Dir. J.J. Abrams
Writ. J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
Act. Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan

This movie can be categorized as incredibly average. I remember when the first Mission: Impossible came out I was hoping that it would become a franchise much like James Bond. Then the second movie came out and it sucked a** and I thought that the franchise was dead. Tom Cruise decided to become a pedantic jerk and I lost total interest in seeing this movie. I decided to watch the movie and was mildly surprised that it kept me interested until the very end. However, it rips off plot lines from the first Mission: Impossible movie as well as Arnold's True Lies, so the movie wasn't new, just entertaining.

IMF agent Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise (War of the Worlds,) is semi-retired and living a double life in that he is engaged to a woman, Julie, played by Michelle Monaghan (North Country) and also a trainer for IMF Agents. Hunt is called back in to duty by Assistant Director John Musgrave, played by Billy Crudup (Big Fish,) because an agent Hunt trained was captured by universal bad guy Owen Davian, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote.) Hunt leads a team to capture the agent but when she dies in the process Hunt decides to go after Davian with out the approval of Director Brassel's, Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) approval. Even though Davian is captured by Hunt's team he escapes and almost immediately kidnaps Ethan's wife and forces Ethan to go to China and steal a biological agent, the rabbit's foot, for Davian.

I think it's obvious where the story takes from other movies. The fact that he is living a double life without his wife knowing is very much True Lies. The story copies the first Mission: Impossible movie in that Ethan hunt is once again betrayed by someone inside the IMF agency. If this agency has so much trouble with corruptible staff I don't think it would be in existence. I can only suspend disbelief so much.

Speaking of suspension of disbelief, I had too many times in watching this movie. It was not a problem for me to ignore that The Vatican has the worst security in the world, and that Tom Cruise could free fall a hundred feet to land on a building a slide all the way down it roof only to catch himself on a big metal railing (you will see what I mean when you watch the movie.) But I can't believe that his Doctor wife, who has never fired a gun, could shoot two bad guys with the ease that she did. I don't mean that I can't believe woman could kill, because there were three hot women who were shooting or in charge of security (In, fact I will name these hot actresses: Keri Russell, Bahar Soomekh, and Maggie Q.) They were all very believable in their roles. I just don't believe the doctor could kill so quickly without any experience.

The film did keep me guessing as to how it was going to end, so I think that is a positive for the movie. I thought the stunt work was great, including the aforementioned jump from one building to another, and the special effects were pretty good. I do have a hard time with Cruise being a tough guy. I also have a hard time believing that Hoffman can play a bad a** too. I guess that is why the scene where the two of them are in a huge bar brawl type fight is believable, two pu**ies fighting.

Tom Cruise. What can I say about this man? I try to ignore what he says in the press when I watch his movies but it just doesn't work anymore. I like his movies, for the most part, but I wish he would shut the hell up about his lame a** "religion" and just act. It would make the world a much better place.

While all of the supporting actors did fine I must mention that Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) once again added wonderful humor in the two whole scenes that he was in. He is one more movie away from becoming one of my favorite actors.

Like I said this movie is average. I would go to the movie theater to see it just because of the music and special effects, but if you wait until DVD its no big deal. A very ho-hum beginning to the 2006 summer movie season.

Brian - the Naked Gun