10 Movie Threequels That Redeemed Their Franchise
4. Mission Impossible III
With Mission Impossible II it was very much a case of out with the old and in with the Woo as seasoned helmer Brian De Palma passed the baton to a more exciting directorial prospect. But, for all his stylish action credentials, John Woo's 2000 spy sequel was a disappointment and with every year that's passed it languishes further as an early noughties odyssey - blame Limp Bizkit and those bleeding doves for that.
It wouldn't be until 2006 that the Cruiser and his Paramount pals settled on J J Abrams as their man to jump start the franchise; already a hot prospect with his TV work, Abrams made the leap to film with relative ease, turning in a sequel that absolutely sizzles on screen.
From the opening twist with a bullet to a bridge chase that remains one of the past decade's best action sequences, everything clicked into place. Kudos should also be given to the casting of Phil Seymour Hoffman as the film's big bad and the addition of Simon Pegg as pitch perfect sidekick foil to Cruise's serious superspy. Relentless stuff that was so successful at saving the MI franchise we're currently on six films, with two more in the pipeline.