At the time of its release, Mission: Impossible III's box office was plagued by the publicity backlash against couch-jumping star Tom Cruise. It's too bad, because this third installment of the spy thriller franchise deserved a better reception than it got. First-time feature director J.J. Abrams (bigwig TV director/producer of Lost, Alias, & Felicity) proves more than able-bodied in creating a Mission: Impossible that's leaner and less over-stylized than John Woo's sequel and less confusing than Brian De Palma's original. Plot is still a throwaway here (Cruise's Ethan Hunt rescues his kidnapped former trainee and works to steal a device that... well, we don't really know what it does, but it's something about mass destruction that costs $850 million), but the action sequences, particularly one where Ethan faces down a helicopter on a bridge and gets flung hard against the side of a car, are particularly impressive since Cruise, at 44, is still doing most of his own stunts and shows no hint of the weathered look that's struck his action-star peers. (Though no Mission: Impossible stunt will ever be quite as simultaneously nail-biting and funny as the first film's wire-dangling break-in of CIA headquarters.)

Entertaining, even if unoriginal

It's surprising that the last of the Mission: Impossible franchise, which on paper at least appears the weakest, is in fact the best of the bunch.

I suppose it shouldn't be. Take the creative minds behind the terrific TV show Alias, give them a massive Hollywood budget, and let them run with it. The end result is M:I3.

Energetically directed by JJ Abrams, the creative mind behind Alias and Felicity before that, M:I3 is by far the most human of the spy trilogy. Unfortunately, because of the tightly-shot, close-quarters style of shooting, much of the $100 million dollar budget is largely invisible. In fact, the film honestly looks like a two-hour episode of Alias, which depending on your preference is either good or bad. Either way, it serves as a testament to how well done Alias itself was.

The actors fare better. His public persona aside, Tom Cruise gives the best performance of the trilogy. Even more impressive than Cruise, however, is Keri Russell of Felicity fame in a small, but jaw-dropping role as Ethan Hunt's protege, Lindsay Farris. Despite the brevity of her character's role in the film, Russell gives it her all and then some, making you wish the writers had given her some more to do. Ving Rhames is his usual self, Billy Crudup and Laurence Fishburne do what they can with what they're given. Sadly, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Maggie Q seem delegated to merely eye candy as back up IMF agents on Cruise's team, though Miss Maggie does make FANTASTIC eye candy. Philip Seymour Hoffman's villain is criminally under-written, but the actor still dominates the screen every instant he's on it. Michelle Monaghan, a talented actress in her own right, doesn't fare as well, but most of that stems from her lack of chemistry with Cruise, her on screen love interest.

So Abrams direction is worthwhile and the actors give it their all. Less impressive is the story and script, which seems content to mostly rehash from the previous two films, particularly the second. The action pieces themselves aren't bad (the bridge battle and Berlin scenes in particular standing out in a good way); they just don't quicken the pulse like they used to. Furthermore, for the best tactical espionage gang in the game, these guys seem to spend a lot of time shouting out their real first names rather than their call signs. Just an observation.

What the script does do well is push the story, as contrived as it is, beyond where you'd expect on several occasions. Hunt's interrogation scenes and the Berlin helicopter chase conclusion both rack up tension quickly and effectively before hitting hard. Adrenaline is not something this film lacks.

Overall, a solid entry in action filmmaking.

Amazing HD-DVD experience!

This movie is an HD-DVD experience! If you love how films are made, checking out the HD-DVD version is a must!

This is the second HD-DVD I've watched, and Picture-in-Picture video commentary is like nothing you've seen before. Unlike regular DVD and Blu-Ray audio commentary, you watch the film along with Tom Cruise and JJ Abrams as they watch the film too. When they want to talk in detail about a scene, they pause the movie! And their commentary video continues! Absolutely amazing. They will talk about alternate takes and deleted scenes and you can immediately view them right there by clicking a button (you don't have to pop in the second extras disc to see deleted scenes). Seeing these creative pros talk to each other adds so much more than just a normal commentary audio track. You can see the excitement and the energy they put into their work. Also, the extras second disc is all in HD too. The extras are so good, it makes up for whatever weaknesses the actual movie has.

EXCELLENT

I thought this was an excellent movie, which surprised me because normally I wouldn't be watching a Tom Cruise movie, since he tends to bore me; but I really got into this movie and was at the edge of my seat most of the time! Very good!