After Mission Impossible earned mixed reception from critics, the series went on hiatus due to Tom Cruise’s busy schedule picking one project to another beginning with reuniting with Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe in Vanilla Sky, then his first collaboration with Steven Spielberg in Minority Report, the epic historical drama The Last Samurai, he played against type as a villain in Collateral and he reunited with Mr. Spielberg in a remake of War Of The Worlds. While promoting War Of The Worlds on Oprah, he declared his love for his then wife Katie Holmes by jumping on the couch, criticizing Matt Lauer (a sicko) about psychiatry and an unedited video of Tom talking non-stop about Scientology and how it helped him overcome dyslexia.
One Year Later, South Park creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone, aired a controversial episode titled, “Trapped In The Closet,” which pokes fun at Tom hiding in Stan’s closest, who literally refuses to come out. His peers including fellow actor/Scientologist John Travolta, his second ex-wife Nicole Kidman & R. Kelly singing to him. The episode caused Isaac Hayes to quit the show as Issac himself was a Scientologist in real life.
Mission Impossible III was released in 2006. (same year the James Bond reboot Casino Royale came out) It received positive reviews from critics and made enough revenue at the box office. Despite breaking even, the third entry didn’t make enough money as its predecessors due to South Park lampooning Tom & Scientology. Plus, Scary Movie IV also made fun of Tom’s onscreen image.
Now that Mission Impossible: Fallout earned critical acclaim from critics claiming that this is the best action movie since Mad Max: Fury Road, I would like to spread word of mouth for the sixth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise by writing an article for each film to prepare for Tom’s biggest movie.
The following review contains no important SPOILERS whatsoever. If you never seen this film, feel free to read this article.
Positive & Negative Elements
Positive: Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt and he did a fantastic job for his performance. In addition to co-producing the third entry, Tom also did his own stunts. He deserves Bonus Points for all the hard work. There’s a reason why he earns a percentage of the film’s gross.
Besides Tom, Ving Rhames reprises his role as Luther Stickell and he did a great job for his performance.
Action Sequences were entertaining enough to prevent me from looking at my phone or clock.
Practical Effects were used to create stunts for Tom.
My favorite line is, “Humpy Dumpy sat on a wall.”
Newcomers to the franchise such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Maggie Q, Keri Russell & Simon Pegg all did a great job for their respective performances.
Fun Fact: Tom Cruise & Philip Seymour Hoffman reunite in this movie. They both co-starred in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia.
Aaron Paul A.K.A. Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, makes a brief appearance.
J.J. Abrams did a good job directing his first motion picture. He already made a name for himself on the small screen. In addition to directing, he also wrote the script.
Michael Giacchino composed music for the third installment. He went on to write music for Ghost Protocol.
The third film is slightly personal to Ethan’s personal life and a fellow operative who acts like a younger sister to him factors in his character arc.
Instead of a video tape or sunglasses from the previous two films, the mission briefing is shown via camera.
A Vodka Martini is mentioned by a character. This is James Bond’s favorite drink. Coincidentally, Casino Royale came out the same year as Mission Impossible III.
The song, “We Are Family” is played briefly. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion & Disney’s Air Buddies also used it. Both films came out in 2006. I’ll give this an Extra Point for one character giving me a chuckle for saying “You gotta kidding me!” I guess he must’ve watched Madea or Air Buddies.
Someone mentioned “Invisible Man.” Laurence Fishburne went on to co-star in Predators, about a group of human mercenaries who are being hunted by the titular group of hunters who use a cloaking device which makes them turn invisible.
A Stunt Sequence pays homage to Jackie Chan’s building slide scene from “Who Am I?”
Kanye West wrote a song for the film titled, “Impossible.” Say what you will, Kanye is one of my favorite rappers.
Negative: Cinematography suffered from a bad case of Shaky Cam. If you watch the movie in the dark, J.J.’s trademark use of bright “Lense Flares” will definitely hurt your eyes.
Nobody mentioned whatever happened to Thandie Newton’s character from the last film. It’s as if she never existed as Ethan’s love interest.
Product Placement featuring certain brands such as 7-11, Pringles, Kodak, Lay’s Ritz, Oreo, Nokia & Ford. Oh my lord! Any brand I spot belongs to a Michael Bay film!
The Final Verdict: B-
Mission Impossible III is another good addition to the franchise. I would say it’s perhaps the weakest once terms of ranking which is better. I’m not saying the third film is bad. Despite a few gripes listed as negative, I actually enjoyed it. If you’re excited for Mission Impossible: Fallout, go ahead and give the third installment a watch.
I’m so looking forward to seeing Mission Impossible: Fallout. When it comes out, I’ll definitely be the first in line to see it and find a good seat to make myself comfortable chowing down on snacks and large drink.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 