2000, 2 hrs 3 min., Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action and some sensuality.�Dir: John Woo. Cast: Tom Cruise(Ethan Hunt), Dougray Scott (Sean Ambrose), Thandie Newton (Nyah), Ving Rhames (Luther), Anthony Hopkins.

Mission: Impossible 2 (or is it II?) scores as brainless summer entertainment, although there were several problems with the film. Many viewers will criticize the sequel to the 1996 blockbuster, but I believe their expectations were too high. Of course, with stylish action director John Woo at the helm, Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton as the leads with Sir Anthony Hopkins in support, one would naturally suppose that M:I-2 should be one of the best films of the year.

Was the first hour too slow for these film geeks? I call it establishing the plot, but the film did take awhile to get jumpstarted. Of course, the final half-hour was practically dialogue-free with continuous action, so perhaps Woo was hoping that would assuage the more ardent audience members.

Call them plot holes or items overlooked and/or ignored by Woo, but there were a few to many times I had to ask "Yeah, but how did..." so-and-so get out of a situation, or get into a situation, etc. This is related to my father's major concern; that we weren't shown how events came about. They just happened. On the TV show and even the original movie, the audience was a participant in how cool and talented these guys were and exactly what went into the high-tech events. In only one scene of M:I-2 did I get that feeling.

My younger sister, Stacy thought the slo-motion shots by Woo were pretentious, but I thought they helped give style to a summer blockbuster. Woo's use of flowing skirts and his trademark doves added to said effect; it makes M:I 2 more than explosions and fights. Even then, though, the trailer leads you to believe that the film is full of The Matrix-style bullet-time special effects. Nope, just slo-mo shots so that Woo can let us soak in the "coolness" factor.

There was incredible overkill on the Scooby Doo "I would have gotten away with it if not for you meddling kids" moments. We get it, they can put someone else's face on. But, this time they can even talk like the person being imitated! This effect should have been left behind after the original, since it was nothing original for the audience and only once did it elicit a true surprise, and upon further review I am still bewildered by the timing of the scene.

As I mentioned before, you can forget seeing any teamwork in M:I-2, this one's all about Tom's James Bond-style superman antics. He can leap from helicopters into buildings in a single bound, hit a cockroach's butt from 100 yards and defy Newtonian physics on a motorcycle. Sure, it was very cool to watch but after awhile became a bit silly.

Ving Rhames is horribly underused in the sequel. Tom may be buff and sexy, but I really enjoy the persona of Rhames, he adds substance and a strong charm to every movie he's in.

A big plus was Thandie Newton. Sure, I could go on and on about what a great actress she is, but we all know what is most important, that the babe factor is sky high. Those big brown eyes, luscious lips, long fine hair, and then she speaks with that British accent. I do declare! *swoon*

You've most likely never seen Thandie before (Beloved) or at least failed to recognize her (Interview with the Vampire, but trust me, she'll be a headliner on "Access Hollywood" in no time. The daughter of a Zimbabwean mother (a princess of the Shona tribe) and an English father, Thandie (pronounced Tan-dee) pulls off the role of a delicate cat burglar very well.

Despite all of my complaints, I still got a kick out of M:I-2. The action was loud and fun, the characters likeable and the style interesting. It's good, clean summer entertainment.