A perfect 10!!!

Rating: 4/10 (27 May 2000)

That's right, if you like explosions every 5 seconds, gimmicky "plot twists", horrible dialogue, unintelligible accents, and absolutely no surprises, then you will love this movie. And to you, it will be a perfect ten. But, if by chance, you like intelligent movies with skilled acting (Jude), stuntwork that pertains to the story (Gladiator), in depth character studies (Magnolia), gripping plot twists (Fight Club), or anything else that classifies as art in the film world, you'll probably give this movie about a four like I did. It reeks with cliches, and unlike the first Mission Impossible, it has a scattered plot that never actually redeems itself. De Palma used confusion and a variety of locals scenarios to pull in the viewer to a thrilling climax on a speeding train. Woo merely gets Tom Cruise to do some incredible stunt work and calls it a movie. Yes, the special fx are great, yes, the motorcycle scenes were jaw dropping, and yes, who cares that nobody could screech to a halt on the front wheel of their yamaha and still pick four passengers out of a moving car with only four bullets in real life. But, I've said it before and I'll say it again. No amount of spfx, stuntwork, or popular music groups on the soundtrack can make up for a poorly executed plot. And on a personal note, I usually enjoy Hans Zimmer's scores. He's very versatile. From As Good as it Gets, to Prince of Egypt, to The Thin Red Line, he is great at crafting the music to the visuals. But fresh off the heals of composing the score for Gladiator, so brilliantly referencing "Mars", as well as utilizing Lisa Gerrard for the ethereal feel of the supernatural, Zimmer seems to copy himself with a similar sound that cheesifies the closing of MI2 instead of empowering it.
It seems Cruise (Mission: Impossible 2) does better with De Palma(Mission: Impossible) and Cage (Snake Eyes) does better with Woo (Face Off).
4 of 10