Mission Impossible 2 (UK)
Expect the impossible again
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 118 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
The world`s greatest spy returns in the movie event of the year, M:I-2.
Top action director John Woo brings his own brand of excitement to the mission that finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) partnering up with the beautiful Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton) to stop renegade agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) from releasing a new kind of terror on an unsuspecting world.
But before the mission is complete, they`ll traverse the globe and have to choose between everything they love and everything they believe in.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
`Behind The Mission` - Cast & Crew Interviews
`Mission: Incredible` - Behind the scenes stunts from M:I-2
Director`s Commentary
`I Disappear` Metallica music video
Alternate Title Sequence
`Mission Improbable` spoof with Ben Stiller
Impossible Shots - 11 special effect stunt shots storyboarded
DVD-ROM Features: The Legend of Chimera, Mission Locations, M:I-2 Tech Tools, Agent Dossiers, Weblink
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitle Tracks:
English
Directed By:
John Woo
Written By:
Robert Towne
Brannon Braga
Ronald D. Moore
Bruce Geller
Starring:
Richard Roxburgh
Ving Rhames
Thandie Newton
Dougray Scott
Tom Cruise
Casting By:
Sarah Finn
Deborah Aquila
Gregory Apps
Soundtrack By:
Hans Zimmer
Lalo Schifrin
Klaus Badelt
Tori Amos
Director of Photography:
Jeffrey L. Kimball
Editor:
Christian Wagner
Steven Kemper
Tony Ciccone
Stuart Baird
Costume Designer:
Lizzy Gardiner
Production Designer:
Thomas E. Sanders
Producer:
Paula Wagner
Michael Doven
Tom Cruise
Executive Producer:
Paul Hitchcock
Terence Chang
Distributor:
Paramount Pictures
Your Opinions and Comments
However while the storyline is unoriginal and a little boring the film is very watchable and the action sequences are some of the best.
The picture quality and sound are both excellent.
The extras are both interesting and entertaining but the commentary is fairly boring.
Still a very good DVD.
Unfortunately he has become a sad parody of his former self.
The opening was fairly promising and in keeping with the trends of it`s predecessor (gadgets and schifrin`s music). After that unfortunately, it all went pear-shaped. The fresh and diverse air of the original has been replaced with tired action movie cliche`s, and a tortoise pace. To be blunt, everything in the film that wasn`t action based was downright boring.
The exciting flow that invigorated De Palma`s release is sorely missed and apparently beyond this new team. The various set-pieces were fairly impressive, but so what?. Films (yes, even action films) need a convincing plot, believable occurences and wherever possible, originality. I`m not even going to bother describing Thandie Newton`s "acting" as it barely qualifies as such. I hope John Woo steers clear of the next one. The blend of his idea drought and Tom`s ego are a poor mix. He obviously didn`t put pressure on the cast to perform, as only Scott was describable as adequate. When will people realise it requires a lot of effort to make a good movie (not just a lot of money).
Don`t be fooled, there are many other "no-brainer" flicks much more worthy of your time and money. The real shame is that the time put into the DVD itself, which is quite impressive, could have been better spent elsewhere.
Tom Cruise appears in virtually every scene and quickly becomes tiresome as the James Bond wannabe.
The baddie sums him up perfectly, ‘grinning like an idiot every fifteen minutes’.
The extras are far better than the film itself, they go rather in depth into the making of the movie with ‘The World is Not Enough’ style breakdowns of each of the major stunts.
The ‘Mission Improbable’ feature is a good laugh and the Metallica music video is impressive. The commentary by Woo is laughable as he talks about the film as if it’s an Oscar candidate.
Video and sound quality, very good.
Poor film, good DVD.
I didn`t see the point of Anthony Hopkins starring but there.
Take away the slightly complicated plot (although why anyone couldn't follow the original I'll never know!) add a how bunch of no brainer action courtesy of John Woo, and you've got yourselves a sequel. Sure it's totally over the top, sure it tries (a little too hard) to be a Bond movie, but I like Bond movies, and I like this.
The video and audio seem pretty good to me. And there do seem to be quite a few extras on the disc. Some of these of worth looking at, others are not. The commentary is OK - filled with some interesting stuff, a lot of praise for Tom Cruise and one or two pauses. It didn't hold my attention long enough to listen to the whole thing, but then it's better than no commentary at all. The alternative title sequence is of no interest whatsoever. Both the interviews and the featurettes are the usual mixed bag of some interesting stuff and some er, well, not-so-interesting-stuff. There's also a music video and a few DVD-ROM features that I haven't actually looked at.
However the best bit about this DVD is the Mission: Incredible spoof with Ben Stiller that's a send-up of Tom Cruise - this is absolutely brilliant, and in my opinion justifies the purchase of this DVD alone!
Video: 2000 was the turning point of DVD. It was the year of "X-Men", "Gladiator" and "M:I-2". Transfer that set the benchmark for what DVD could do. "M:I-2" is still as impressive on DVD now as it was back them. No dirt, grain or blemishes. This is a clean, steady picture with fantastic colours and the blackest blacks I've seen so far on DVD. If anything they're too dark. But still, they look "cool".
Visually this film is stunning. And all credit must go to Woo for doing it real and not going the CGI route. And whatever small CGI there is in the film, its perfectly integrated and impossible to tell.
Audio: Warning! This track has the potential to blow a hole in your speakers and your ear drums! Let's see what we have here. 747 blowing up, helicopter fly-bys, LOUD motorbike engines, gunshots, tire squeaks and more explosions. This is one dynamic soundtrack. The mountain climbing scene is excellent. Wind fills the room, you hear the chirps of birds in the distant and the effective placement of Iko Iko in the scene. Bass and surrounds are usually frequently and effective. While dialogue is clear throughout. Hans Zimmer is one of my favourite composers but this has to be one of his worst score. It's not really his fault, Cruise allowed Limp Bizket to butcher Schifren's classic themes tune.
Extras: A John Woo commentary. Woo may be one of my favourite directors but this commentary was a chore to get through. It's not just his English but also the fact that he was so persistent on showing the "great" love story is just wrong. Stick to the action John.
The featurettes "Behind The Mission" and "Mission Incredible" are your usual PR stuff that just manages to rise above the norm. "Impossible Shots" are the main feature on the disc. Featuring a breakdown of 11 action scenes these allow you to under the dangers of the stunts even more. Sadly the Biocyte shoot-out isn't included.
The best feature on the disc is undoubtedly the hilarious "Mission Improbable", starring Ben Stiller as Tom Croose, Cruise's obsessive stunt-double. I challenge anyone not to laugh at this. Rounding of the disc are "I Disappear" Metallica Music Video and an
Alternate Title Sequence.
I didn't watch the trailer of this film when it came out because I wanted to see the film fresh. Sadly the trailer isn't included on the disc so it's doubtful I ever will.
Overall: Thanks to the wonders of DVD, you can know skip to the fantastic ending. Picture and audio are both impeccable while the extras are probably the best Paramount have done for a single movie.