Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Scott LeBrun Tom Cruise again essays his continuing role of super-agent Ethan Hunt, here tasked with rescuing a protege (Keri Russell) who managed to get herself kidnapped. It turns out, this plot point is just the tip of the iceberg, in a typically extravagant action-adventure spectacular that has Ethan doing battle with a dastardly black-market arms dealer, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). For Ethan, the whole operation hits way too close to home when the bad guys kidnap his new bride Julia (Michelle Monaghan), who has no idea what he really does for a living.J.J. Abrams stepped aboard as the third director to tackle this franchise, giving us our money's worth and then some. The story probably wouldn't hold up to a lot of scrutiny, but at least with movies like this, they entertain you so thoroughly you're not given that many quiet moments to ponder how insane all of it is.Naturally, there is some first-rate, amazing stunt work, as well as the expected pulse-quickening action scenes, and plenty of explosions to hold our attention. The story does have the requisite number of twists and turns. For example, its opening two minutes just grab you right away, although we can sense that this sequence is actually from much later in the tale.Cruises' star charisma (and physical prowess) are on full display here, and he's aided and abetted by a very strong supporting cast: Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Ving Rhames, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, and Eddie Marsan. The radiant Monaghan is appealing as Hunts' wife. And since movies such as this are dependent on the effectiveness of the villain, Hoffman admirably fills the bill. He's just incredibly cold-blooded and controlled. Aaron Paul of 'Breaking Bad' fame has a small part.What helps the storytelling is that Abrams and his screenwriters introduce a level of humanity, as we get to see Hunt off the job for once. He truly believes that it's possible for someone in his line of work to have a normal, healthy relationship, although his co-workers doubt this.Solid stuff overall, and indicative of how the series has continued to flourish, despite its lacklustre second entry.Eight out of 10.

joelbrandt2 The action is excellent, with countless expertly directed sequences throughout (see the opening cliffhanger, bridge assault, Vatican City heist featuring a cool look into mask-making). The character work is great too, even if Hunt's emotional thread doesn't break any new dramatic ground: PSH's villain is truly menacing (see his chilling plane threat) and the secondary cast is likeable as always (the final silent greeting scene was a lovely touch). The red herring-mole twist confounded, though. 7.5/10

slightlymad22 Continuing my plan to watch every Tom Cruise movie in order, I come to Mission Impossible 3 (2006)Plot In A Paragraph: Agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who threatens his life and his fianceé in response.This is the directorial debut of J.J. Abrams and was released at a time when Cruise was still being ridiculed for jumping on Oprah's sofa when promoting War Of The Worlds.I remember really liking this when it was released, thinking it brought the franchise (and ended it) on the right track. A really enjoyable popcorn flick is how I remembered it!! Watching it now I was disappointed in it, and found myself playing with my phone in several occasions. Is it silly to be disappointed in a pop corn flick?? The movie does a lot of things right, but it does nearly as many things wrong. I'll start with what I liked first. Right at the top of the list by a mile is a surprisingly intimidating Philip Seymour Hoffman. Owen Davian isn't the usual lunatic or a cultured villain. He's a deadly serious man who has no problems with killing anyone who gets in his way or those that let him down. Cruise's Ethan Hunt is a bit more human this time round, Laurence Fishburne is decent in his M like role and Simon Pegg is equally fun in his Q type role. The movie opens with a great, intense two-minute pre-credits scene. Sadly the Bond-like pre credits sequence is so intense, a lot of what follows fella flatter, as we wait to catch up to that scene. The latex face device from the first two movies is still being used and despite a lot actions set pieces it lacks excitement. It's better than the second one, but not as good as the first. Overall it's nothing more than a routine action movie, when I remembered much more. I think Cruise's reputation at the time probably hurt this at the box office, as it finished the 14th highest grossing movie of the year, with a domestic gross of $134 million.

Karl Meyers I was hesitant to see it because of how bad Mission Impossible 2 was, but I think it more than makes up for the 2nd flop and I would even argue that it's better than the first. The action really is non-stop, and there aren't any cheesy love scenes slowing anything down. The bad guy doesn't change every five minutes either. The plot moves quickly but it doesn't lose the audience at all. You don't need to have seen either of the first two to understand what is going on (I can't remember the plot from either). Lots of guns, loud explosions, cool gadgets and fun locations. I can remember on more than one occasion where the audience clapped or reacted to the action. It does everything an action movie should do very well. I would highly advise anyone who likes action movies to go see it. Even if you think Tom Cruise is a little insane, MI:III is extremely enjoyable.