Tom Cruise stars in quite a few movies that have just made their way to Netflix as April begins, but among them, there is a spy thriller that had a healthy box office run and changed the game for the actor, and that is one of the films Netflix subscribers should be running towards. Tom Cruise’s best movies are among the industry’s most exciting.
From dogfights in Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick to espionage thrillers like Mission: Impossible – Fallout to the hilarious Tropic Thunder to Cruise’s transformative Magnolia performance and many more, the actor has done it all. Now, a few of his most exciting movies have arrived on the biggest streaming service out there, joining the best movies on Netflix, and there is one in particular that deserves a revival.
Tom Cruise’s Franchise-Defining Spy Thriller Is Now On Netflix
On April 1, Netflix saw the arrival of five Mission: Impossible movies. In order, the films are Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible III, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. While there might be better overall entries than it on that list, I’m convinced that the Tom Cruise spy thriller fans need to watch is Mission: Impossible III.
Mission: Impossible III was released in theaters on May 5, 2006. With a reported budget of $150 million, the espionage film ended its box office run with $398.5 million worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes, Mission: Impossible III has a 73% critics’ score and a 70% audience score. Both are solid. On IMDB, it has a similar 6.9 score. That said, the movie turns a key for the franchise, making it a must-watch.
Why Mission: Impossible III Is Worth Watching On Netflix
There are likely many fans of the Mission: Impossible franchise who started watching it from Cruise’s modern spy thrillers, meaning from Ghost Protocol onward. That said, there is a lot to like in the original trilogy, and Mission: Impossible III is the movie that paved the way for the franchise’s most popular chapter by setting up some of its most beloved elements.
For instance, Mission: Impossible III is the first entry in the action franchise to really explore Ethan Hunt’s life beyond just his action hero status. It introduced key characters like Michelle Monaghan’s Julia Meade, Ethan’s wife, who becomes an emotional center for the franchise, and Simon Pegg’s Benji Dunn, an IMF colleague who becomes the franchise’s comedic relief and one of Ethan’s closest friends.
Directed by J. J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), the third Mission: Impossible movie is a character-driven film with a fantastic ensemble cast and creative action set pieces. Cruise delivers a more vulnerable version of Ethan, offering a great contrast when compared to Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s grounded, menacing villain Owen Davian. All those elements make Mission: Impossible III a game-changer for the franchise and a Netflix must-watch.
- Release Date
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May 5, 2006
- Runtime
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126 Minutes