Decent summer action film, bad "M:I" movie

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2015)

(Review in preparation for Rogue Nation) It is a few years after the events of the first film and while Ethan Hunt is on holiday, he receives an assignment to recover a stolen virus called Chimera and recruit a third team member who had a prior relationship with the man who stole the virus; a rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose.
Out of all of the "M:I" films, this one is probably the most divisive and my least favorite of the series. I used to like this when I was younger and I don't think its one of the worst movies ever made but having grown up watching the original "M:I" TV series and other films after this one it feels weaker and it strays too far from what "Mission: Impossible" is supposed to be.
Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt and in this one he sports a longer haircut and wears dark sunglasses during the action sequences. His performance comes across more like a James Bond type of character than the one from the previous film. Ving Rhames is back from the previous film but isn't given much to do. New cast is Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott, John Polson and Brendan Gleeson who all give good performances but Dougray Scott gets my pick as one of the weaker villains of the series since his character is just a rehash of the one from the previous film, just more younger and sadistic.
In the directors chair this time is Hong Kong action director John Woo who's highly stylized and hip take makes "M:I 2" feel more like a generic action film than "M:I". The action sequences are exciting but overblown with the over usage of slow-mo.
The weakest installment of the series but a decent action film. 6/10