Something I always found annoying from the first two Mission Impossibles was the constant unmasking. You never knew if Ethan Hunt was really Ethan Hunt because he was either disguising himself as someone else or someone had a mask molded of Hunt's face. It was never explained exactly how they made the masks, how they talked like the person and how they can change the shape of their body. Finally, we get all these details known with Mission Impossible 3. This alone, among other things makes this the best Mission Impossible from the series.
In this entry we are shown how the masks are made and how the voice needs to be uploaded into a device. Also, in this film there is not nearly as much unmasking as the other films, so more than half the time we are actually watching Ethan Hunt himself and not someone disguising themselves as him and vice versa. Tom Cruise who is back as Ethan Hunt is top notch here. Cruises performance is intense, emotional and it shows that he is now comfortable with this role.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is among the cast for this film and he plays the villain Owen Davian. He is by far the best villain from the series in a way that he is human, but sadistic in a calm and menacing kind of way. While it wouldn't have hurt to have more screentime with Hoffman in it, there is still a decent amount of scenes with him. Hoffman is very clever and the story for this film is easy to follow and more creative than the others. This isn't a confusing story or a backstabbing plot much like the original had.
Both Hoffman and Cruise are in solid form, but Cruise never goes alone in a mission. He assembles a team with his old friend Luther Strickell who is played by Ving Rhames, transportation expert Declan played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and background operative Zhen played by Maggie Q. This is an intelligent team that together create some clever scenes that are very much espionage. Meyers and Maggie Q are solid additions to the cast that are not just throwaways. They both are as necessary as Hunt is in their objectives.
Mission Impossible 3 has more action than the other films and too much action is something that draws me off a lot. The difference in why the action in this film works is because it is action that is well done and built up. The action presented here by Director J.J. Abrams is very suspenseful and fast moving, its impressive. What John Woo failed with in the first sequel was that the action was never suspenseful and it always went on longer than it should have. In this film Abrams has done it right and his direction here will never draw a viewer away from this action packed thrill ride.
Abrams also co-wrote the screenplay for Mission Impossible 3 and while the script has its share of flaws with some dialogue that falls flat, its nice to see that we can see Hunt when he is off duty. This film introduces Michelle Monaghan who plays Julia, Hunt's wife. It has always been said that a man in the spy business could never have a long lasting relationship, but this film might just prove those sayings wrong. However, when its time for business, Hunt is equipped with creative gadgets and all the gear needed.
There are certainly a couple of things that could have made Mission Impossible 3 even better, but the film holds its own. The film has a simple plot in which we have all seen it before in spy films, kill the villain and rescue the girl. What this film manages to do is stir it up. Different situations occur that explain things we never had an answer to and the life threatening situations that Hunt puts himself through is nail biting. This film is solid throughout with plenty of surprising moments, but leaves one unanswered question. What is the rabbit's foot?
Mission Impossible 3 is a good way to start the summer off. Another spy film coming out in November of this year is the next James Bond installment titled Casino Royale. Bond and Casino Royale will have to be quite impressive and far better than Die Another Day if it wants to surpass Mission Impossible 3. This film is no masterpiece, nor is it great, but its a breathe of fresh air for the action genre. Cruise delivers his best performance from the series in this film and if Abrams and Cruise can return for a fourth installment than I'll definitely be looking forward to that.
