Mission: Impossible II (2000)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Expected more

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

I love the Mission: Impossible film series, but goddamn I wasn't able to even get past 30 minutes of this goddamn trash.Best to think this never existed.

Mission Impossible 2 (3.5 out of 5 stars).Mission Impossible 2 is a stylized explosive action film that brings a little freshness into the series. And an improvement over a dull first movie. Tom Cruise is back and better than ever. The film does pack a little punch with action which the first movie was lacking. The plot follows Ethan (Tom Cruise) being assigned to go after a rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott). Who steals a chimera virus and plans on making profit with the cure. Ethan is going to need help from Sean's ex girlfriend Nyah (Thandie Newton) who is a skilled thief. The plot has a twist or two that will throw off the audience with surprises. Especially with the spy gadgets like facial mask to disguise themselves as somebody else. The action sequences can be ridiculous in this film. With John Woo's stylized direction. Kind of has a spaghetti western action scene with Woo having white doves flying between the hero and villain. And slo mo scenes with characters giving stare downs with flames between them. Also, cars explode easier in this movie when they barely crash into another. But I am sure all this is for summer entertainment at the movies. With a thrilling opening sequence with Ethan free rock climbing to Nyah and Ethan having a showdown in their sports cars racing on the side of the mountain. Then, there is another stunt with Ethan repelling down to a secured building which leads to a firefight. And another climatic showdown with a motorcycle chase and Ethan going face to face with Sean. Dougray Scott was good as the rogue agent. With a performance that looks like he has anger issues and is about to snap at any given moment. Thandie Newton was okay too that spies for Ethan. While Brendan Gleeson playing a character that works for a biocyte pharmaceutical company that created the virus. His character was dull and undeveloped. But good thing he was only in it for a small part of the film. Ving Rhames returns as Luthor, Ethan's sidekick and tech guy. The music score by Hans Zimmer does bring some energy to the film mixing the theme song with a fast paced rock score. Overall, Mission Impossible 2 is a pretty fair film. Better than the first movie. The action sequences are exciting and ridiculous. Have to keep in mind it is one of those blockbuster type of films. John Woo's direction can be a little cheesy with its style of white doves flying between characters or slo mo stare downs that try to build suspense. The plot is good which does slow down a little bit in the second act but picks back up with a wild bike chase and a fight sequence in the climax.

"Mission: Impossible II" follows tried to come up with something totally different from the first, but it failed to impress.-Analysis of Notable Work- *Writing/Directing: The plot feels forced with twists once again, and they are not that clever. The story feels rather uninteresting. John Woo directs seemed to not be sure what he was doing with this film. It feels messy all the way through. *Cinematography/Editing: Jeffrey L. Kimball does some disappointing work in this film. Much like the previous film, it feels like a home video throughout most of it. The editing is also poor. It was not as exciting as it should have been. It was hard to get drawn into the film. *Dialogue/Acting: The dialogue is a minor improvement from the first film, but is still corny at times. The acting improves. Tom Cruise does his job again. Thandie Newton does well, but the direction makes her seem less impressive than she really is. The minor role of Anthony Hopkins is well performed. The villains are a bit more frightening than in the first film. *Music/Sound Design: The music makes this film seem a lot better than it really is. It does not match well, because the music is more intense than the events on camera, but it does make the whole production seem a bit more professional. The sound design is about the same as the first film, which means it is slightly disappointing. *Production Design/Special Effects: The sets feel too much like studio sets. They are not immersive or real feeling. The wardrobe choices are still strange, but better than the first film. The special effects improve on what the first film began, but they have a long way to go.*Conclusion: "Mission: Impossible II" makes some improvements from the first film, but it is still a disappointment and feels too unprofessional in a lot of ways.

Lots of action, maybe too much. I do like Tom Cruise, but I am sure if they had a 'III', while continuing the morphing of the franchise into a 'Kung Fu Fighting', series, it would never had seen IV. I don't care what anyone says, if you don't have good writers, just quit the movie. The lack of plot and story just killed it for me. The dialogue was choppy and, at times, totally pointless. And with special affects and CGI pushing the stars to the side, for the most part, they took center stage. I will say, the cast was pretty good, but not enough to save this nightmare.