DVD Reviews

Mission: Impossible 3

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• Starring: Michelle Monaghan
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Ethan Hunt has gone all soft, and shacked up with a Doctor Mrs. (Monagahan).He's also trying in vain to leave his secret agent shenanigans behind him. But when an ex-student (Russell) is captured deep within enemy lines, he finds himself dragged back into active duty. Cruelly over-shadowed by Cruise's goings on whilst on the publicity trail to promote its cinematic release, M:I 3 deserves your attention for all the right reasons. Going back towards the TV show's tried-and-tested original 'team' format, Cruise is suitably pumped for his latest outing as Hunt, and you can see every ounce of sweat on screen. After the over-excessiveness of MI:2, this is a welcome change of pace, as Abrams delves deeper in the character of Hunt, and we see how he reacts when his new-found domestic bliss is cruelly interrupted by nasty b*stard Davian (Hoffman on dastardly form).Whilst there are plot holes - a given in a popcorn flick such as this - the action sequences, which are - lets face it, the real reason why you wanna see this - outstanding. First-time director Abrams brings bags of energy to the table, matching his stars' undeniable charisma with equal measures of smarts (explosive head thingies) and tremendously innovative controlled chaos. The bridge scene (you've seen glimpses of in the trailer) is one of the most well-handled pieces of action I have ever seen, with Abrams showing an almost Cameron-like ability for carnage. His background in television (Lost, Alias) has obviously helped in terms of honing his craft, because you're not likely to ever see a more assured blockbuster debut. The supporting cast are all solid, and look like they're having almost as much of a blast as Cruise, with Monaghan in particular eating up the screen: every time the camera's on her, the film feels that much brighter. Forget the hype, and give it a chance; MI3 is easily the best of the bunch.

Review by Mike Sheridan