Mission: Impossible III - 8 stars out of 10

Mission: Impossible III - 8 stars out of 10

Without question, "Mission: Impossible III" is the most intense of the series.  It finds the balance between action and mind game that the second one was searching for without the attitude of "more masks = more mind games."  Philip Seymour Hoffman makes such a sinister villain as he is calm and collected but uses his resources to impose misery on others.  The film's opening sequence cleverly sets the tone with a "what the heck is going on" moment and immediately gets your adrenaline pumping.  Without explaining who, where, when, or why, the scene throws off your equilibrium and yet, it does not seem out of place or confusing because of the nature of this series.  When you finally return to the scene toward the end of the movie, every single confusing detail makes sense.  This opening scene alone makes me look at the film and say "awesome."  I like the militaristic feel that the extraction creates, once again giving the series a fresh feel.  Cruise continues to make his character one of the coolest in film and thank goodness for the inclusion of the awesome Ving Rhames again.  Simon Pegg and Keri Russell were not used enough but I do love the twist with Lawrence Fishburn.  His role is a bit confused as he uses a little too much Morpheus in his character for me to completely buy it, but his attitude really does fit the character well.  Every scene is mapped out really nicely, from the momentum of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge attack to the clever lip reading and escape from the prison.  I love that in Shanghai, they show Ethan's break-in (PS "the fulcrum" is one of the coolest aspects of any of these movies) but do not show what happens inside of the building.  It may seem like a cop out to some but in my honest opinion, this is a strategic move on the writers as they anticipate the audiences familiarity with the complex break-ins throughout the series.  By leaving it to the audience's imagination, our familiarity with the series enhances the sequence as you subconsciously piece together a million different cool scenarios in your head while the chase ensues through the city.  After the ginormous twist at the end, It gets a bit far-fetched but you won't care at the time because it's so intense while the resolution has your heart pounding out of your chest (and hopefully his).  Nothing can beat the original but "M:i:III" is a complete package that will thrill you and twist your mind in circles.