Watch the flick, ignore the antics

If you didn't see "Mission: Impossible III" this past summer because of Tom Cruise's behavior on TV, well, then you're a moron. As crazy as he has been on Oprah's couch and in interviews with Matt Lauer, the man makes damn good movies, and his whole Scientology background has no influence in his film work. Considering "M:I:3" was one of the best action movies of this year, I'd highly suggest you rent it now on DVD. \nMuch like the previous two outings, this "Mission" is all about action in excess, except this time everything is more solid. The first flick was great but suffered a muddled plot; the second was too absurd to actually be taken seriously (see bullshit motorcycle fight). Cruise is once again Ethan Hunt, this time on a mission to take down arms dealer Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who killed one of Hunt's students and is pursuing a nuclear weapon known only as the "Rabbit's Foot." \nThe reason "M:I:3" works is because of director J.J. Abrams. After losing both David Fincher ("Fight Club") and Joe Carnahan ("Narc") -- both of which I'm sure would've done excellent jobs -- Cruise happened to be watching episodes of "Alias" and knew he had to get Abrams in the directing chair. Granted, I never cared for Jennifer Garner's spy games, Abrams created "Lost," which is the holy grail of TV shows to me and many more folks. The resulting action sequences are exhilarating, such as Cruise's highway battle against a missle-firing fighter jet or the over-the-top aerial acrobatics filmed in Shanghai. Abrams takes his film directing debut and completely makes it his own. \nThe only problems this "Mission" really suffers from are ones that plagued the previous outings: Poor supporting characters and plot-holes. While not as excessive this time around, the roles handed to Michelle Monaghan, Billy Crudup and Laurence Fishburne are uninteresting and poorly developed, whereas Keri Russell, Simon Pegg and Maggie Q could've used some more screen time as they had good things going for them. Hoffman is absolutely great, a clear sign that he wasn't just collecting a paycheck after his "Capote" Oscar victory. \n"M:I:3" comes in two DVD editions, a 1-disc and a 2-disc Limited Edition. The single disc is all you really need as it contains an enthusiastic commentary track from Cruise and Abrams, a lengthy making-of segment, deleted scenes and a "Tom Cruise -- Tribute Montage: Excellence in Film" segment which can be found on any "Mission: Impossible" DVD. Considering I have the previous two films on DVD, this is just overkill. \nThe 2-disc contains an additional eight featurettes covering the usual flair like action scenes, visual effects, musical scoring (the score provided by Michael Giacchino, who also handles the "Lost" orchestrations), and such. There are some Moviefone Unscripted segments featuring Cruise/Abrams and another tribute montage, "Generation: Cruise," which is also on every "M:I" DVD. Double overkill. \nThough I'm a much bigger fan of Cruise when he takes roles such as "Eyes Wide Shut, "Magnolia" and "Collateral" -- all of which call for a break from his persona -- Cruise the action star is still entertaining, which is evident in "Mission: Impossible III." Watch the flick, ignore the antics, and enjoy yourself.