You can skip almost everything with Tom Cruise and not miss a thing

Rating: Null/10 (21 August 2003)

The only exception I make to that rule is Rain Man because Tom is finally not the one pulling all the strings. With a superior actor like Dustin Hoffman alongside him, Cruise is obviously overshadowed. That's why he makes movies like this, so he stays in the limelight and everyone else gets a pension plan.
Mission: Impossible is better than MI2, but that isn't saying much. That is like comparing a car crash to a nuclear meltdown. For starters, Brian dePalma is much more in tune with the genre than John Woo. Second, MI is trying to be an updated Hitchcock-style thriller. MI2 wants to be another John Woo action movie with MTV-style cinematography, loads of computer effects, and slow-motion galore. Boring...
No wonder these movies stink! Their source material is one of the worst TV series of the 60s! Can't Hollywood get some decent writers for their blockbusters instead of relying on David Koepp? dePalma uses his camera in a fashion similar to the Untouchables, but here he is obviously going for the hi-tech Hitchcock spy movie (a cross James Bond and North by Northwest). It doesn't work, the formula is too contradicting.
Overall, this movie stinks. For a better understanding of modern espionage thrillers, stick with Ronin. It's not great, but at least it has a more competent director behind the camera. 2 out of 5 stars.