MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 (2000) Movie Review

★★☆☆☆

The black sheep of the family promised me a bonkers Freudian trip through Tom Cruise’s ego. I love the guy dearly, but there was a time when he was obsessed with giving himself all the attention in his action movies something that does not suit Ethan Hunt. Whilst he is the star, the series is driven by the dynamic of the team and how Hunt utilises their talents as well as company, something that is absent here. 

Even then, at least I could have a laugh at the supposed excessive explosions, slow motion, operatic music and doves, all from the directorial perspective of John Woo. Yet, there wasn’t enough of that because the film is very slow for at least over an hour, focusing on a romance between Hunt and Thandie Newton, whom I’m just not a fan of as an actress. She always comes across as someone desperately trying to convince she’s whichever role she has played, irritatingly overstepping the line by a noticeable inch. To be fair, the acting surrounding her isn’t much better. Ving Rhames, usually the source of heart and enjoyable one liners, is overly stoic in this outing and his fatherly relationship with Hunt felt hollow, a crime against humanity. And Anthony Hopkins looks half asleep,  desperate to leave the set and his pay check mailed to him. 

At a certain point, you do get that bonkers John Woo wormhole and it is entertaining, but it still hurts the film if you were watching this expecting something in the vein of Mission Impossible (1996) following it or the success of the franchise later. It’s small wonder they’ve decided to leave this one in the dusk whilst others have been referenced.