Review of Mission: Impossible II (2000) by Mike D — 29 Jun 2013

Coming only a few years after the first installment in the series, 'Mission: Impossible II' feels like it was filmed in a completely different universe. Yes, the location is a bit more interesting (Sydney), and the plot is not all that bad on its face, but there are several things wrong with the overall film.

First of all, the acting is not top-notch. Reprising his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise's cockiness comes through more than his heroism, which makes him a much less likable protagonist (not to mention his long hair - what's up with that?).

He is joined by Thandie Newton, who plays a thief who becomes of great value due to her link with a former IMF agent who went off the tracks in favor of manufacturing disease outbreaks for financial gain.

Together, these two actors deliver not so great performances. There's a lot of back-and-forth and sloppiness, and both sides rely way too heavily on the masked disguise tactic that is basically a cop out.

Despite the many strikes against 'M:I-2', things don't completely fall apart until the last half hour, when the amount of slo-mo action, insane car and motorbike tricks and overdramatic scenes really turns the film into a joke.

It's really hard to conceive that 'Mission: Impossible II' followed such a worthy predecessor, considering it is such a big budget action extravaganza, and it is almost a surprise that the films that followed in the franchise are as good as they are.