Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to check this film out!

Agent Ethan Hunt returns to face another terrifying threat. After the IMF is shut down and implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Hunt and the members of his new team must go rogue to hunt down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks who is not only responsible for framing them for the bombing, but also plans to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.

From the moment it starts, the film barley lets off the gas, giving the audience a multitude of amazing action sequences, car chases, tense moments, close calls and laughs. In comparison to the last couple of Mission Impossible films, this one felt more in line with the set up and spirit of the original television series. There were plenty of cool gadgets and other technology used by Ethan and his team but not so much that they overwhelmed the story. The most refreshing aspect to this chapter in the Mission Impossible film series (and the thing that spurred the comment about a return to the spirit of the original television series) was the fact that the story was not all about Ethan. It is true that he was the main hero of the film (I mean, Cruise did produce it so it's only right), but he was dependent upon the rest of the team to help him stop Hendricks and foil his nefarious plan of nuclear armageddon. Each one of the team members (which included Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and the always hilarious Simon Pegg) was able to provide a terrific performance. Heck, Cruise even provided a very effective turn as Ethan, giving him an emotional depth and maturity that seemed to be missing from the previous Mission Impossible films.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol pulled out all of the stops to not only be a thrilling action film but also distinguish itself from the other films in the series. The result was a terrifically entertaining blast of action flick goodness that everyone will enjoy.

Grade: B+ 

Mission Impossible 3: Tom Cruise is not a loon (he just plays one in real life).

Agent Ethan Hunt is lured back into active duty as he is sent to retrieve a captured IMF agent in Berlin. Soon after he must face off against a sadistic weapons dealer named Owen Davian who not only has his sights set on stealing a deadly new biological weapon, but eliminating his new wife Julia as well.

I will be the first to admit that I did not want to give this film a fair shake because I think Tom Cruise is an egocentric loony. Thank goodness for him (and the rest of us) J.J. Abrams was responsible for writing and directing Mission Impossible 3 because he actually made Ethan Hunt a very human and even likeable character. Not only that, but Abrams reinvigorated the Mission Impossible franchise by filling the third incarnation with unrelenting action, smart dialogue, unforeseen plot twist, and actual spy-related facets including wondrous gadgets that would make Q from the 007 series jealous. To top it off, the supporting cast was top notch, (although Michelle Monaghan who portrayed Julia looked a little too much like Katie Holmes), especially Philip Seymour Hoffman as Davian. But Hoffman's lack of screen time was a drawback as the plot twist concerning his Davian, the evil biological weapon and the reason why a certain individual was in cahoots with the bad guy seemed as if it were an afterthought tacked on by the writers at the eleventh hour when they realized they never dealt with it in the context of the entire story. The film also would have benefited from more scenes featuring Davian and motivations concerning his evil plans.

Regardless of the real life antics of it's leading man, Mission Impossible 3 was a rousing action film that delivered the goods.

Grade: B