Expect the impossible again.
Mission: Impossible 2 is a 2000 spy film directed by John Woo, written by Robert Towne, produced by Cruise/Wagner Productions, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was based on the 1966 TV series, Mission: Impossible. The film stars Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton. It was not nominated for any Academy Awards. This is the second film in the Mission: Impossible series. It was preceded by Mission: Impossible and followed by Mission: Impossible III.
"Every search for a hero begins with something every hero needs...a villain." -Dr. Nekhorvich
Plot
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team (Nyah Nordoff-Hall, Luther Stickell and Billy Baird) are recruited to stop a rogue IMF agent from starting a deadly pandemic with a nearly unstoppable virus. The only problem is that the bad guys already have the cure.
Positive Aspects
The thing that I thought was best about this film was the action. I think that, while this is not a very good film, the action was pretty good. The fight in the lab is fantastic. The final fight is fun to watch. The stunt work in that motorcycle fight was really cool.
I thought that the writing and characters weren't terrible, with the exception of one. Ethan Hunt is likable and charming, as always. Luther Stickell is also consistent and delivers some of the lighter lines in the film. I thought that Nyah Nordoff-Hall was an interesting addition to the series. She was enjoyable enough. Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames were really the only actors that I felt nailed their part.
Unfortunately, that's all the good stuff that I've got for this one.
Negative Aspects
The first thing that I have is the way that the film is shot. During intense sequences or fun action parts, there is a random slow-motion shot. Then they show the same shot in slo-mo three or four different times from different angles. It looks like you are watching a replay in a sports game or something. It was incredibly distracting and strange.
The second thing is the plot. I thought that the general plot idea was just...bad. I think that the idea of terrorists trying to spread a deadly pandemic throughout the world to get rich is dumb. It doesn't seem interesting and I think that it was just a bad idea for the central plot of the film.
Besides Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames, the acting is not that good. Thandie Newton delivers a dry, emotionless performance. It feels like every line is the same tone with different words.
Dougray Scott is not horrible, but he's not good. He's very quiet and just has an odd performance. The combination of his accent and his quiet talking can make some of his lines hard to hear.
I also think that Sean Ambrose is not that good of a villain. He doesn't really have a motive at all. He is boring and not intimidating. He is good to Nyah, which makes it seem like he's not really a villain. Overall, he's not terrible, but he's also not good, just like the actor who portrays him.
Final Score
Despite a consistent performance from Cruise and Rhames and some cool action, Mission: Impossible 2 suffers from strange shots, bad supporting actors and characters, and a bad main plot line.
I will give it a Sour rating. The age range is 10+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great)
Savory (Good)
Sour (Bad)
Moldy (Terrible)
"Mission: Impossible 2"
Fun Factor: 5.5/10
Acting: 6.5/10
Story: 5/10
Characters: 6/10
Quality: 5.5/10
WHERE TO WATCH
Amazon Prime Video: Available for free with premium subscription
Apple TV+: Available for rent
Directed by John Woo
Released on May 24, 2000
Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, disturbing themes and behavior
2 hours and 3 minutes