Mission: Impossible III
MI3 is exactly like an extended Alias episode, the only difference being that the characters are worse. It’s moderately entertaining most of the time, offering pretty good action scenes and some (hopefully intentional) humour. Unfortunately Abrams is neither the visualist Woo was nor the master of suspense that De Palma was. The structure of the film is pretty much a disaster. Starting from the end isn’t always a bad thing, but it really didn’t work here. If the characters are uninteresting and you know what’s going to happen to them, then what’s the point (plot wise)?
Thankfully, Hoffman saves a lot. I’m not quite sure why he accepted the role (money, I guess) but he sure does make the film a lot more enjoyable. It’s not like it’s a memorable role, but at least you can remember what role he played when you leave the theater (I know, short memory…) That’s something you can’t say about Maggie Q or Laurence Fishburne. But despite all the weaknesses I did enjoy the film. You do feel like you are watching a Big Hollywood film. And that’s not a bad thing in my book.
2.5/5
