I don't know who will read this but I may as well introduce myself. My name's Ian Loring, I've just graduated form University of the West of England with a Film Studies degree. I'm writing this blog, which will be reviews and maybe some other stuff, to kinda keep up writing about Films. I hope to do an MA at some point but not just yet and this is something to practice my writing. Anyone is more than likely to give constructive criticism and I would really appreciate it. With that out of the way, lets begin!
DVD Review: Mission Impossible 3 (J.J Abrams, 2006, USA)
After the monster smash which was M-I: 2, M-I:3 was seen as a sure-fire hit. Its amazing what can happen in the development of blockbusters though eh? First David Fincher filled then vacated the director's chair (imagine that....) then celebrated director Joe Carnahan, of Narc fame, filled the chair before leaving due to "creative differences" (Carnahan has now moved on to make Smokin' Aces whose trailer on the Apple site looks suitably gun-tastic). The man who Tom Cruise, as producer, finally selected for the job is the TV demi-God J J Abrams, whose work on Felicity, Alias, and crucially Lost convinced Cruise that he could give the reins of his franchise to a man who had never directed for film before. Abrams wrote a new script (with co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci) and filming went from there. How did the new guy do?
Well in my mind it seems like the big budget pilot for a reborn M:I TV series, albeit one witht he best TV visual effects ever seen. Let me explain my stance. The film does a complete about turn on M:I 2. This film has some sense of characterisation, it tries to bring in new characters with new relationships and new dilemmas. ALl the characters apart from Cruise and Ving Rhames are all new to us, and yet it feels like we are going to learn a lot more about them, or it feels like we should know a lot more about them before the film starts. For example, Johnathan Rhys Meyers' character; he complains in the film about his status as "the driver", he seems to want to do more. If this had been a TV series, you get the feeling this would have been more developed, that we would actually learn about this. Instead, it made me flat out convinced that he would be a traitor. Instead Billy Crudup's character fills that genre trope, though he does so well.
Michelle Monaghan also does well with a thankless role that again you feel Abrams wants to explore much further though he would not get the chance. Phillip Seymour Hoffman positively drips menace as Owen Davian and yet you feel he would make a terrific "big bad", an enemy who could be developed over a lot of TV time. This whole sense of newness in the film puts me off it. I admire what they tried to do, indeed it is certainly one of the best blockbusters in many years in terms of character development and the action sequences are breathlessly done (the bridge sequence, certainly my pick for action scene of the year) but I just wanted more on the relationships. Something I thought I would never say about this film. Oh and by the way I know I haven't mentioned Simon Pegg. But hey everyone knows the guys a fucking god so I need say no more. One more thing... Cruise? He's Tom Cruise he can try and act all he wants but the man fills the "celebrity" stereotype so much, I can't see him as any character. Still though as misguided in many things as I thing he is, the guy is more than capable of putting everything into his action and you can't naysay him for that at least.
DVD:
Video: Pretty damn great, though it is so recent a release it would be hard not to be. DVD mastering has been perfected for so long that i think this is as good as you will get with DVD level quality
Audio: Fine, I don't have a surrond sequence but the mix levels were fine.
Extras (One disc edition): Standard EPK stuff, Generation Cruise seems to be there entirely to make those annoyed by Cruise to be even more so. Commentary? Fuck me Tom Cruise is a happy little monkey isn't he? One thing I did notice is that several times in this, Abrams says somthing then Cruise interprets it as how he sees it and runs with it while Abrams shuts up and agrees. Makes you wonder who had the trousers in their relationship on set.
Verdict: Disapointing but in a suprising way, though a heartily recommended rental
Ok thanks for reading, hopefully back with another tomorrow...
Oh and head to the Apple site and download the Simpsons Movie trailer. That and Spider-Man 3. Next summer man..... oh yesh!
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