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Mission : Impossible 2 [2000]
from Paramount Home Entertainment
starring Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh
directed by John Woo

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

Visually stunning, and a likely must for John Woo aficionados, the second Mission: Impossible outing from megastar Tom Cruise suffers from an inconsistent tone and tired plot devices--not only recycled from other films, but repeated throughout the film. Despite remarkable cinematography and awe-inspiring, trademark Woo photography, the movie offers a tepid story from legendary screenwriter-director Robert Towne (Chinatown) and a host of other writers, most uncredited.

Following on from the set pieces in the first big-budget, big box-office MI in 1996, it's clear (as Towne confirms) that the plot was developed around Woo- and Cruise-written action sequences. The film combines equal elements of romance and action, and is best when it features the stunning allure of Thandie Newton as Nyah, a master thief recruited by the sinewy charms of Ethan Hunt (a fit Cruise). Deeply in love after a passionate night, the couple must then combat MI nemesis (and Nyah's former lover) Sean Ambrose (Ever After's Dougray Scott). Ambrose holds hostage a virus and its cure, and offers them to the highest bidder.

Woo's famed mythic film making is far from subtle, with heroic Hunt frequently slow-motion walking through fire, smoke or other similar devices, replete with a white dove among pigeons to signal his presence. The emphasis on romance is an attempt to develop character and a more human side to superspy Hunt, but still the story proves a distraction from the exciting action sequences. John Polson (as an MI team member) is an Aussie talent to keep an eye on. --N.F. Mendoza

M:I-2 DVD Extra Features

With more and more DVDs coming out with an extra DVD full of features at a slightly more expensive price, it's nice every so often to see a disc that offers not only a great movie, but a bundle of features on it as well.

The M:i-2 DVD does just this, and features not only the widescreen presentation, but also a number of behind-the-scenes footage, a spoof documentary, breakdowns of some of the stunts and even a music video to boot.

Although the breakdown of scenes has that "Tom really did do it all, honest" feel to it, some of the elements are genuinely interesting. The biggest surprise of all though is the inclusion of the six-minute spoof documentary that was done for the MTV awards with Ben Stiller. All in all, a well presented disc and set of extra features. --Stuart Miles

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• A shocker
  The film is very poor, easily the weakest in the series. It has a plot so thin it's translucent and rather than being seen as a film, it should be regarded as a rather meaningless sequence of quite ridiculous set-pieces and special effects. Dougray Scott proves here in this film once again that he quite simply cannot act, he merely leanrs words and delivers them and even Tom Cruise just doesn't seem interested. On the strength of this,if you're planning to make a ridiculous martial arts flick where story... more info

• Possibly the very worst major studio action film ever made
  Okay, so De Palma's film wasn't Citizen Kane, but at least it had its moments when Cruise's insatiable vanity was kept in check in favour of some well-executed set-pieces (even if one was stolen lock, stock and barrel from Topkapi). Woo's disastrous sequel - at the time the most expensive film ever made - is like an endless hairspray commercial, with the ever limited Cruise (who used to be able to act but now just runs off a checklist of six annoying expressions) constantly flicking his hair in glowing... more info

• Slick polished but slippery
  Slick polished but slippery..thats the path that Mission Impossible2 follows.John Woo has his style of cinema which would go down well in any franchise except that of both Mission Impossible and James Bond. Photography is stunning but the name just seems to be cheaply borrowed for such a high budget film. The weakest of the trilogy by far.

• Oi! Cruise - NO!!!!
  I saw this in the cinema on release and was tempted to ask for my money back.The diminutive Cruise over-acted throughout as per usual and Dougray Scot was totally unconvincing as the vllian. The gossamer-thin plotline could have come straight from a comic book and the ham fisted attempts at identity switching to add 'complxity' were laughable. All in all, 1 star for the effects and zero for everything else. Not a patch on the original series with Peter Graves (and that was out long before any decent special... more info

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