Third ‘Mission: Impossible’ still has the stuff

Who really cares if the plot of “The Big Sleep” makes sense? Or if the storylines of “Vertigo” or “Donnie Darko” fail to convince? If you respond to these movies, you do so in spite of their gravity-defying leaps in narrative logic. It’s the star chemistry or the sense of mystery or the tease that keeps you watching.

The “Mission: Impossible” movies are something else. They clearly thrive on audience lust for outlandish plot twists, outrageously spectacular stunts and Spiderman-scale heroics — not to mention the deployment of high-tech face masks and voice simulators that allow for patently ridiculous identity theft.

The harder it is to believe what these characters do, the more the audience applauds (and the higher the international grosses grow). The series long ago left the relatively earthbound James Bond in the dust. The latest installment, “Mission: Impossible III,” is just as certifiable as the earlier entries. The crazier it gets, the more contagious the fun becomes.

Quick facts Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan Director: J.J. Abrams Run time: 2 hours, 7 minutes MPAA rating: PG-13

It’s been 10 years since Tom Cruise’s first “Mission: Impossible” movie, derived from the 1960s/1970s television series, started a wide-screen franchise of its own. The first sequel turned up in 2000, “III” is now in theaters, and still hardly anyone can sort out the narratives and tell you what the movies are about.

“III,” directed and co-written by “Lost” and “Alias” creator J.J. Abrams, puts Cruise’s ingenious espionage veteran, Ethan Hunt, in a situation that is intended to reveal what kind of person he is at 40. Abrams and his co-writers have promised a more personal, less plotty approach to the franchise.

Instead, they’ve created yet another action-jammed, character-thin espionage thriller with a cipher in the center. In the 2000 sequel, Hunt just wanted an uninterrupted vacation. Six years later, he’s trying to retire and get married, but he’s pulled back into the force, in order to help the desperate Lindsey (Keri Russell), the most talented agent he ever trained.

She’s been kidnapped by a vicious black marketeer, Owen Davian (suavely nasty Philip Seymour Hoffman), who means to do her great harm. Apparently he also commands an army large enough to invade Afghanistan; their attack on a vulnerable bridge plays like a World War II epic. It doesn’t take much more than Davian’s threats to get Hunt to abandon his girlfriend, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), and deploy a fresh team of agents to rescue Lindsey.

Back to cheer him on (and jealously question the suitability of his fiancee) is tech expert Luther (Ving Rhames), who played the same role in the earlier films. New to the series is their fierce boss, John Brassel (Laurence Fishburne). Fishburne is blessed with one of the best-written scenes, in which his character delivers a blistering assessment of the failures of Hunt and another agent, Musgrave (Billy Crudup).

Mission: Impossible III Review: ‘M:I3’ still has the stuff Impossible Mission Force is bad for America 5Top: Tom Cruise's best films Philip Seymour Hoffman is us J.J. Abrams gets to live his ‘Mission’

Also along for the ride are teammates Zhen (Maggie Q) and Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who don’t get nearly enough to do. Although Declan has a gift for languages and Zhen can fake it as an elegant party girl, the actors are used almost entirely for their exotic looks.

The name of Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Towne (“Chinatown”) is for the first time missing from the screenplay credits, which now includes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the team that came up with two of last year’s major disappointments: “The Legend of Zorro” and “The Island.”

Perhaps Towne would have made better use of the supporting cast. Perhaps he would also have done a more convincing job of setting up the spy team’s invasions of Vatican City, where they stalk Davian while he’s attending a party, and Shanghai, where Davian is luring Hunt. The Shanghai episode provides the pre-credits opener to the movie, which is essentially one long flashback.

MORE FROM AT THE MOVIES

‘Body of Lies’ deserves a swift burial

‘Body of Lies’ deserves a swift burial Keep driving past ‘City of Ember’ ‘RocknRolla’ will run you over ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ is a sprightly delight ‘Blindness’ assaults audience with metaphor ‘How to Lose Friends’ plays it too safe ‘Nick & Norah’ fail to connect Reception party ruins ‘Rachel Getting Married’ ‘Flash of Genius’ lacks script smarts ‘Religulous’ preaches to choir in a hilarious way   Add At the movies headlines to your news reader: