I was one of the gragillion people who saw Mission: Impossible 3 this weekend. I’m not a huge fan of the M:I franchise, but I’m all for a good action movie. I’ve become skeptical of the Hollywood blockbuster in the last few years. I always get the impression the industry thinks we’re all stupid bitches, glassy-eyed and waiting for Ben Affleck’s hair plugs to save us from an asteroid whose mommy treated it badly. Because of that, I’m less likely to fork over my $11 to sit in a theater with twenty other people who are so bored they are on their cell-phones throughout the entire movie. But no one was on their cell phones during this movie.

M:I 3 is intense. From the very first minute you know you are in for a wild ride. And the ride doesn’t stop until the credits roll. I was so engrossed in the movie that I found myself actually flailing out, trying to help kick some bad-guy ass from my seat. Not only was it action-packed, with hot gadgets, hot cars and hot people, but this movie had more heart than M:I 1 and M:I 2 combined. Not just because Ethan Hunt is in love in this movie, but because he shows it without coming across as a pussy.

The movie aside, this was also a test of Tom Cruise’s sustainability as the biggest star on the planet. He’s always been widely known in the industry as a consummate professional who shows up on time and knows his lines, which is not so common in Hollywood. But after a year of jumping off couches, public brawls with C-listers Brooke Shields and Matt Lauer, and weird Scientology musings, Tom’s 20 years as the A-listiest of A-listers was in question.

None of that matters when the lights go down. I personally don’t think Tom Cruise has anything to worry about as far as his star power is concerned. After one of my adrenaline-charged gesticulations collided with my neighbor and I was yanked back to real life, I took a moment to observe Tom Cruise the actor instead of Ethan Hunt, the agent. I tried to think of any actor in Hollywood today that could pull off the role of Ethan Hunt as well and I couldn’t come up with one. Tom Cruise can show a wide range of emotions and he makes them believable. There are stars who have the same range, but they just aren’t believable showing said emotion while base-jumping off a skyscraper in China. Tom Cruise makes you believe. And flail in your seat. While the movie had some plot holes and the audience is expected to make some leaps of faith, you are so invested in the story you won’t mind. Everything been said, it was an immensely satisfying movie.

I also saw the trailer to the next James Bond movie. After seeing M:I 3 it’s clear to me that Ethan Hunt could kick James Bond’s ass and send it to M for St. Wussies Day.