Mission: Impossible II Movie Review

Mission: Impossible II [M:i-2] (2000)

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Written by: Bruce Geller (creator television series Mission: Impossible), Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga (story), Robert Towne (screenplay)
Directed by: John Woo
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandiwe Newton, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson, William Mapother, Dominic Purcell, Anthony Hopkins
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera".

Verdict
The plot is beyond boring and not just because it's present only to connect highly choreographed action sequences that stretch credibility. This forces a romance into the story to copy it's franchise rival James Bond instead of proposing an alternative like the first Mission: Impossible. Action sequences really are a dance, but they seem dated even considering this movie's contemporaries.
Skip it.

Review
The second entry in the franchise, and it's quite a step down from the first movie. The first cut of the movie was over three hours long with the studio mandating a length of two hours. Several action scenes were planned before the screenplay ahd been written.

This movie loves a good face reveal, providing one in the opening scene. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is free solo rocking climbing just to show off. That's what these movies, and Cruise, do. It's good marketing.

Thandiwe Newton, Ving Rhames, Tom Curise play Nyah, Luther, Ethan Hunt

This franchise seemed like an alternative to James Bond, but this tries to copy with Hunt the debonair flirt. This starts a relationship that has no basis nor credibility. Hunt's relationship with Nyah (Thandiwe Newton) is a dead weight. Cutting out the romance would help the pacing

Hunt and Nyah's car chase and synchronized crash had to have been one of the pre-planned action scenes. It's a bit goofy, and I can only hope it was cooler at the time as they crash their cars in tandem. After that scene this slows down a lot. I don't understand why they have a relationship. The forced romance sucks the life out of this movie, trying to manufacture drama out of nothing.

Tome Cruise plays Ethan Hunt

I thought the first movie had a thin story linking action set pieces, but what links the action in this is close to nothing. The story wants to rely on this forced romance, but it never substantiates it. It wants the romance to add weight to the story, but it's an anchor. It doesn't help that the villain is benign and his motivations mundane.

The slow motion action shots and car hits a pothole and explodes attitude becomes readily apparent in the last third. There are pigeons inside the hide out just for the slow-motion shot. All of this comes together in the final fight that veers to comedy. There are plenty of slow motion kicks, the typical back and forth fighting winning, and even motorcycle jousting. Director John Woo's sensibilities just feel like they're from an older time, and that's accounting for this movie releasing in 2000.