There's a reason why this "movie" is labeled "Mission: Impossible" (2), because this "film" is crap!

Rating: 4/10 (29 April 2020)

"Mission: Impossible II" (2000), oh man. Where in the world do I begin? This "film" is pathetic, with a capital "P"! Let's just get the negative stuff out of the way. This "movie" has a boring cliched story, over the top to dreadful acting, and some dated special effects. The concept for the storyline was actually fairly decent, a villain is trying to inflict biological warfare onto the world. Now that's a sinister plot, so much potential and possibilities could be utilized! So, you would think with such a cool plot idea, the film makers would take great care in producing an excellent film. They did not. This is one of the most lazily executed films I have ever seen. Don't even get me started on the slow-motion sequences! I think if you took out all of the slow motion shots, the "movie" would only be five minutes, maybe. I have never seen so much unnecessary use of slow-motion in a movie. Slow-motion can be very effective when utilized properly, but that's not the case here. I think they just did it, "because"! Such a same, because the concept for the story had so much potential. The acting, overall, is absolutely terrible and nothing short of a joke. Even Tom Cruise is bad in this "film"! When you watch him in this "movie", you can see his ego exploding on overdrive. It's like he went out of the way to make himself look cool, which is just pompous and stuck-up. Such a crying shame, because Tom Cruise is otherwise a fantastic actor! All of the other actors and actresses range from okay to bad. The only actors that seem to actually be trying in this "movie" are: Ving Rhames as Luther, Thandie Newton as Nyah (NO, SERIOUSLY, THAT'S HER NAME. I'LL EXPLAIN WHY THAT NAME IS SO FUNNY AND RIDICULOUS LATER.) The other actor that seems to be putting forth effort is Dougray Scott as Sean, the main villain. To be honest, the villain was actually kind of cool. It's just too bad that the script and direction wasn't any better. As for Thandie Newton's character, Nyah, that name cracks me up. Why? Because that name is what's uttered on my favorite show, "The Three Stooges". Whenever any of the stooges are scared, or nervous, they yell: "nyah!" Maybe they should have thought of that before they gave Thandie Newton's character that name, because that just takes away all seriousness and credibility. As for the special effects, most of them are passable, but there are a few of them that have not aged well. Probably the worst special effects are the bird shots. Yeah, they couldn't even get real birds to be in this "film". You know your movie really sucks when even birds show no interest in it! Now for the positives, yes, there are surprisingly positive elements in this "film". I always try to find positives in any movie or TV show I watch. The sets/locations are nice and give the "film" a decent atmosphere. Finally, the other positive thing is the soundtrack. The soundtrack was well composed, but, I think the standout is the rock and roll version of the "Mission: Impossible" theme. That was a unique take on the theme song, but I think it works. It's just sad that it had to be tied to this diarrhea dump of a "movie". There are a couple of scenes that are actually not too bad. The opening scene where he climbs the cliff is kind of exciting, however, it is not relevant to the plot. How ironic! The other good scene is the motorcycle chase and final fight at the end. Even those scenes, they still found ways to screw them up. Not so much the motorcycle chase, but the final fight itself. Way too much slow-motion, and too many pointless distracting cut-scenes. "Mission: Impossible II" is an embarrassment to an otherwise decent franchise. But, the sad thing is, it didn't have to be! This "film" is, by far, the worst "Mission: Impossible" movie in the franchise. I give this "movie" 2 out of 5 stars on my scale, which equates to 4 out of 10 IMDB stars. My advice: if you're a fan of the original TV show, and you watch this movie, you will be disappointed. But, if you still wish to see this "film", go ahead. I can't tell you not to see something, however, don't say I didn't warn you! On a final note, I just have to say: Director John Woo, Tom Cruise, what were you thinking?! This review will self-destruct in five seconds.