The movie begins with a flash-forward featuring a villain (Philip Seymour Hoffman) trying to pump some information out of Hunt. The villain threatens to shoot a beautiful female, who we later learn is Hunt's wife (they get married during the film), and then, out of frustration, does! The next two-thirds or so tell the background of the story and allow us to catch up before heading towards the finale.

I absolutely loved the pace of the movie. There is never a dull moment and I felt like I had to stay on my toes in order to keep up. In fact, for the first time I can remember, I actually literally sat on the edge of my seat! The stunts and effects are awesome as are the high-tech gadgets used by the IMF agents.

My Favorite Scene: Ethan Hunt has made it into a Shanghai skyscraper to retrieve an object called "The Rabbit's Foot." His fellow agents are waiting for him to report back but have heard nothing. As part of the audience, I was expecting the next scene to feature him inside the building looking around. Instead, we hear him report that he has it already and that he can't make it to the top of the building. The camera shifts to the building when suddenly a window explodes outwards and shooting out from it is Ethan Hunt who is now desperately trying to get his chute to open. I think everyone's heart skipped a beat when that happened.

I enjoyed the intensity brought about by the silent moments. Those moments when there was no music and all you could hear were soft footsteps or heavy breathing. All three Mission Impossible movies have featured this trick, and it still works very well the third time around.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of this film is the fact that it features the hottest chick of all time. Her name is Maggie Q and she has a minor role in the film as one of Ethan Hunt's strike team members, but she is absolutely unforgettable. Check her out in the car below. It is a beautiful car but you hardly even notice because she is so absolutely stunning. She is the only reason I would want to watch this movie again.

Now I know that when I'm watching a movie called "Mission Impossible" that I need to suspend some disbelief, but there is a scene towards the end of the film that was so over-the-top ridiculous that I just had to laugh. In the scene, Hunt (Cruise) is lying on the floor unconscious and without a heartbeat. His wife (Michelle Monaghan), a nurse, begins administering CPR. She begins with the proper technique (two quick breaths and then 10-15 chest compressions) but then after about a minute she gets frustrated and seems to give up. In anger or desperation (or maybe a little of both) she punches him in the chest which suddenly and magically revives him and he instantly sits up and starts pointing his gun (see below). WHAT? Anyone who's ever taken a CPR class (which should be everyone, by the way...if you haven't then schedule one) knows that CPR does not revive people. CPR is used to get Oxygen into the bloodstream and then circulate that blood throughout the body until the paramedics arrive with a defibrillator. Only the electric shocks of a defibrillator can jumpstart a heart. You know what would have been better? If she would have kissed him and he magically revived. HAHA!

However, what I was perhaps most disappointed in was the whole idea of Ethan getting married. His wife is almost a completely extraneous character (except for one pretty cool scene towards the end when she is forced to shoot someone as her husband lay unconscious on the floor). However, as we discover throughout the film, Ethan is now very vulnerable and has lost his James-Bond-like, ladies-man aura. With the film's closing, while it is still left open for more adventures, we get the idea that Ethan Hunt is going to start watching a lot of reality shows with his wife at home and maybe taking up golf or bowling for his excitement. Hunt is told by his boss (Laurence Fishburn) that the President has heard about his recent accomplishment and has a special assignment in mind. I wanted to yell out in the theater, "Osama!" However, Hunt turns it down for the time being in order to go on his Honeymoon. Mission Impossible 4, if it is ever made, might feature Ethan playing shuffleboard or BINGO.

Awesome action and suspense is tempered by a blasé story and aging main character.