Television director
J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) brought along his small-screen maestro
Michael Giacchino to helm the baton for his film debut, the third installment in the internationally popular Mission Impossible series. Beginning with reliable pulse of
Lalo Schifrin's oft-invoked title sequence,
Giacchino makes the transition effortless with a traditional orchestral action score that almost feels like a throwback to the original series. While not a "lay around in the hammock" kind of listen,
Mission Impossible 3 is a fun diversion from the thunderous choirs and late-'90s industrial beats that plague the average summer blockbuster. ~ James Christopher Monger