Review: Mission Impossible 2 Is Not Like The Others
- Jul 23, 2018
- 2 min read
The king of action cinema, John Woo, was chosen to headline MI2, and for good reason. Both Hard Boiled and Face/Off, enjoyable films in their own right, were released in the decade prior, and to bring him in to direct an action packed sequel made sense. There’s just one problem, he wanted it to be “cool”.
When the antidote to a genetically modified disease known as Chimera falls into the hands of ex-IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), once again played by the ever entertaining Tom Cruise, is dispatched to Australia to track down the disease itself. Ambrose however, is also after the disease, intending to either release it, or sell it. It’s agent against agent in Hunt’s most impossible mission yet.
Mission Impossible 2 is a downright bizarre film. Aside from being a departure in almost every way from the first, it often feels more like a parody of John Woo’s style than the stylish spy thriller it should have been. Everything that can be put into slow motion, is. Every opportunity for birds and dual wielding is taken, and the characters spend almost almost their time separate from each other. It can, at times, be downright boring, and for a film such as this, that’s suicide.
Thing aren’t all bad though. Ambrose’s offsider Hugh (Richard Roxburgh) is quite enjoyable to watch, even more so than the primary antagonist, and the final extended action sequence is top notch. Throw in what might be the franchises best use of the iconic masks and you have something that, on occasion, is thoroughly entertaining, just not enough of one.
MI2 isn’t an awful film, in fact, it’s pretty enjoyable. It is however, an awful Mission Impossible film. Woo is more interested in showing off Cruise’s action chops than he is in telling an engaging story, or making an interesting film. It’s a fun movie, but not the mission you choose to accept.
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