Even more impossible than the mission itself is the fact that after 6 years there's a need for another entry in the series. Action starved fans will most likely eat up this fast paced thriller as it does manage to (mostly) deliver on its summer blockbuster promises. Intellectual it is not, although it certainly would like to be. Fiery explosions are mixed in with equal part schmaltz as MIF member Ethan Hunt (Cruise) attempts to inject some normalcy into his 'anything but' everyday life as evidenced by his recent engagement to a young lady named Julia (played by real life beauty Michelle Monaghan).

Hunt is however easily drawn back into the MIF world (during his engagement party no less) when he's recruited to rescue his protégé Lindsey (Kerri Russel) from what appears at first to be a failed mission...impossible indeed. This ultimately leads to a whole domino effect of search and destroy episodes and double crosses, including the inevitable kidnapping of Hunt's now wife Julia by ultimate baddie Owen Davian (played with uncompromising flair by Philip Seymour Hoffman). Davian leads our fearless crew (including returning team member Luther Stickell played by Ving Rhames) from within the walls of the Vatican to atop the towering skyscrapers of Shanghai as they search for the elusive 'Rabbit's Foot.' There are some exhilarating experiences to be found here for sure. Most notably the entire Vatican sequence that is second to none in execution (no matter how unbelievable things seem), and the sight of Cruise swinging from and sliding down those skyscrapers in Shanghai (which is very cool despite how stupid it sounds).

Even though women are given handguns and thrust into the line of (mostly) impossible fire here, there still seems to be this underlying notion that women are weak creatures in need of being saved. I'm a guy and I found this to be a blatant undertone in the film, so it has to account for something. Tom Cruise, errr I mean Ethan Hunt to the rescue! If there is one thing M:I-3 isn't lacking, it's machismo. So much so that even the women seemed to be oozing testosterone and man sweat themselves. Maybe it's all part of the insanity that has become the Cruise-Machine Publicty Tour '05 - '06^TM and I'm looking into things a bit too much. Or maybe I've been reading PEOPLE Magazine and watching Oprah too often (Please note: I don't do either of these things), but I couldn't help but think that Cruise's righteous scientologist thoughts were constantly getting in the way of shit blowing up. Get out of the public eye Tom, it's fucking up my suspension of disbelief.

M:I-3 is wildly uneven but still always entertaining. I even found myself drawn in by the mystery that is Cruise at times, but then he would spout off a one-liner that was so obviously forced and hackneyed, I'd be reminded that he's really just a douche in men's clothing. It's really Philip Seymour Hoffman that elevates this film to a whole 'nother level. But then again, he could turn Summer Stock from a town south of Hoboken into a Tony winner. They're very lucky to have him here. Also of note to genre fans is the appearance of Shaun of the Dead (review here) star Simon Pegg as 'that lab nerd,' which constitutes another nice surprise as well.

That being said, despite its obvious flaws (of which there are many) M:I-3 is an entertaining action flick that ranges from satisfying on a Charlie's Angels level to that of a bona fide shoot-em-up worthy of even the most die-hard enthusiasts attention. Inconsistent to the extreme, it's a fast paced two hours that'll most likely enthrall and upset you all the same. How's that for eliciting a range of emotions?