May
08, 2006 Mission: Impossible III—This Film Hits
the Mark by The Blonde and The Maven
Sometimes, movie franchises
lose their steam with continued sequels. Look at The Matrix. The
third installment couldnt hold onto the fan base. Maybe the studio
should have hired J. J. Abrams (Armageddon, Regarding Henry, Forever
Young, “Alias,” “Felicity,” “Lost”) for that one. He co-wrote as
well as directed Mission: Impossible III, and he more than holds the
fan base on this one. You expect action and violence with a Mission:
Impossible movie and you get that and so much more.
We find
the IMF operative Ethan Hunt now retired from active duty. He trains
IMF agents and his recommendations determine weather an agent goes
into the field or not. Ethan, played by Tom Cruise (Mission:
Impossible and Vanilla Sky), is about to be married to Julia, a
nurse. Julia is played by Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)
who thinks her fiancé works for the Transportation Department. When
Ethans protégé Lindsey is captured while on her first assignment, he
is compelled to rescue her. He gathers together his team for this
impossible mission. Working tech support is his old, wisecracking
friend Luther Strikell, played by Ving Rhames (Dawn of the Dead and
Entrapment). Declan, portrayed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Velvet
Goldmine and Match Point), is the transportation man and Zhen,
played by Maggie Q (Manhattan Midnight and Gen-Y-Cops), is the
undercover operative. They rescue Lindsey and now Ethan is involved
in taking down the man who captured and tortured her. He is an arms
dealer and a really, really bad guy named Owen Davian. Owen is
played by Best Actor Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote and
Along Came Polly). The IMF Agency has been trying to bring Owen in
for a long time, but he is impossible to get close to. Ethan and his
team manage to get him, but cant keep him. When Owen escapes, he
threatens to kill Ethan, while his wife watches. Now, Ethan must
protect his wife as well as the security of the USA!
The
Blonde: COOL MOVIE, DUDE! Don’t ya just LOVE the theme song?
Mission: Impossible III was like all the other Mission: Impossible
films (only better) meets Bond, James Bond meets Die Hard meets
Face/Off meets Star Wars who all meet Superman. I really wanted to
hate this film, as I am not too happy with Tommy these days.
However, it was really a terrific, BIG BUDGET, action packed film,
just over-flowing with some of the best most unbelievable special
effects ever seen on film. The first few minutes started out with a
bang, but quickly became a bit dull. Then, out of nowhere, the film
just took off like wild fire. The storyline was great, as were the
characters, acting, and directing, not to mention the fabulous
complex editing. This was a very well done, high tech, brilliantly
paced film. The directing formula of taking some time before the
action and reaction was simply outstanding and lead to a greater
build up of true, old-fashioned suspense. OKAY, TOM, kudos to
you!
The Maven: I am a big fan of J. J. Abrams. I love
his work on “Lost” and credit his input on this film to be why it
worked so well. His artistry is most obvious in the action
sequences. They were well grounded to the characters and their
storyline. The consequences of the action were real to the plot, not
just a sequence of events to dazzle you. The film delivers on its
promise for high energy, excitement and intensity. Although some of
the plot is unbelievable, a good filmmaker can elicit belief anyway.
I didnt think I would enjoy a film starring an opinionated weirdo,
but I did. In fact, Toms acting was good in this film. It was
obvious that he did many of the stunts himself, but he also was able
to summon an intensity to his acting that worked well for the
character he was playing. Or maybe it was the fact that he broke
several ribs while doing some of those stunts that he was able to
produce believable tears!
The Blonde: I thought the
tears were just a lot of Visine! It was kind of cool to see Philip
be such a bad guy. He turns every role he has ever done into a
stellar performance. He is just THAT good and versatile. The girl
Maggie Q was just stunningly beautiful in her red dress and up-do
with a body to kill. I hardly noticed her acting! Mav, didn’t you
think Tom looked MOST excellent and quite young. I thought he looked
particularly handsome in a yarmulke! It is obvious, though, that he
has been hitting the Botox bottle hard on his forehead. Either he
has been doing LOTS of plastic or Katie has been very good for him!
Although he is quite the handsome mega-star, I will stay faithful to
MY Clooney and Banderas! By the way, I really loved Tom’s shades! Do
you think he shaves his chest? SO MAV, what was all that choking you
were doing in the middle of the film? Like, everyone was staring at
you!
The Maven: I was so into the film that I was
stuffing my mouth full of popcorn and I was choking on it! But thank
you for your concern. And maybe people wouldn’t have been staring so
much had you not been banging on my back so hard!
The
Blonde: Oh, that was your back? Girl, do you need a massage! You are
just so ungrateful. What about the concern I showed you when I threw
water in your face to help you?
The Maven: Don’t quit
your singing job; nursing is not for you! Philip Seymour Hoffman
raised the quality of the movie as well. When he was on screen,
there was no one else to look at. He gets better with each movie he
makes. Wouldnt it be interesting to see a prequel to this film, with
the storyline centered on Hoffmans character, Owen Davian? Ya know,
how he became the evil man that he was. A nice romance went bad with
a little government betrayal thrown in for fun. Maybe he was doing
business with Dick Cheney and Dick accidentally shot his lady. Its
possible!
The Blonde: But of course, it is possible! So
Mav, do you think that Katie was jealous that Tom was quite cuddly
with Michelle Monaghan?
The Maven: Well, hey, let’s not
forget that sweet Katie had a love scene in her film, Thank You for
Smoking! I think Katie will keep Tom on his toes and I do mean
literally, as she is taller then him. I really liked how this
installment of Mission: Impossible went back to the theme of the TV
show—a well-connected team of agents centered around a bold and
heroic leader. That mask-making process was so cool and Tom playing
Philip in a mask was just like the old show. Why doesnt someone do
that for George W. so he doesnt come off looking so
stupid?
The Blonde: OUCH! I want to add that the music
in this film was fantastic. It really added to every scene. It was
absolutely thrilling. Dant dant dant dant dant dant
DANTTTT!!!!!
The Maven: Although it pains me to say it, I
enjoyed this Tom Cruise movie. It was more personal and intimate
than I thought it would be for an action movie. The special effects
were great without overpowering the story. The supporting cast was
very good and there was just the right amount of humor to take the
edge off. I rate this film a B+ for its better writing and its back
to basics style.
The Blonde: This was my favorite
performance Tommy has given since Jerry Maguire. I am still upset
with him, though, and think he should stick to making films. I too
rate this impressive film Mission: Impossible III a B+. For your
movie snacks, enjoy some Whoppers, as this movie is a big one!
