Vain, dull sequel

Rating: 4/10 (3 March 2003)

Despite others slating it as some kind of anti-christ, I enjoyed the first Mission Impossible movie. it was no Terminator 2 in terms of spectacle or adrenalin rush, but it was fun, if slightly familiar trash. So when I heard that there was to be a sequel I was pleased- so trotted off to my local movie emporium to see it. The fact that it had John Woo directing it (whose other big Hollywood movie "Face Off" was great fun) just added to my expectations. Two hours later I came out of the cinema in silence. It was that bad.
The main problem with it is the screenplay. It provides the crew with little sense of either character or substance. The plot is comically contrived and the characters are immediately dislikeable. Woo obviously decided to try and cover the lack of substance in the script with flashy direction. However this highlights the movie's faults even more with a hugely narcissistic opening sequence which makes Tom Cruise appear to be some kind of false idol.
What this film reminds me of, is Armageddon, the ill-fated 1998 disaster flick which has inspired so many rants on the imdb. It is shallow, it wastes talent and is extremely monotonous.