Directed by: J. J. Abrams

Starring: Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Billy Crudup, Ving Rhames, Laurence Fishburne

Rating: PG-13 (for intense action, death sequences, slight sensuality)

Running time: 125 minutes

Best suited for: thriller addicts, for those whom Tom Cruise's every facial tic means something: (a) meaningful (b) bizarre

Least suited for: the formulaflick satiated

If you're expecting a review, I'll get there eventually. But first a little ranting. Because, you see, there's a buzz surrounding the third installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. Rumor has it that Tom Cruise' "erratic" behavior might be hurting the film's chances as a mega-blockbuster. In other words, some of us who might otherwise want to see "Mission: Impossible 3" may be attempting to punish Mr. Cruise by not purchasing a ticket-and, of course, missing the film.

Isn't it time that we perhaps get over ourselves? Time that we allow the fellow his own opinions, his own personality? I believe the price of a movie ticket buys us Mr. Cruise's talents from the opening scene to the closing credits, not a vote on how he conducts his lifestyle.

Our sense of entitlement, as an audience, is highly overrated. Would we cease frequenting a favorite restaurant because we discover the chef has marriage difficulties? Would we forgo surgery because we learn the surgeon's spiritual quest is different from our own? Van Gogh was reputedly more than a little troubled. The Louvre hasn't junked his art. Mozart was considered quite eccentric. The world still appreciates his music.

People-even famous people -have off-hour lives. J. Edgar Hoover liked lace. Thomas Jefferson dabbled in slavery. Why do we think we have the prerogative to judge those lives based on our own assumptions, on our beliefs (perfect, of course, as they are)? I just don't get it.

Ah yes, about "M:I3." It seems that super-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from active duty. He's training IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agents back in the States. Ethan falls in love and marries Julia (Michelle Monaghan). He's living a seminormal life, telling fellow suburbanites that he works for the Department of Transportation. But when an IMF protg (Keri Russell) is captured by deranged but well-mannered arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Ethan is drawn back into action to rescue her.

Hunt also decides to kidnap Mr. Davian, and does so with some finesse (at the Vatican, of all

places). But Davian is well-connected and just a tad vindictive. "M:I3," you see, is a film of oneupmanship, a sort of ultimate, lethal sportsmanship that transpires between arch enemies. It's all highly improbable, you realize- the overall premise, the split-second coordination, the high-speed razzle-dazzle-although admittedly quite clever in places. And a better-paced movie is hard to come by.

Without question, "M:I3." offers thrill-seekers a stylized panache-a bang-for-your-buck tempo that hits overdrive in the opening scene and holds up nicely. However, by the third installment, one has learned a few things about this top secret government organization. For instance:

1. They desperately need an updated theme song. (Sorry, but if I hear that '70s TV tune one more time I'm running for my mothballed bell-bottoms.)

2. These guys love to play with lifelike latex masks, and somebody's going to get confused enough to-oops!-kill someone they didn't intend to.

3. Job loyalty is not a priority down at IMF headquarters. In fact, I would be suspicious of anyone living long enough to reach middle management there.

4. Always let Ving Rhames tag along, for any reason whatsoever.

Yes, "M:I3." is formulaic. It's even predictable. It borrows from its own past installments here and there. Yes, it's silly. But it's a guilty pleasure one can live with (popcorn helps), a distinctive carnival ride of a film that now and then takes itself a little too seriously but still manages to churn out nonstop action. Personally, I'd rather see Cruise in, oh, say, "The Really Last Samarai," but "M:I3." will do in a pinch.

In a nutshell: "Mission: Impossible 3" is the latest installment of the old TV show; a frolicking, lightnin' fast and utterly implausible spy thriller. Go with two out of three and enjoy the show, but don't expect intelligent cinema. Do expect a wild ride.