Vastly disappointing....

Rating: 2/10 (17 June 2000)

I was hesitant to see this film because I've hated every John Woo movie I've seen (Face/Off, Broken Arrow, etc). His over-the-top-macho, stunts-where-none-are-needed, laughably-silly movie making style does not entertain me at all - I find it really annoying.
I should have trusted my instincts.
The first M:I was not a great movie, but I enjoyed De Palma's plot twists and supporting performances by Ving Rhames, Jean Reno, Henry Czerny, and Jon Voight.
In M:I2, I thought Cruise was good - he always is - but he had no help. There are no good supporting performances in M:I2.
* Dougray Scott's villain looked about as menacing as Michael J. Fox.
* Thandie Newton's blank, seductive stare got old in about 5 minutes.
* Anthony Hopkins was not in enough scenes to make an impact in the film.
* Ving Rhames' great character from the first M:I was totally watered down and rendered irrelevant.
This movie is all about visual imagery and stunts - I'd even say they had Cruise grow his hair a bit longer just so it would "look cool" when he performed his aerial, somersaulting drop kicks in the fight scenes. Such shallow film making doesn't cut it in my book.
If you don't care about plot or acting, you'll probably love this movie - I was surrounded by people in the theater who seemed to enjoy it.
But, if you're among the few "cursed" with intelligence like me, and more discerning and picky about what entertains you, don't waste your time. Instead, go see a real movie - like the re-release of Hitchcock's "Rear Window". In theaters now.
Rating: 2 out of 10