What a great summer movie!

Rating: 10/10 (24 May 2000)

Wow. This is what I think I've been expecting the Bond franchise to evolve into. There's a damsel in some degree of distress (although she's quite plucky and can take care of herself most of the time, which I love), numerous gratuitous car chases (where the creators faithfully adhere to the law that any time a vehicle is struck while not currently being driven by the star, the vehicle must explode), fun gadgets, a pretty formidable bad guy, some great fight scenes... Ah, it's awesome. The plot is much simpler than the previous installment, but it's still got some elements that will likely confuse the crowd that kinda wants that. It's got a nasty genetically-engineered virus, and there's even a part with Tom kind of giving a nod to fans who remember his scene from the first movie where he's suspended from a rope and must maintain his balance (of course, due to the nature of the sequel, this time the scene is even more action packed and audacious if not quite as intense). Basically, this is just a caper movie with great technology and lots of explosions, which is what I think I wanted without knowing it. There are no major life lessons, there's no uplifting love story... I kinda buy the Tom-Thandie chemistry a little, but mostly because I absolutely have to in order to really get the most out of the movie as a whole. There's really no believable reason for these two to have any connection deeper than purely physical stuff, and once they are together, the chemistry doesn't really work for me. But she is the Love Interest and as such does a great job, so I am content to nod my head at the screen, chuckle a little, and say, "Yes, I know they're meant to be a great couple, Woo, thanks for the good try, now I'm ready for some more explosions," and Woo of course provides them. So anyway, I highly recommend this movie to bring out everyone's inner 8-year-old boy who still wants to see stuff blow up and stare in thankful amazement at the show.