Film Review
Mission: Impossible III
Dir. J.J. AbramsScr. Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, J.J. Abrams & Bruce Geller (TV Series)
Tom Cruise
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Ving Rhames
Billy Crudup
Laurence Fishburne
Official Site - www.missionimpossible.com
I was expecting this movie to be full of insane action and adrenaline fueled chases. I was correct. The pacing is out of control. You barely get a chance to breathe between action sequences before you are thrown into the next explosion or machine gun symphony.
I have moderately enjoyed the first two missions in this franchise although Tom Cruise creeps me out in a big way. Seeing that he is, once again, a co-producer on this film, I have to imagine that, at least some of the creative choices were due to his influence. This installment is much more personal than the last two. Ethan is struggling with his passionate commitment to global intelligence and his newly formed domestic situation. This tension seems to be purely a way to bring emotional weight to the violence. It didn't feel authentic in my book. I felt a bit manipulated by the emotional hook more than feeling any real emotional connection.
The ending was so overly sentimental that I wanted to throw up! Seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman was a treat but his character was cut from the same one dimensional villain cloth that shows up in many films of this genre. He is all-evil with no human side at all. This convention always feels heavy-handed to me. I tend to enjoy it when the bad guy has a human side or at least has an extravagant personality to keep me entertained. Hoffman's character had none of this at all.
Laurence Fishburne steals the show with a few well-placed lines and attitude. His character got the most reaction from the mostly Bahamian audience. I was surprised however that there was very little participation from the audience. Usually in movie like this, in the Bahamas, you have the extra treat of the most masculine members of the audience shouting out commentary along with the action. I remember seeing Rocky II when I was much younger. Throughout the boxing matches the whole audience shouted exclamation points of "bitch" and "Take that" in time with each punch. It made for an unusually entertaining experience. I was half looking forward to that, seeing that the theater was packed full due to opening night. Maybe the audience failed to connect with the wonder bread white Ethan Hunt and that?s why they roared at Fishburne's ethnic foil.
The special effects were on the money and the action was thrilling so I guess they will please the 13-14 year old crowd. All in all, I would recommend this film for a two hour escape from reality if that is your bag.
I have moderately enjoyed the first two missions in this franchise although Tom Cruise creeps me out in a big way. Seeing that he is, once again, a co-producer on this film, I have to imagine that, at least some of the creative choices were due to his influence. This installment is much more personal than the last two. Ethan is struggling with his passionate commitment to global intelligence and his newly formed domestic situation. This tension seems to be purely a way to bring emotional weight to the violence. It didn't feel authentic in my book. I felt a bit manipulated by the emotional hook more than feeling any real emotional connection.
The ending was so overly sentimental that I wanted to throw up! Seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman was a treat but his character was cut from the same one dimensional villain cloth that shows up in many films of this genre. He is all-evil with no human side at all. This convention always feels heavy-handed to me. I tend to enjoy it when the bad guy has a human side or at least has an extravagant personality to keep me entertained. Hoffman's character had none of this at all.
Laurence Fishburne steals the show with a few well-placed lines and attitude. His character got the most reaction from the mostly Bahamian audience. I was surprised however that there was very little participation from the audience. Usually in movie like this, in the Bahamas, you have the extra treat of the most masculine members of the audience shouting out commentary along with the action. I remember seeing Rocky II when I was much younger. Throughout the boxing matches the whole audience shouted exclamation points of "bitch" and "Take that" in time with each punch. It made for an unusually entertaining experience. I was half looking forward to that, seeing that the theater was packed full due to opening night. Maybe the audience failed to connect with the wonder bread white Ethan Hunt and that?s why they roared at Fishburne's ethnic foil.
The special effects were on the money and the action was thrilling so I guess they will please the 13-14 year old crowd. All in all, I would recommend this film for a two hour escape from reality if that is your bag.