Hey folks, Harry here with the first review I've seen of the filmed MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2. There have been multiple reports from people that attended the screening Sunday Night, but Meester Anonymous Cool has been the only one to write a full review up. If you saw it, let's hear from ya? Curious minds like mine want to know what you good folks thought...
I'm Meester Anonymous Cool, M.A.C. to my friends and a tough bloke to pull a fastie on, you hear? Well mister Knowles, i was in Warrenville, Illinois last night for reasons beyond your comprehension, when I happened upon Tom Cruise a triapsing into a theater, so I blended in with his entourage and attended the first and only test screening of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2.
Well, they got most yanks there with a free preview to a major summer blockbuster, but I knew better than that. I'd seen Tom Cruise and had done the math you see. So we are sitting it a theater ... waiting ... and Tom walks out. Long Hair, scruffy, jeans and a hat. He tells us "Thanks for coming. You are going to be the first and last to see the movie before the movie opens. Oh, and if you get to the internet, please don't release the twists to spoil it. I like to be surprized when I go see movies. Thanks again" ...
The movie was just over 2 hours long. Overall, it is much better than MI1. Yes, much better. I thought it was better than the first because it was a good action film, like a jack ryan or other good summer action film. It just flowed very well, after the first 20 minutes. The character buildup of the new chick and bad guy is pretty good, and the action sequences just rock. The car chase, the motorcyle chase, ...
If you are a big fan of John Woo and his films, you will like this one. Lots of the slow motion action scenes. It is more of an action film then the last one, with Tom doing more physical stuff, such as fight scenes. It is also more violent. Lots more people get killed and byte it. But it is not over done. As for FACE/OFF ... I would put it up against that for a John Woo film. I thought the end of FACE/OFF just dragged on, and did not feel that way about this.
The beginning of the movie does take a while to kick in. I would say the first 20/30 minutes are slow, but it picks up after that.
It is very up-to-date ... virus' and business' and all that. Very well done script.
Tom : does a great job, beefed up, very physical.
Female Lead : does a great job
DougRay Scott : great villian ... very well done
Anthony Hopkins : on screen for like 5 minutes or so ... but I felt he did a bad job of acting those 5 minutes
Ving Rhames : smaller role in this movie than the last (most disappointing thing about the movie for me)
The plot twists do become predictable towards the end, but it is still a fun and enjoyable movie. Dont expect oscar here, but if you go in expecting MI1, you will be pleased and surprized.
At the end, we found out that Tom has stayed thru the entire movie, watching the crowd, sitting in a folding chair at the top, and much of the cast was present. Anthony Hopkins and the female lead were the only ones not present. There was one scene at the end, where Tom does a John Woo kick-a-gun-up-twist-and-fire thing, which the audience did not seem to like. Maybe they will change it. The ending also was missing something expected, but nothing that ruined or hampered the movie in any way.
I thought it was as good as the trailer made it out to be. I think it will probably do very well against XMEN with the general audience out there. Action film of the summer? thrill ride? I think yes to both, but I'm just one person! :)
I am Meester Anonymous Cool, M.A.C. to my friends, and this is the end of this review.
