Mission Entirely Possible, Just Hugely Overblown

Rating: 5/10 (5 June 2000)

Straying as far as humanly possible from the original style of the "Mission: Impossible" idea, "M:I-2" is a straight-out action movie, with none of the intrigue and second-guessing that made the show popular, or the original film interesting. Was it fun? Indisputably. John Woo definitely knows how to get the blood pumping, but that is not necessarily what I, and other excited viewers, were looking for. If you go to see this, don't think "Mission: Impossible." Think "Face/Off," as that's the closest match to this movie, also by Woo. The same thematic elements are all present: larger-than-life heroes, utterly inhuman bad guys, stylish montages with birds, flames, and slowed-down shots, foes beating at each other for hours on end without anyone ever getting tired, and absolutely EVERYBODY knows martial arts. Probably the best bangs-for-your-buck action extravaganza of the summer, but don't imagine you're going to see "Mission: Impossible." You're going to see Tom Cruise engage in a full-length spectacle that can be summarized as "Ooh! Ooh! Look what I can do!"