Mission Impossible III
Screenplay written by: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orei,
co-written by J.J. Abrams
Actors: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames,
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Lawrence Fishburne, Michelle Monaghan, Keri
Russell, Maggie Q, Keri Russell
Directed by: J.J. Abrams (A first time Director for the big
screen)
Rated: PG-13 (Intense scenes of violence and menace)
Mission Impossible III
Screenplay written by: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orei, co-written by J.J. Abrams
Actors: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Lawrence Fishburne, Michelle Monaghan, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Keri Russell
Directed by: J.J. Abrams (A first time Director for the big screen)
Rated: PG-13 (Intense scenes of violence and menace)
Secret Agent Ethan Hunt, (Tom Cruise) is lured away from semi-retirement as a trainer of new recruits and a love-filled normal life while still at the announcement dinner of his marriage to charming and lovely Julia (Michelle Monaghan). Hunt’s conscienceless nemesis from the past, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who has been responsible for the ruthless deaths of loyal team members, is selling weapons internationally to anyone who will pay his price.
When Hunt assembles his team of experts including an old friend, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Declan (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), a transportation expert, a background operative, Zhen (Maggie Q), and a fresh recruit, (Keri Russell), his global pursuit to find this thoroughly evil man grows even more intense because of diabolical Davian snatching innocent Julia as leverage in the game.
He Said:
Action at full-full tilt with improbable stunts that will make you squeeze your fists kept the momentum going from the beginning scenes to the end. While “Mission Impossible III” had a good share of romantic empathy that made you feel for Cruise’s desperate angst and determination, plenty of pyrotechnical content, and a repulsive villain, I fear that the Mission Impossible franchise has run its course and lost some of its original hook for me. Still, if it weren’t for the great non-stop action and my fascination with sophisticated gimmickry to get Ethan Hunt out of trouble, I don’t think this flick would have rated so well with me. After all, that’s why they call it “impossible” and why I was thoroughly entertained.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
7 for Script: A little tired in general premise, good new specifics.
8 for Direction: Great momentum to the end.
8 for Acting: Everyone good, Philip Seymour Hoffman really good.
8 for Plot: The “evil within” sub-plot helped thicken it up a little.
7 for Entertainment value
7.6 Overall
She Said:
The brief riveting back-stories for Ethan Hunt’s Mission Impossible past and his completely charming fiance in the present was key to the whole reason we care about the rest of the film. It gave the viewer sustainable reasons to feel Ethan’s gut-wrenching resolve to overcome the sinister Davian throughout the 126 minutes of ear-splitting explosions that had me wanting to escape the assault on my senses- to the point of shutting my eyes for relief. Then I suffered a little from T.M.T.C., Too-Much-Tom-Cruise, but Hunt’s adrenaline charged determination to save the life of the woman that deserves to be adored and his unwavering duel mission kept me opening them again and again for fear of missing something despite the next bombarding special effect. Whether the film reinvigorated the Mission Impossible franchise for me is a “probably not” but it certainly had a big entertainment content for special effects and a big action adventure-thriller junkies.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
5 for Script: Too many lines seemed so deliberate, as if we would not get it otherwise.
5 for Direction: Spent the big budget on viewer assault of the senses.
7 for Acting: Evil Hoffman so effective; Michelle Monaghan’s endearing character is key to film’s success.
6 for Plot: Only a couple of mild twists.
7 for Entertainment value: For an action-thriller.
6.0 Overall
