Monday, February 19, 2007

Mission Impossible III


4 out of 5 stars.

Why is it that Tom Cruise is at his best when he is running from something? Minority Report, The Firm, War of the Worlds, etc. - he does a significant amount of escaping and running away from people in all these films. I guess there is just something about seeing him running for his life at full speed that make people want to come back for more. Whatever the reason, I though Mission Impossible III was a good, entertaining show.

The key to this type of movie is expectations. You musn't expect an intricate plot, or clever dialogue. What you should go in expecting is action, and lots of gadgets and devices that help them accomplish their "impossible" mission. Since I don't watch many action movies, whenever I do, it is a fun, lively experience. I don't recommend more than one action movie every six months. Any more and you will be jaded to the genre very quickly.

I do remember that Mission Impossible I, and maybe II as well, had lots of crazy plot twists, so much so that it was hard to figure out who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. The third installment has some of that, but it does not take nearly so many turns, and it is very easy to follow. However, if you are looking for a "mystery", you will probably be disappointed.

One thing that did bother me was the lack of rationality on Tom Cruise's character's part. He seems to lose any perspective toward the end of the movie. While believability does have to be suspended during this type of movie, he is generally a cool, scientific, rational character, but when his girlfriend/wife is kidnapped, he loses it. Oh well, maybe that's the Power of Love.

One side note. When they refer to "IMF" in this film, they are referring to the "Impossible Mission Force" and not the "International Monetary Fund". This became clear to me at the end, but it made me pause in the middle.

Overall, I would recommend this movie if you haven't watched an action movie in a long time and don't really feel like anything more serious. It is a fun way to waste two hours as long as you don't set your expectations too high.

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