I feel there is a dilemma with this film. You either go to expect what the original was i.e very faithful to the old TV Series in that it was clever, full of trickery and gadgets and the IMF Group were a TEAM. Or you go to see a John Woo film i.e full of pyrotechnics, high kung fu/karate type fighting and plenty of high octane action.
What you get in this is much more of the latter and less of the former - a bit like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Steven Siegal meet James Bond - and then some!
The plot has all been done before - maybe wrapped up differently, but still - Man steals deadly virus, wants loads of money or he’ll unleash it on humanity - Hero thwarts him, thus saving the world AND gets the girl!
OK Not as straight forward, but once you’ve seen the film, you’ll realise that the plot is’nt neccesarily the most important bit.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is the hero. His team of two are really back ups - barely ever are the trio a team in the old Mission Impossible sense. Hunt is a hero, acrobatic, daredevil, suave and is the only man for the job to track down the renegade - former IMF agent - and all round tough/bad guy (Dougray Scott) and recover the virus. Except there’s the twist - he doesnt actually have the virus - but he has the antidote and must find the virus so he can sell the cure for £37 million.
Recruited to help, is gorgeous Thandie Newton. It’s not long, of course before our hero becomes ’attached to her - thus the formulaic ’love interest’ a-la Bond Films.
The route is not a straight one and film meanders its way through until the action explodes to life. Car chases, explosions, pyrotechnics and all kinds of general mayhem.
Some of the stunt motorbike riding by Cruise is fantastic and has to be seeen to be ’believed’.
Anyway I’ll not give too much of the the game away (if I haven’t already) by telling you that the bad guys die, Cruise gets the girl and everyone lives happy ever after.
Whether I enjoyed the film - well, yes I did, but with reservations. I’m not one for too much ’over the top’ action - and there was PLENTY packed into this. There wasn’t the twists and turns of the original, but the extra action makes up for it. I would have liked a bit more trickery-slickery along the true ’Mission Impossible’ lines and again some the stunts and fight just go on a wee bit toooooo loooooong for my liking.
If you want to see and action film though and you are into John Woo’s style - white doves as well - you’ve gotta see this.
If you are a Mission Impossible fan - maybe think of this as a Movie called MI-2, rather than Mission Impossible 2, believe me it will help.