MOVIE REVIEW: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to seeing this latest Tom Cruise-MI flick. I hadn't seen the first two, and with Cruise's on-going train wreck of an off-camera PR nightmare, I wasn't jumping off the couch waiting to see Part 3. But my friends really wanted to see it, and they convinced me to go with them. To prepare, I went out and bought Mission Impossible 1 and 2 on DVD. I only had a chance to see Mission 1 before it was time to see Mission 3, and I have to admit that Mission 1 put me to sleep. I only caught the opening of Mission 2 before we had to head out the door to see 3, but I did think the stylish vision of John Woo of 2 will be interesting to watch. DePalma's 1 had it's moments (all 3 of them), but overall it hasn't held up over time (it was released in 1996). So that brings us to MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3. This JJ ABRAMS directed flick was filled with energy and action from start to finish. I love JJ's stuff on LOST, but never saw any of his ALIAS stuff, so I am not an expert on his TV spy talents. But between MISSION 1 and MISSION 3 , I have to give MISSION 3 the B- and MISSION 1 a C. The highlights to MISSION 3 is the Vatican-set scene involving the amazingly talented PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (Mr CAPOTE), the skyscraper-bouncing that Tom Cruise does in Shanghai, and the rescue of FELICITY star Kerri Russell in the helicopter-krazed Belgium scene. .....SEE IT AT THE CINEPLEX or WAIT FOR IT ON DVD: DEFINITELY SEE IT AT THE CINEPLEX. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3: B-