---
title: "Mission: Impossible III: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-iii/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-iii"
critics_score: 62
critics_reviews: 19
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Mission: Impossible III (2006): what the critics said

Critics' score 62 from 19 reviews: 9 positive, 6 mixed, 4 negative.

Most critics come down in favour, though without much heat. Nine of the nineteen reviews are positive, and the praise gathers in two places: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villain, described as chilling, single-minded and a stronger presence than Cruise, and the set pieces, the Chesapeake bridge attack and the Shanghai sequence among them. Abrams is credited with a leaner, faster film than the second entry, and several reviews welcome the attempt to give Hunt a private life.

The reservations gather around the plot, which even admirers call flimsy or contrived, and around Abrams’s television background, which some see as a virtue of pace and others as a lack of stamina for a full-length film. The spread is wide, from warm reappraisals written years later to outright dismissals. The Guardian stands alone in finding Hoffman uncharismatic, The Independent calls Abrams a hack, and The New York Times objects to the maudlin romance.

## Little White Lies — David Ehrlich

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2015. 

Hoffman's Owen Davian is the highlight as a terrifyingly single-minded villain who strips Hunt of his personal life and identity, making this the pinnacle of the series through a stripped-down approach. Abrams understands that less can be more in crafting one of the most engaging mega-budget action films in years.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/mission-impossible-iii-philip-seymour-hoffman-tom-cruise)

## The AV Club — Keith Phipps

Rating B+. 3 May 2006. 

The critic finds the film a strong directorial debut for Abrams that blends personal stakes and drama with globe-trotting action and intrigue in the style of his TV work like Alias. Hoffman’s chilling villain and the visceral set pieces stand out as highlights in an otherwise formulaic but well-executed summer blockbuster.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/mission-impossible-iii-1798201710)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2006. 

Abrams brings a lean, urgent, no-flab style that meshes perfectly with Cruise’s energy for a breathless, pummelling action machine that improves on prior entries and stands as the best of the trilogy.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/mission-impossible-iii-review/)

## Empire — Ian Nathan

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 2006. 

Mission 3 is a step ahead of its predecessors with cracking sequences, gadgetry and personal stakes, but remains a ragged whole of contrived plotting and predictable closure despite urgent pacing and strong set pieces.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mission-impossible-iii-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2006. 

The film plays like two consecutive one-hour TV shows, one standard and the other stocked with excitement, with the second hour ramping up involvement. Hoffman's picture-making villain performance raises the tension and overmatches Cruise.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-05-et-mission5-story.html)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2006. 

The film returns the franchise to its TV origins as a frenetic, fast-paced and engaging blockbuster directed by small-screen icon JJ Abrams. It lacks the cinematic grandeur of its predecessors but delivers slick, TV-style treatment of emotional elements like Ethan's wife.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/mission-impossible-iii/4027027.article)

## Slant Magazine

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2006. 

The critic calls the film the oddest and most impersonally efficient entry in the series, a straightforward but propulsive summer action movie that is surprisingly the most viscerally entertaining despite its shallow plot and lack of auteur flair. Hoffman’s menacing villain and the coherent, high-octane set pieces receive particular praise.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/mission-impossible-iii-dvd/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 2.5/4. 4 May 2006. 

The plot is secondary to sensational action sequences and high-tech stunts, with Ethan pursuing objectives he does not understand. The film delivers the expected formula but feels repetitive after previous entries.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mission-impossible-iii-2006)

## Financial Times — Martin Hoyle

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2006. 

The review calls the film preposterous tosh but ludicrously enjoyable if one relaxes expectations, highlighting the stylish villainy of Philip Seymour Hoffman and the absurd action highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/30bd89d2-dac7-11da-aa09-0000779e2340)

## Radio Times — Sloan Freer

Rating 3/5. 

Abrams brings a more intimate side to Ethan Hunt alongside the expected action and gadgets in this fast-paced, slick entry with standout sequences. The formula feels stale and mechanical, however, with a flimsy plotline and cardboard characters.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ddyd02/mission-impossible-iii/)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2006. 

Abrams does a smarter job with the franchise than his predecessors but seems to lose steam along the way, as if television schooling deprived him of stamina for the longer haul. Hoffman is preferred in this role over his Capote performance.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/05/15/save-us)

## The Times

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2006. 

The critic praises the intense opening but notes the film struggles to maintain momentum afterward, relying on franchise elements like chases and gadgets while attempting but not fully succeeding in giving Cruise a human backstory.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/mission-impossible-iii-5stxb0lmv7g)

## Evening Standard — Derek Malcolm

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 

Abrams delivers eye-popping action thrills and professional stunt work, but the plot is incomprehensible or unbelievable with one-dimensional characters and no emotional involvement, making the film feel bloodless despite the spectacle.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/your-mission-find-a-plot-7387213.html)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2006. 

The film appears tailored to reflect Cruise's personal life but otherwise droops due to maudlin romance and Abrams failing to adapt his small-screen talents to the big screen. Hoffman enlivens it with his ice-blooded villain performance.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/movies/going-to-extremes-and-getting-personal-in-mission-impossible-iii.html)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2006. 

The critic finds the third installment a tired, worn-out experience in the franchise, with a scaled-down but still ridiculous plot and uncharismatic villainy from Philip Seymour Hoffman.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/may/05/3)

## The Independent — Jonathan Romney

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2006. 

The film is a frenetic but ultimately messy and unsatisfying post-Bond knock-off with little innovation beyond its pace; Abrams is dismissed as a TV hack whose direction fails to elevate the material or make the action sequences memorable.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/mission-impossible-3-12a-8691536.html)

## Film Stories — A J Black

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2023. 

The film humanized Ethan Hunt and blended escapism with relatable heart and soul, arguably saving the franchise after the excesses of MI2 by adding emotional stakes and warmth while launching Abrams' cinematic career.

[Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/mission-impossible-revisited-j-j-abrams-mission-impossible-iii/)

## The Skinny — Paul Gallagher

Rating ★★★★. 15 June 2006. 

The critic calls it one of the best action films in years, crediting Abrams for shaking things up successfully with a simple story and talented cast. The standout elements are the first-class action sequences, including a Chesapeake bridge set piece and Shanghai base jumping, alongside a script with humor, emotion, and a strong Hoffman villain turn.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/mission-impossible-iii)

## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2006. 

The film works reasonably as a genre example with lively action sequences and technical skill but lacks genuine wit or personal connection, coming across as a mass-produced, impersonal product like a big-budget version of Alias or 24.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mission-impossible-iii-film-review-by-scott-macdonald)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-iii.md