Tom Cruise was the personification of cool until his image went downhill in a flurry of Scientology and South Park. So how does Tom Cruise fare with the next Mission: Impossible movie?

‘Mission: Impossible III’ has secret agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) pitted against arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Things aren’t going well, as Davian counts down the seconds before he kills Ethan’s fiancee Julia (Michelle Monaghan). The rest of the movie recounts the events leading up to this moment, Ethan’s ill-fated attempt to rescue his protege Ferris (Keri Russell) and then the revelation of a surprise villain. Ving Rhames is back as Ethan’s right hand man Luther Strickell, along with team members Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Zhen (Maggie Q).

Despite playing everything from paraplegic war vet to an amoral vampire, the reason behind Cruise’s appeal is not his acting ability. In terms of raw acting, Cruise is good, but there are far better actors out there, even in this film. Cruise is an icon because of his ability to put aside his screen presence and allow the audience to empathize with his characters.

The real hero of this film isn’t Cruise, but writer/director J.J. Abrams. Famous for shows such as ‘Lost’? and ‘Alias,’ he crafts the perfect combination of elements from the first two movies, combining excellent action with a cunning story and a complex, yet understandable, story line. In Abrams’ eyes, Hunt isn’t James Bond, but a flawed and vulnerable hero. This film is extraordinarily well-cast, with both Billy Crudup and Laurence Fishburne as Hunt’s superiors, and Simon Pegg of ‘Shaun of the Dead’ fame as a computer expert.

The film isn’t flawless. All classic whodunit mysteries require a chance for the audience to guess the killer, and ‘M:I III’ doesn’t really do this. Abrams makes an honest effort, but there are very few actual clues in the film. Thus, the lack of even sleight of hand legitimacy cheapens the film’s twists and turns.

In addition to cementing Cruise’s pop culture status, ‘Mission: Impossible III’ is a promising kick-off for the summer blockbusters. With Cruise’s shaken performance underlining Abrams’ crisp vision, it seems a shame Hollywood took this long to get the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie right.