Rating: 
Summary: SUMMER FUN
Review: This movie is a prime example of summer box office fun. It thrills the viewer and thats all it intends to do. The action sequences were devised well before the script was written. So what you seeing is an experiment in filmaking. After the action sequences were done, the scripted aspects of dialouge and plot were inserted basically. Its an explosive, fun movie with beautiful visual imaging that makes the mind reel with excitement. A deffinate must have crafted by men who love to please. Tom Cruise, John Woo and especially Robert Town deserve a tip of the hat with this one...its a pleaser.
Rating: 
Summary: An adrenelin rush! (but not much else)
Review: Tom Cruise returns as the IMF's top man Ethan Hunt, ready do battle against the bad guy, save the world and still have time to snog the face off his girl. Dougray Scott is former IMF man gone bad who decides to earn a little cash by selling an experimental virus to the highest bidder. Thandie Newton (worth entire price of admission) is an expert thief and Scott's former lover, drafted in to spy on her psychotic ex. And that's pretty much it; a simple plot for a simple movie. All remnants of the origonal series (bar the various makeovers) have been completely swept under the carpet to make way for big guns, big explosions and VERY big stunts (Hunt's idea of relaxing vacation will leave your heart pounding and your knuckles pale). Cruise, inspite of many costume changes, even ends up all in black and sporting a nifty pair of shades. This is typical John Woo, and it is him at his best. The fight scenes and gun fights are fun, the set pieces are spectacular and motorbike chase will leave you drooling. If you're expecting intrigue and suspense then I suggest you look elsewhere, this is a fun night in with beer and buds!
Rating:
Summary: A stylishly directed classy thriller
Review: My first reaction to this film was: "This isn't a Mission Impossible movie". Okay, so, it has all the trademarks of MI, such as the masks, the messages the self-destruct and such, but in reality, this film is just another action/adventure yarn in the James Bond mould. Having said that, MI-2 is a brilliant film. My first reaction to seeing MI-2 was to go out and buy all of director John Woo's movies, because even if they are even a tenth as good as this, then surely they must be well worth watching. MI-2 has a very subtle thematic structure for a move of this genre and Woo seems to keep all the metonyms and such like as subtle as possible, so as not to detract from the narrative drive. So, top marks for direction and production. Also, top marks for story and scripting because all the characters down to the smallest were three dimensional and totally believable. You come away from this movie really wanting to meet its protagonists because you feel you know them so well. While MI-2 is good in that all the characters are very well drawn and acted, although Ethan Hunt is a very different character to the one in the original MI movie. Gone is the loveable American boy grown up, and in its place is a James Bond wannabe - and this grates a little because with one Bond around, we don't really need another. Part of Hunt's charm in the original movie is his vulnerability, and this has been sadly expunged in this sequel in favor of a macho stereotype that, whilst well played and realized, has now become a cinematic cliché. All these niggles to one side, this is a very good action/adventure romp that leaves out all the Cold War legacies of the original and aims instead at the vagaries of capitalist greed verses the good of the human race. It really races along from one brilliantly conceived scene to another with a smoothness that does its makers credit and there are also some very good stunts and special effects that don't dominate the plot. Overall, a very good buy - if you can, get the DVD version, because the extras on this are well worth the extra outlay.
Rating:
Summary: Flashy, furious, fast
Review: Mission: Impossible2 is the next step in the M:I series. What is it? Awesome. The plot is very simple (unfortunately; obviously the public can't sit through or understand a bit of intrigue in their action films), but beareble. Cruise pumps out a good performance,as does the rest of the cast. Hans Zimmer's score is perfect, combining elements from synth-trance gods like Paul van Dyk with elements from his awesome scores to the Rock and Gladiator. okay, this of film as Mission: Impossible1 meets Syphon Filter and James Bond007 and you will have a pretty good idea of what you are in for. The action is over the top, 100% impossible (don't kid yourselves, people) and 100% fun. like the matrix (sadly, since this movies seems to copy the matrix, which copied John Woo...go figure), slow motion, bullets, booms, throws, flips, dives, rotations and kicks light up the screen. John Woo has a typical Hong Kong-flair, and it shows through flashy camera angles, and unique speed and camera techniques. Visually AWESOME. too bad they could not have gotten this much flair transmitted into Romeo Must Die, maybe fix some of those pathetic effects. In all, MI2 is a rollercoaster of fun. Definately worth checking out if you like your action hot, and if you are a fan of any of the cast or crew; they do not disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: It is better than Mission Impossible 1. I loved the motorcycle chase at the end. The only thing that bothered me about the chase was that he could not out run an SUV on a street bike. Motorcycles are faster than that. He even can do some Martial Arts. Jumps up and does high kicks and stuff. There are some cool twists; you don't know if you are looking at the real guy or just a mask. Great movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Just does not keep in the MI tradition
Review: The problem is that this is a John Woo film. The action scenes are brilliant and fun. The shots are just right, the action fast-paced and truly a fun experience. So, perhaps one would think I would give it a good rating? The problem is that I came out feeling pretty good about the movie - THEN I thought a bit more about it. Then I also saw Mission Impossible (the first one) which I had not seen and I realized that the wool was pulled over our collective heads. This was not a true MI movie! This was a John Woo film. And maybe if it was something else, like Face Off 2, I'd give it greater consideration. But it simply did not follow the feel (dare I say, zeitgeist?) of MI. This movie was trying to be cool, hip, action packed and fun. But it lacked substance in favour of form. And....just how many times do they have to use that mask thing? It was a BIG cop out and went over the "suspension of disbelief" line.
Rating:
Summary: The Secret Code of Woo
Review: Although I can sympathize with those that rated this movie poorly, it is evident the majority of negative responses are from those that really didn't "get" it. Very few times will I dare say the story is secondary to the real HEART of the movie. There is truly a magic with nearly all of John Woo's films (we'll forget about Broken Arrow for the time being) that no matter how implausible or phony the plot may be, there is such a majestic quality to Woo's art that one can't help but be amazed at what is being shown on screen! Those familiar with some of his best works (Hardboiled, The Killer) know there are certain trademarks to look for in his movies. These trademarks are not subtle in the least, but unless you know exactly what you *should* be looking for, you may feel lost (Did you ever wonder why some people in the theater loudly cheered when a scene only showed a dove flying away... in slow motion?). It is unfortunate that watching Woo's previous works is sort of a prerequisite to MI:2. There isn't a moment that goes by where a devote fan wouldn't notice that Woo's fingerprints are everywhere. There are even times where I could imagine him standing behind the camera snickering and winking at his fans. It is ironic the movie's poster shows a close-up of Tom Cruise's face, yet those that will enjoy MI:2 the most are fans of the director- in this case the real "star" of the show. As for the negative comments on the story, obviously it is no "Schindler's List," "Sixth Sense," or "American Beauty" by any means (nor that it ever pretends to be). But to be fair, the story should be compared to other movies of the action/spy genre. I don't know about the rest of you, but I found the story of MI:2 to be more interesting and cohesive than the last 3 James Bond films combined. But again, the point of Woo's films is the elaborately paced action sequences. Some may criticize they are too unrealistic or over-the-top, but for me that is part of the fun. Those that are fans of Jackie Chan will most likely have the same point of view. If you went to see a Jackie Chan film, and it didn't have his insane death-defying stunts or his comical drawn-out fight scenes, would you leave somewhat disappointed even though it had a terrific story/dialogue/acting? I know I would.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad movie from beginning to end
Review: This movie was ssssssooooooo bad. I don't own the DVD or plan to at any time. I have the first one on DVD because I loved it, but he second one was probably the worst movie I have ever seen. I usually like John Woo movies, but this movie was presented so slowly. Except for the opening airplane scene, there was NO action in the first hour. The second hour has action, but John Woo decided to make 90% of the action in SLOW MOTION! I was shocked. I go to see an action movie and it is all in slow motion. Some of the scenes with explosions in the background could have been in slow motion and it would have been fine. John Woo decided to make every punch, kick, and gunshot in slow motion, like the audience wouldn't be able to follow the action. Since the first hour was slow, the slow motion in the second hour made the film feel even longer. The Sixth Sense was really slow in the first hour but it ended up being one of my favorite movies. The second hour was really thought provoking and I was intrigued to figure out what happens next in the second hour. MI:2 did not have the same effect on me. This movie was awful. DON'T BUY THE MI:2 DVD. it will be a waste of your money.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dissappointment, but actually BAD?
Review: Everyone was on the hype that Mi2 was coming out. The good soundtrack kept people enthusiastic of the release of Mi2. Everyone thought it would be THE BEST summer movie. You're wrong! The storyline is watered down. It's about a virus that was engineered that is lethal enough to kill you in less than two days or some sort like that. The storyline did get predictable and tries to be emotive, but just doesn't cause anything. The movie is like a James Bond movie, Tom Cruise meets a hot girl and that's about it. The movie tries to be shocking and wants you to predict what will happen next, but watching 20 minutes of the film, most people knew what was coming to them. The movie tries to shock you with people having on masks of other people, then have artificial voices. That act gets pretty lame. It gets very tedious and monotonous after people do the mask 'n voice trick about five times. The action sequences just aren't cut out compared to the other movies this summer, and the martial arts sequences are very dull. One of Cruise's stuntmen do all the martial arts techniques, but still, they aren't very well choreographed, and very unrealistic. A real martial artist wouldn't do the fanciest of moves that are just a waste of time (like going, do a rainbow side slash kick just to knock a gun out of one's hands) then all the other dumb attacks aren't cut for a real person. If someone spent two seconds to do a back flip, the guy would just shoot you before you even get your feet up unless your attacks are direct! The shooting scenes are also pretty lame. It's like a move in, shoot security guards, then hide behind a wall then shoot than do one dive and shoot. No, it doesn't compare to any other movie. The sound f/x are fairly good and so are the f/x, but Mi2 took a perfectly good actor and director and made them look like crap!
Rating:
Summary: Woo! One very good action pic
Review: OK, Ok, if you've read the reviews (both professional and customer), you've probably heard all the negatives...bad plot, cliches, predictability, etc. etc. And perhaps all of that is true; for example, who could buy a love story that starts out with the hero and heroine making googy-eyes at each other while one of them is dangling periously over the edge of a cliff? But, it seems to me that the whole point of a good action flick is the ACTION, isn't it? I mean, if you want to see great plot, multi-dimensional characters and the like, I direct you to the various films in the Merchant Ivory genre. If you like good action, stylish film-making, and overall bang for your buck, MI:2 is the way to go. What MI:2 may lack in the complexity of its plot or character development, it more than makes up for it with the complexity of many of its action scenes. This corroborates the rumor that the screenplay was written around the action "set pices" already composed by Cruise and Woo. (And really, shouldn't a good action movie revolve around the actual action scenes?) From the opening of the movie, the famous rock-climbing stunt, you can tell that the action pieces in this movie will be something different. And from the panoramic and breathtaking rock-climbing scene to the motorcycle-chase, cum shoot-out, cum hand-to-hand combat finale, you can't help but be riveted by John Woo's unltra-macho, ultra-stylistic direction. Even a scene involving flamenco dancers is turned into macho eye-candy by Woo's deft film artistry. And sure, Woo often riverts to the same formula: slow-mo shots, standoffs where all the characters seem to be pointing about a million guns at each other, a strange fetish for doves and pigeons.... But, darn it, all these things look good! Another, quite refreshing, positive in this movie is that the female character, played by Thandie Newton, is not a simple foil character, made to be used sexually and then killed off to make way for another potential conquest. Instead, she actually makes a unilateral, powerful decision at the movie's climax that affects the entire outcome of the movie. Show me a Bond pic where that happens! All in all, despite its flaws with plot and character, MI:2 delivers the best of all cinematic guilty pleasures: a good couple of hours on the edge of your seat, and some virtuoso, fun-to-watch film-making. This movie should make any fan of action pics very happy.
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