Because we've already seen Ethan Hunt have a shoot-out in a highrise lab...in MI:2. And we've already seen Ethan Hunt high-wire acts, jumping out of buildings and chasing red herrings. This is basically MI 1 and 2 rehashed. Hunt chasing down the Rabbit's foot was right out of the Transporter....and is that the only bridge suitable for airborne missle attacks in the world? I expected Harry Tasker to get in there and save the day.

That was my major problem with the movie, it felt like we'd already seen all of those elements (even moreso if you're an Alias fan).

On the plus side, this movie had two things that the previous films had been lacking, a credible bad-ass villian and a team working together. JJ Abrams certainly can direct a mean action scene, so it had the requisite explosions, stunts, and close-calls to open the summer movie season, but it wasn't special. Enjoyable, but not special.

Like Clemente said...did we really need to see Ethan shoot up another lab or whatever it was? Nah. I thought it was more effective (and dramatic) that we see Maggie and that dude talking then just hear (and see) Ethan's dramatic exit. Sometimes what you see is slightly more effective than what's been shown time and time again..

Unless Ethan was dressed as a pirate. THEN that woulda been cool.

FWIW, I also didn't care for the scenes of Ethan and Monaghan making goo goo eyes at each other. I know they're in love, but if I want to see Cruise going ga ga over someone I will just watch one of his interviews.

BTW, the box office numbers for Friday are online. From Showbiz Data, MI3 made $17m, which means around $55m for the weekend probably.

http://www.showbizdata.com/

Somehow, I think that will make it a disappointment. Not for certain how it will do in the long run, but I say $200 million tops. Aduiences have an attention span of about one week during the summer.

wow! that really seems quite low with all the hype and build-up and considering it is the first summer biggie and there hasn't been an action pic quite this scale, that is pretty poor. also, considering it is getting quite well recieved reviews.

that is even lower than "M:I:2". gulp! i wonder what this means for the rest of the summer.

Yeah, I saw the 11:15pm and the theater was far from selling out. I thought that was a bit surprising. Then again, I guess the Mission: Impossible franchise doesn't carry the same hype as say Star Wars or Harry Potter...

6 year gaps also make it hard to maintain the hype.

And then you have to factor in all the people that are turned off by his antics with Holmes and Scientology as of late.

I brought that up as a possibility and everyone thought I was full of crap.

If only Cruise would stick to the patented "I'm more qualified at running this country, the military, the UN, NATO, China, Cuba and Starbucks and because I'M AN ACTOR" soap box.

II showed up to the theater 15 minutes prior to the 10PM show last night and expeced it to be sold out, but there wasn't even a line to buy tickets. The theater did eventually get about half full by the time the movie started, but still not what you'd expect from the big summer opener.

I know a lot of people who are waiting until Sunday or later in the week to see it to avoid crowds...maybe others just aren't rushing out to see it...word of mouth should keep it strong next week as well though IMO.

MATT

Damn piracy..

Shit, i'd much rather have that than the glib scientology cult shit.

i'm glad this is flopping...i haven't seen it but the first two sucked

MI2 opened on wednesday, this one opened higher then the second if you look at both amonts on friday i dont think it will disapoint, our theater was packed, going at the 12:45 showing

Or possibly the fact that gas prices are over 3 bucks in most places, yet ticket prices continue rising, too.

people here somtimes seem to lack logic when they say stuff i notice. i agree with what you said dr. dvd. then again i also think part 1 and 2 weren't that good and the numbers would be about the same since no one cares about jj abrams and psh except elitists.

agreed. i never saw the hype in part 3, and when i watched it i was right. movie didn't deserve the hype it got. i'd put it in the same line as bad boys 2, island, and mr and mrs smith type movie.

anyone notice greg grunberg (aka weis on alias) at the begining of the movie? i wonder if the keri russel casting, had anything to do with that she apparently wanted to be the lead in alias, and here she does play a secret agent.

JJ has always wanted Keri Russell to kick some ass as a secret agent, Alias-style and finally got to do so on a pretty grand scale. Loved the Grunberg cameo...it's a prerequisite for Abrams, so I'm glad he managed to get it in.

BellsofWar: it's too bad you didn't like the movie...going in expecting to hate a movie probably doesn't help, but what else exactly were you hoping for? You compared it to Bad Boys 2 and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, two very stylish and well executed action flicks...that's all I was hoping for and M:i-III delivered for me.

Hapgilmore: To be glad the movie is flopping because you didn't like the first two though is pretty weak IMO...this may have similarities to the first two, but should be given a chance on it's own...Don't hold the sins of the earlier flicks against this one. Why hope it flops when you haven't even seen it to judge it's quality. I suspect a few people just don't like Tom Cruise and are taking it out on this film...

MATT

mdc. i never said i hated it, it was what it was, a fun summer flick which is what i got. but lots of people here hyped it up to some hard core explosive #1 must see bestever summer blockbuster which is what it wasn't. i went in expecting a fun movie which is what i got. i was a bit disappointed that some of the dialogue was corny and some stuff was just a little to unbelievable. but in the end it was nothing better than a bad boys 2, mr/mrs smith type movie.

I never saw anyone hyping it past being a fairly well executed action movie.

Which really, is what the summer season is all about.

I haven't seen it yet, and while I love Lost, I'm a bit weary of TV directors switching to the big screen, but then that hinges almost entirely on Serenity, which looked (and was written/acted) like a mediocre TV episode sprawled on a big screen. I don't see MI3 having the same fate necessarily, but kind of weary just the same.

Gonna kick myself for this...

Please relate to us what you think makes a film deep. Suddenly somebody brings a human quality to the franchise and it's "whoopdee doo", who cares? Mission Generic...what were you expecting? (not that I thought it was generic). I'm serious - if you even thought why did you go see it? I'd also really like to know what you were expecting.

For that matter everybody else who didn't like it I'd really like to know what you a) expected, and b) how you would have done something differently/"better"

I can understand the complaints of "why did we see what happened when he went in the room", but I agree with the responses. That's more nitpicking than "omg sucked".

For the recored I really enjoyed it. And all you have to say is "alias on film, it wasn't any good", then to me that says you don't like a good story with action, excitement and mystery. All the components that make a story good.

So confused about some of the remarks on here...

...you should check out the U93 thread.

When people declare beforehand they're going to hate a movie, then for some reason go see the movie yet have every intent to hate every second of it, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Don't ask me why there are people like that, or why the internet is a magnet for them.