There are plentiful perilous countdowns, most of the set-pieces are impressively mounted and, in its own silly way, the pay-off offers a glancing blow at US foreign policy. Relatable? No. But quite fun.
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:213
Fresh:148
Rotten:65
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Fast-paced, with eye-popping stunts and special effects, the latest Mission: Impossible installment delivers everything an action fan could ask for. A thrilling summer popcorn flick.
Theatrical Release:04-05-2006
Synopsis: J.J. Abrams, creator of small-screen hits ALIAS and LOST, makes his feature film debut with the third installment of this successful series based on the hit 1960s television show. Secret Agent... J.J. Abrams, creator of small-screen hits ALIAS and LOST, makes his feature film debut with the third installment of this successful series based on the hit 1960s television show. Secret Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has decided to take it easy and lead a somewhat normal life. He's even found his perfect woman, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), and is engaged. But when newbie agent Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell)--whom Hunt mentored--goes missing while on assignment, the reluctant agent finds himself back in business. Soon, with his old buddy Luther (Ving Rhames) in tow, along with team members Zhen (Maggie Q) and Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Hunt is traversing the globe on the trail of Farris's captor, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an elusive international weapons dealer. The stakes increase when the villainous Davian gets a hold of Hunt's fiancée and uses her as a bargaining chip. A raucous combination of spectacular chases, explosions, amazing stunts, and elaborate schemes takes the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team to Berlin, the Vatican, and Shanghai. With fascinating hi-tech tools these secret agents can impersonate virtually anyone, scale walls in an instant, infiltrate the tightest security system, and blow up the evidence when they're done. But facing their most formidable foe ever, Hunt and his fellow agents are fighting the clock to keep Julia alive and get Davian the mysterious weapon he is demanding. Cruise's personal involvement in the stunts lends a nice air of authenticity to Hunt, who also shows his emotional side in this outing as he juggles his secret life and his new love, as well as possible betrayal by someone inside the IMF. Laurence Fishburne also stars as IMF's Director Brassel, and Billy Crudup appears as his somewhat timid right-hand man, Musgrave. [More]
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Sasha Alexander, Billy Crudup
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Sasha Alexander, Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Michelle Monaghan, Keri Russell, Maggie Q
Director: J.J. Abrams
Director: J.J. Abrams
Screenwriter: J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci
Producer: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner
Composer: Michael Giacchino
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Mission: Impossible III
An impressive big screen debut for Lost creator J.J. Abrams, this is a blockbuster that's actually worthy of the name, featuring non-stop action, spectacular set-pieces, superb performances and a decent plot
Here we are again for a third jog around Mission Impossible track and it's turning into a very tired experience.
A step forward for the franchise: indeed, a step forward for the big-budget Hollywood action spectacular generally.
Hoffman steals -- and saves -- the movie as a repellent, lizard-eyed villain.
Technically the film looks a bit like a TV movie ... but that's precisely the point.
On the build Mission 3 is urgent and addictive, but when closing the deal it’s contrived and predictable.
Exciting, kinetic and intelligent, J.J. Abrams theatrical debut is as good as anything he's produced on television. And that's saying something for the man who brought us Alias and Lost.
Had a pop artist handled this, the franchise could have had its On Her Majesty's Secret Service; with machines directing machines, however, it's closer to its Live and Let Die
Without an outsize directorial vision it looks even more like sub-007 than the others did.
...this snappy installment is a marked improvement over John Woo's surprisingly dull sequel, though the set pieces lack the elegance and visual coherence of the Brian de Palma original.
The sad truth is that Ethan will always be better at saving the world than saving his marriage and fans of the first two films are likely to find the agent's journey of the heart an unwelcome distraction
Mr. Abrams, it seems, has chosen to accept his mission. And I'll be darned if he doesn't succeed.
Sit back, and simply enjoy all the spectacular stunt work, chase scenes, f/x, pyrotechnics, gunplay, and comic relief with your brain on idle and a big tub of popcorn in your lap.
Given a story that calls for emotion, Cruise shows the turmoil his character is going through
Abrams and Cruise deserve credit for breathing life and heart into a franchise with lots of potential.
Not perfect, but it packs plenty of great action, special effects that don't astound but don't detract, a truly good bad guy, and a cool as ever Cruise missile.
Latest News for Mission: Impossible III
April 27, 2009:
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The blockbuster season is upon us and amongst the line-up is the highly anticipated reboot of Star Trek. RT spoke to the man in the captain's chair, J. J. Abrams, about his... More...
May 06, 2008:
Redstone Says Fourth Mission Not Impossible for Cruise ![]()
Sumner Redstone, responding to recent rumors of a fourth Mission: Impossible movie, has told reporters that he "will not object" if Paramount chief Brad Grey decides to cast Tom... More...
August 07, 2007:
Hey, It's a Star Trek Cameo Rumor!
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June 26, 2007:
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