'M:I-2'

Rated PG13      123 Minutes      Paramount Pictures

Starring:

Tom Cruise

Ving Rhames

Anthony Hopkins

Thandie Newton

Dougray Scott

 

Warnings:

Some violence

[NOV. 11, 2000]  "Mission Impossible 2", the sequel, is a much different movie from the original, or the long running TV series. M:I-2 moves along at the speed of light, is definitely an action movie, and has some big-name stars. But……

M:I-2 is just a typical spy story of the new millennium: a megalomaniac creates a deadly virus to release on an unsuspecting world. He alone has the antidote, which he will use to gain tremendous wealth. A co-worker with a conscience realizes what the boss is up to, and decides to defect with the virus and the antidote, and spoil the get-rich scheme. But bad guys infiltrate the defection, steal the antidote, and for the rest of the movie attempt to also steal the virus so that power and wealth will be theirs.

 

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is assigned to the mission, if he chooses it (do you think the IMF guys have ever said, "Nah, get somebody else?). The impossible part is to steal the virus from the drug company that created it, steal the antidote from the bad guys, and save the whole known world. No big deal if you are Tom Cruise and there is a pretty girl in the mix.

I liked several things about this movie. Tom Cruise does what I think is the best acting of his career in M:I-2. No stumbling through lines, no childish look, and no self-glorification. He does the low-brow Tom Cruise stare several times, and he has great intensity. In addition to Tom's scenery, the other scenery in M:I-2 is beautiful and the camera work is seductive. And this movie moves along at a terrific pace.

 

 

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Unfortunately, my list of things I didn't like is longer. Although it is a simple, straight forward story line, the presentation, the dialog, and the direction is confusing. You weren't sure at times who were the good guys and the bad guys. The characters in this movie were one-dimensional, with too little attention given to character development. Anthony Hopkins was in this movie, but his two little cameo appearances caused confusion rather than bringing joy. Ving Rhames is a fascinating actor, but he may as well have been played by a potato in M:I-2. And the Bad, bad guy, Dougray Scott was a big let-down (could somebody please outlaw the use of cigar trimmers as bad-guy weapons, please?). Throughout this movie I failed to emotionally connect with even one of the characters, and at the end of this two hour ride, I didn't even care!

The really bad news of this movie was that the special effects were hokey and unbelievable. There is a super-human element to this film: the actors themselves were much more than human (like getting punched and kicked 50 times wouldn't at least knock out an ordinary human being, let alone put them in the hospital?), and they could at times perform what seemed to be superhuman feats without any explanation (none of them were presented as gods or aliens).

 

Finally, my last bad comment I have to make about this film is that it is boring (I would tell you what is boring, but that would be giving the movie away)! If it were not for the ultra-fast pace and the scenery, Mission Impossible Two would be impossible watching times 2.

Watch M:I-2 for the scenery, the camera work, and catch Cruise's best acting performance. And watch it because there have been few quality movies released lately. I give this movie 2 ½ stars out of 5 stars.

[midge]

midge@lincolndailynews.com

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