Summer Blockbuster Season is off to a Heart Pounding Start

Big action movie? Check. Lots of stunts and special effects? Check. Big name lead in the title role? Check. Must be the first weekend of May, also known as the first weekend of summer blockbuster season.

As Mission: Impossible III opens, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is strapped to a chair. Across from him is a female prisoner with a gun held to her head. Holding the gun is Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). He's demanding that Ethan give him the "rabbit's foot" or he'll kill the woman. Try as he might, Ethan can't convince Davian that he already gave him this item, and the gun goes off.

The story then flashes back a ways (we're never told exactly how long it was). A lot has changed in Ethan's life since the last time we saw him. Instead of being in the field for IMF (Impossible Missions Force), he now acts as a trainer. He's also fallen in love and gotten engaged to Julia (Michelle Monaghan).

However, duty calls again. His best pupil has been captured. He is called on to lead his former team to rescue Lindsey (Keri Russell). The mission doesn't quite go as planned, but it sets Ethan on the trail of Owen Davian. Determined to capture this dangerous arms dealer, he and his team set out to kidnap him from the Vatican. If only the mission were really that easy, however.

I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of this film franchise. I hated the first one and thought the second one was just ok. There was one reason alone I was anxious to see this movie. I am a huge fan of writer/director J. J. Abrams because of his TV shows Alias and Lost. I was going to have to see the movie for that reason alone. Any Alias fan will recognized several of his narrative techniques, most noticeably the character in jeopardy/flashback story telling technique. Sometimes he can be over do it, but here it works well to ratchet up the suspense. And don't worry. His friend Greg Grunberg does get his cameo near the beginning of the film.

The story is fine. Let's face it; it serves as an excuse for a bunch of car chases and stunts. Still, it serves its purpose well. While a couple things come at you a little fast, they do make sense when you have a chance to stop and think about them. In the end, it holds together without too many gapping holes or loose ends.

The action scenes are where this movie shines. They start out small, but build over the course of the movie and include several great sequences. Couple that with the suspense of the plot, and you have an adrenaline rush. My heart was pounding during the second half of the film. Sometimes the camera work makes it a tad hard to follow the action, but it's only a problem worth noting in passing.

Of course, none of this would matter if we didn't like the characters. The script wisely gives us some time to get reacquainted with Ethan before he starts doing his stunts, something the previous two films lacked. Tom Cruise does an excellent job bring the character to life. We understand him and therefore have a stake in the outcome.

The other actor who really gets a chance to shine is Philip Seymour Hoffman. He makes an excellent villain. There are a couple scenes where he's down right creepy.

The rest of the cast was great as well. While Ethan does get a team to work with this time around, they are definitely supporting players. Still, they provided some great character moments and really liven up the movie.

This is a perfect example of the blockbuster movie Hollywood loves to release every summer. It's loud, fast paced, and requires little thought. It also works perfectly and is a great way to spend two hours.