Common Sense Media Review
More boisterous and violent action; teens and up.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mission: Impossible III
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 44 kid reviews
Kids say that this installment delivers intense action and a darker tone, often marked by graphic violence and strong language, which may not be suitable for younger viewers. While the plot involves personal stakes for the lead character, including the safety of loved ones, opinions vary on its overall quality, with many praising the thrilling action sequences, but some feeling it lacks the fun of earlier films in the series.
- intense action
- graphic violence
- strong language
- darker tone
- personal stakes
- mixed opinions
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) faces off repeatedly with Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), seemingly over a very expensive ($850 million) world-killing device they call the Rabbit's Foot, but really, over their boy stuff. They are, after all, hero and villain, and they're destined to duke it out for your viewing pleasure. Now married, Ethan has given up field ops to train new IMF agents, but he's called off on an impossible mission by Musgrave (Billy Crudup) to rescue former student, Lindsey (Keri Russell), who has been kidnapped by the diabolical Davian. Ethan's rushed off to meet with his old partner Luther (Ving Rhames), and the two get help in their series of high-octane action scenes, including a couple of beautiful newbies, Zhen (Maggie Q) and Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), and an aptly twitchy tech, Benji (Simon Pegg).
Is It Any Good?
This sequel is a boisterous and violent good ride, but for all the fun, it also includes some acknowledgement of costs: emotional, physical, and political. Reconceived by the Cruise-selected writer-director J.J. Abrams, Ethan is here made vulnerable by his love for someone else. That's not to say he's not also the usual Ethan, admirably decisive and troublingly hard-headed.
While Mission: Impossible III tends to privilege Ethan's perspective -- his stunts, his goals, his urgency -- when it cuts to occasional other views, the effect can be jarring. Pursuing his own ends without regard to consequences makes Ethan heroic from one angle, and not a little barmy from another. Ethan's excesses are admirable: he jumps off any building, drives any vehicle, shoots any weapon at any target. But when he risks those close to him, the stakes are different. The scariest possibility in M:I:III is not that Ethan will lose, but that he'll win, and along the way, absorb his pretty little wife into his fearsome orbit.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the tension Ethan feels between his job and his personal life/romance in Mission: Impossible III. How does he learn that lying to his wife has various costs, in terms of trust as well as her physical danger?
What role does violence play an action film like this? Does its glossy nature distract from the brutality on the screen? Is it necessary to the story? Do different types of movie violence have different impact on kids?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 5, 2006
- On DVD or streaming : October 31, 2006
- Cast : Laurence Fishburne , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Tom Cruise
- Director : J.J. Abrams
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 125 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : for intense sequences of frenetic violence and menace, disturbing images and some sensuality.
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate