IMF (Impossible Mission Force) Special Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is lured back to the field, from his position as a trainer, when one of his most talented recruits, now a star field agent, Lindsey (Keri Russell) is kidnapped by terrorists. Hunt’s cover assignment as a civilian is as a traffic analyst for the DOT¾ how unlikely. On the verge of finally getting his personal life together, he is so happily engaged to Julia (Michelle Monaghan of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith") that he feels like¾ well, jumping up and down on the furniture.

Agency Director Brassel’s (played with a sardonic sensibility by Laurence Fishburne) sole mission in life is to capture the elusive and depraved Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar winner for "Capote"). Davian now holds Lindsey captive and is torturing her. Hunt’s team of experts is back in action. Ving Rhames returns as Luther and is joined by Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Match Point") and Maggie Q, a glamorous martial arts star from many Hong Kong films. They work to allow Hunt to make the impossible missions possible. Hunt’s immediate superior, Musgrave (Billy Crudup), is an unappreciated bureaucrat with his own patriotic agenda.

Hunt tracks down Davian in a daring plot to grab him during his visit at the Vatican. When the captured Davian is back in the States and en route to a secure facility, his private army rescues him, and the movie turns in a new direction. Davian’s promise to find Hunt’s wife and hurt her until she cries out Hunt’s name in agony, is set in motion. Julia’s fate and that of the world rests with Hunt and the IMF. Davian wants the briefcase that was stolen from him, which contains the plans on how to locate the deadly weapon known by the code name "Rabbit’s Foot."

Philip Seymour Hoffman's role as the villain Davian shows that the dark side of his acting soul we saw in "Capote" was just a warm up. Tom Cruise brings the same intensity here as he has in various other roles, from the fractious teenager in "Risky Business," to the futuristic cop in "Minority Report," through the first two M:I features, and the battle weary soldier of "The Last Samurai," as well as the world weary killer in "Collateral." This intensity and passion seems to also reflect his personality off-screen. Some of his opinions and actions recently in the public domain have drawn sharp criticism.

While the roles written for the IMF team, other than Cruise are somewhat of a let down, the characters fleshed out for Fishburne, Crudup, and especially Michelle Monaghan and Keri Russell make an emotional connection of reality that much of the film lacked.

The action sequences are so impressive that they keep you on the edge of your seat, and compensate for the imbalance within the IMF team that has 90% of the focus on Cruise.

The opening scene that is set inside a small room is as intense as the mountain climbing shot that we saw in the beginning of "M:I-II." Pay close attention to this and the helicopter chase, because the flashbacks and events toward the end of the film directly relate to the beginning in an important way.

One of the best parts (and what we waited for each week) about the TV series from the 1960s, which inspired the series of films, was how masks and disguises were used, and the way the familiar music swelled when the IMF team escaped from harm’s way just in time. There are a few surprises in how these devices are used here that provide nice plot twists in the film.

Pam’s Take: I liked the movie and take it as it is¾ a great action flick that signals summer is here; at least at the cineplex.

George’s Take: I thought the action was outstanding, but after seeing the "Matrix" trilogy, "Lord of the Rings" and other high tech films with impossible feats, the wow factor was sort of ho hum.

While the PR consensus seems to be that all publicity is good¾ even when it’s bad, we thought that possibly too much publicity about Cruise over the past year would make it hard to get into the film. Fortunately, that was not the case. The movie is too much fun to not be in the moment and wonder what’s coming next. "M:I-3" sets a high bar for the heavily hyped "Poseidon," which opens today.