asked to teach him...

"I've got the Rabbit’s Foot but i can't get to the roof!"

"What do you mean you can't get to the roof, where are you?"

"Look up, look up, look up!"

We see Ethan smashes through the window far to low to the ground for a parachute.

"He can't make it! That's too low!"

And that my friends, is part of the brilliant work of J J Abrams. Helming from TV to the big screen, JJ has certainly come a long way to a create balance between action and drama, that is rather apparent in his works like Alias and Lost. He brings a unique blend of action, character, comedy, and drama to the franchise where millions of loyal viewers of Abrams’s landmark creations, know what to expect: an enthralling, intricate story with an unexpected and arresting payoff that satisfies on every level. Of course not forgetting Tom Cruise, the most exciting and successful star in the world, returns to one of his signature roles, Secret Agent Ethan Hunt.

"Mission: Impossible III" being a respectable, if not overwhelming, jumping-off point to the summer movie season might have its mindset of a mindless action flick but in between the gun blazing and death-defying stunts, a plot has to somehow emerge somewhere. Happily engaged to be married to the lovely Julia (Michelle Monaghan), IMF leader Ethan Hunt has seriously begun to consider leaving his spy days behind. That all changes, at least temporarily, when he is called back into action to rescue kidnapped agent Lindsey Ferris (Keri Russell), who has been implanted with a chip in her brain that could snap her out of life if provoked. Ethan's mission eventually leads him to a black market arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a ruthless psychopath out to snatch a top-secret weapon code-named the "Rabbit's Foot" and blackmail Ethan into retrieving it for him. If Ethan doesn't succeed within the allotted forty-eight hours, Julia will die. Definitely a no-frills action package.

What can you expect from this sequel galore? It's virtually non-stop edge of the seat action for nearly the entire 126 minutes with superbly realized and veritably exciting scenes set on battling helicopters, on a bridge, over the side of a skyscraper and even at the Vatican. If they continue making sequels, Mission: Impossible may very well be a James Bond type spy franchise for the short attention spans of the new millennium. He keeps things moving and crams in a ton of huge action sequences, but they are much more believable than some of the truly over the top stuff that John Woo did in Mission: Impossible 2. One of the most impressive things about Abrams’ take on the Mission franchise is that he finds a way to make it more of a team effort rather than a one man show. Don’t get me wrong, Cruise is still clearly the focus, and especially towards its end the movie becomes almost entirely about him. There’s still plenty of Tom Cruise sprinting through the city solo, but this movie isn’t just about Tom Cruise running around by himself.

Although "Mission: Impossible III" is Tom Cruise's vehicle all the way, and he brings his usual concentration, physical commitment and underlying smugness to the part, it is Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) who threatens to steal the show. Short lived Keri Russel, helming from JJ's "Felicity" took a surprising turn to be fitted into an action figurine. Although i still can't shake off her uni-school days persona, she handled her guns pretty well. Ving Rhames is back for the third time as Luther and provides subtle comic support. Also missing this time is a indelible female lead for Tom Cruise to play off of. Sure, there is Michelle Monaghan (North Country), as threatened fiancée Julia, and also Keri Russell (The Upside of Anger) and Maggie Q (Rush Hour 2) in smaller agent roles, but none of them are brought to life and made into a multi-layered, dynamic individuals. But overall, what worked was the humanizing of the characters that touches every level of emotions. Yes, even IMF Agent Ethan Hunt can be hurt and needs to be saved.

What’s the down side of this grand-tour-de-force? The exact reason which the character plays its emotions. Some might nitpick the softer side the character goes through which defeats the genre of an action espionage. As expected, there’s no credibility and like so many other summer blockbusters this one goes on a little too long. But unlike the second film in the series, MI3 knows how to make the style and the special effects serve the story, not the other way around.

Less complicated then MI1 and less over-the-top action sequence-its-unbelievable then MI2, MI3 manages to balance the previous far more greater then expected. This is J.J. Abrams’ feature film directorial debut, but he steps into big blockbuster filmmaking as if he’s been doing it all along. With “Lost” and “Alias” as his background, maybe he has been.

Movie Rating:



(An explosive sequel that will blow you away with drama so intense and action so tight, you'll be at the edge of your seat, holding your very breath!)

Review by Lokman B S