Forget about anything you may have liked or disliked about the first movie. The sequel bears almost no resemblance to the original. Tom Cruise returns as super agent Ethan Hunt, but the character also is nothing like the original. And this time he's trying to recover a deadly virus that's fallen into the wrong hands. If you've seen any John Woo films, then you know you can expect plenty of slow motion sequences where characters are doing backwards somersaults or rolling on the ground while shooting with two guns with pinpoint accuracy killing five or six bad guys. But don't expect this one to be as exciting as it looks. This time around they've worked in a really awkward and cheesy love sub-plot between Cruise and his leading lady that just ruins the tempo of the movie. The first hour is all just to set up the second hour when the action starts. The motorcycle scene at the end, while unbelievable, is pretty cool. This one has its moments but its going to let a lot of people down.

In the first Mission Impossible, Brian DePalma gave us a muddled and confusing plot. Director John Woo avoided that trap this time, by coming up with a straightforward plot right out of the best of James Bond. There are spies, deadly viruses, and good guys in helicopters. That's really all you need to know. The rest is non-stop action...an adrenaline rush from exciting beginning to exciting conclusion. Don't look for believability in any of this, but it's the best of its' genre. There are some negatives, the most serious of which is that the villain is almost as much of a wimp as the villain in the last Star Wars movie.Whoever the actor is(Dougray Scott) he registers as a cipher on film. John Woo already had two great actors in the film, either one of which could have created a memorable villain....Anthony Hopkins, and Brendan Gleason. Both are wasted in their roles. Also, there's no chemistry AT ALL between the two leads, Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton. Does any of this take away from the enjoyment of the movie? Not a bit. Go see it and have fun.