Tuesday 21 February 2023

Mission: Impossible III (JJ Abrams, 2006)

There is a MacGuffin called the Rabbit's Foot.

Ethan Hunt needs to get it in order to save his new wife, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), who has been kidnapped by international arms dealer Owen Davian.


This movie is not good. 


I have watched it a couple times since it came out and it never resonated with me. This is often held up by a section of fans as the best or one of the best instalments. To me it is the worst.


JJ Abrams is a fan of anticipation and cool moments - but he has no idea how to construct narrative or build characterisation.


His movies always feel like a collection of fun ideas tossed at you for two hours. By the end - even movies I enjoyed, like Star Trek and Super 8 - I leave wondering what it was all about.


It was kind of shocking to watch this movie and see him repeat the same pattern: arresting opening, some likeable characters and then…


This movie does not even include any strong set pieces - the fall down the building in Shanghai is kind of cool, but it is shot in such tight shots (and on a stage) that I never feel any sense of peril. 


The only thing it has going for it is Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it seems like the movie's quality is based heavily on his dead-eyed villain.


While it is refreshing to have a charismatic, interesting performer as the villain, the movie does nothing particularly interesting with him.


The film's opening action sequence is terrific, the film is well-cast (Michelle Monaghan succeeds Thandiwe Newton as a great actress doing all the heavy lifting to make Julia feel like a living, breathing human being).


The best and most long-lasting legacy of this movie is that it brings the franchise back to its origins, as an ensemble spy thriller.


It would take one more entry for Mission: Impossible to finally come into its own.


Related


Mission: Impossible


Mission: Impossible 2


No comments:

Post a Comment