Movie Review: Mission: Impossible III

This will be a good test of Tom Cruise's continuing star power. With all that has gone on with him in the past year, it will be interesting to see if or how popular opinion has shifted in regards to his ability to remain a box office draw.

Preliminary numbers show that M:I:III came out on top of the box office charts, but failed to match the ticket volume of either of the first two films, or the money of the previous film. So, perhaps Cruise's antics have had an affect. But, when it comes right down to it, I try not to let the real world exploits of our stars affect my enjoyment of their work. To that end, I think that Tom Cruise is a good actor — not great by any stretch — but he gets involved in the right projects with the right people for his strengths. He may even be underrated at times.

Mission: Impossible III was a project that I was unsure of at first. Would Tom Cruise against the media prove to be a distraction? Would they be able to get a worthy script/director/cast? Then word started to trickle out, which proved my fears baseless, and actually increased my eagerness to see the movie. It was announced that JJ Abrams, the mastermind behind television's Alias and Lost, was attached to direct. That was more than enough to get me interested in the project. I love both of the shows he's masterminded, and was interested in seeing how he would fare in a feature film.

So, opening night has come and gone, and I did, indeed go out to see the film. I am very pleased to report that this is one adrenalin fueled blast of action. I am not sure it is my favorite of the three films, but it very well could be. It will take another viewing or two to see how it holds up.

Something that was clear throughout were the influences of the current state of television. There are bits of Alias and 24 that are detectable throughout. That is not a detriment to the film at all, it is a television specialist bringing his influences with him, successfully translating his experience with the hi-tech spy realm (from Alias) to the big screen.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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