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Mission Impossible: 2
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Let's face it. Paramount certainly wanted a franchise after releasing the first "Mission:Impossible" back in 1996. The question was, after that film, was the series really something we wanted to see continued? Although director Brian Depalma's effort didn't always spark, thankfully the work of director John Woo has made the second edition in the series something definitely worthy of additional episodes.
Woo takes a little too long to get going during the "set-up", and there could have been some editing done to this early portion of the film. I have to give the filmmaker credit though - the first hour may be slow, but it's never painful. The film launches into an opening setting up the story - a rogue IMF agent named Sean Ambrose(Dougray Scott, making for a suprisingly decent bad guy after his role in "Ever After") has his sights on a deadly biological weapon. Hunt's IMF force (led by Anthony Hopkins, who is around for a matter of minutes in the film) recruits the villian's ex-girlfriend(played by the wonderful Thandie Newton) to get information. There is a romantic subplot between Cruise and Newton, but it kinda gets tossed out the window sometime around the 75 minute mark.
Newton is extremely impressive in her first action role, having fine chemistry with Cruise and the ability to play intense drama amidst all the chaos. Cruise is suprisingly good as well, improving greatly from the first film with a bit of a sharper, darker character - he actually looks like he's having fun here, at times. And last definitely not least, Ving Rhames is back again and has some of the best moments in the picture(the crowd cheered during his first appearance in the film). It's a wonderful cast that works well off of one another and once it launches, it makes for wonderful entertainment, with a break-in scene that is similar to the famed break-in from the first film, but it takes it all to the next level.
Complaints are minor - the story is a little smoother this time, and there are some entertaining twists, but the dialogue remains weak at times. There could have been some more editing done to the first hour and also, there are a few too many slo-mo shots. Aside from that though, a lot credit goes to cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball, who has created a bold visual look for this film after also doing stunning work last year with "Stigmata". Sound effects editor Tony Lamberti("End Of Days", "Godzilla", "Mission To Mars" has also done a fine job creating an exciting audio experience.
"Mission: 2" did begin to wear my patience thin during the opening half once or twice, but once it gets going, the second half contains enough outstanding action to wipe any complaints about the slow opening away. Cruise is great, Newton is fantastic and Rhames is very good, as well.I had fun - and really, what more is there to a film like this one? After this film, I'm hoping for more editions of this series.
The DVD
VIDEO: Paramount's presentation is among their very best, with only a few very minor problems appearing now and then, but not really enuogh to cause much of a distraction. The 2.35:1 presentation is anamorphic and often quite stunning. Jeffrey Kimball's cinematography often provides amazing visuals, which are done fine justice on Paramount's presentation. Sharpness is consistently excellent, and detail and clarity are equally pleasing, both fantastic.
Although there are a couple of moments of minor shimmering, I didn't notice any pixelation and the absence of print flaws makes for a particularly gorgeous presentation. Black level is solid, as well. Colors are also a success here, looking beautifully rich and bold, well-saturated and with no flaws that I noticed. Overall, this is an excellent presentation that is one of Paramount's very best so far. (2.35:1/anamorphic).
SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is just as exciting an experience as one might expect from an action movie such as this one. Although I will admit that there are some slow moments during the first half of the picture, there are still some moments where the soundtrack recieves more intense tasks. Even when there isn't an action scene going on, we're still kept company by Hans Zimmer's intense score, which sounds very dynamic and often envelops the viewer extremely well.
The sound really elevates during the second half of the film where the action sequences really begin to come at a more rapid rate. Surrounds are agressively used and really help to provide a more entertaining sound experience. Explosions pack very solid force, and bass in general is definitely powerful. Dialogue is fine, easily heard over all of what else is going on in the various scenes. A top-notch soundtrack with great audio quality, although one that really takes off further during the second half of the film. A french Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is also included.
MENUS:: Easily the most impressive menus that Paramount has ever done, there are some interesting things to discuss about their work. Menus are animated and in Dolby Digital 5.1; when you make a selection from the extras menu, an additional animation comes up that provides some "fiction" details - like this information is "classified" - but more interesting is that these screens offer the running time for these extras, and then the viewer can press play once again to play the supplement. Cool menus, and a great intro to the movie.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director John Woo, who provides a very energetic and informative commentary track that I enjoyed listening to. The director is quite chatty when speaking; although there are definitely some pauses throughout the commentary track, when the director does speak, he has quite a lot to say, and is quite energetic. The commentary is a good mix of technical details and story analysis, with Woo offering his thoughts on the story details and twists as well as how some of the larger sequences were produced. There are a few more pauses of silence than I would like to hear, but the moments when the director does speak provide enough of a look inside the making of the movie that I was generally pleased with the track, which is worth a listen for fans of the film.
Behind The Mission: The Making Of MI:2: A promotional 14 minute 28 second documentary that offers interviews with the main cast and crew, along with some behind-the-scenes footage of the production at work. Filled out with the occasional clip from the movie, this documentary isn't bad, but it's a little too "promotional" for my liking.
Mission: Incredible: Although this featurette is a little shorter at 5 minutes and 12 seconds, it does provide a bit more interesting subject - a more detailed look at some of the stunt sequences that were included in the film.
Impossible Shots: These are a short series of featurettes that talk in detail about some of the bigger sequences that are included in the film. Interviews and footage from the crew talk about what it takes to complete sequences this technical and complicated. Highlighted are : "Moab", "Spanish Chase", "Assault On Biocyte", "Fire Walk", "Flame Ride", "Motorcycle Chase", "Asphalt Skiing", "The Joust", "Mano A Mano" and one additional one which sort of gives away a bit of the movie so I won't talk about it. The entire set of short featurettes are about 37 minutes in length, and the separate featurettes are a couple of minutes a piece.
Mission: Improbable: One of my favorite parts of the disc, this is the MTV movie awards parody, with Ben Stiller doing a phenomenal job as Cruise's "stunt double". Cruise and Woo also appear in the video, and I found some parts of it extremely funny. Cruise always has seemed like he's had a good sense of humor about himself, and that shows again here as he is pretty amusing as well. Even Woo has a couple of funny moments.
Also: Alternate title sequence, Metallica "I Dissapear" video; DVD-ROM web features including additional production/cast notes and more.
Final Thoughts: Paramount has certainly done a very nice job with the audio/video presentation. Although a couple of the extras were a little "promotional", the commentary was informative and the "Mission: Improbable" parody is funny enough to watch over and over again. The film itself is enjoyable "Summer" action fare, with a few spectacular action sequences in the second half. Recommended .
Let's face it. Paramount certainly wanted a franchise after releasing the first "Mission:Impossible" back in 1996. The question was, after that film, was the series really something we wanted to see continued? Although director Brian Depalma's effort didn't always spark, thankfully the work of director John Woo has made the second edition in the series something definitely worthy of additional episodes.
Woo takes a little too long to get going during the "set-up", and there could have been some editing done to this early portion of the film. I have to give the filmmaker credit though - the first hour may be slow, but it's never painful. The film launches into an opening setting up the story - a rogue IMF agent named Sean Ambrose(Dougray Scott, making for a suprisingly decent bad guy after his role in "Ever After") has his sights on a deadly biological weapon. Hunt's IMF force (led by Anthony Hopkins, who is around for a matter of minutes in the film) recruits the villian's ex-girlfriend(played by the wonderful Thandie Newton) to get information. There is a romantic subplot between Cruise and Newton, but it kinda gets tossed out the window sometime around the 75 minute mark.
Newton is extremely impressive in her first action role, having fine chemistry with Cruise and the ability to play intense drama amidst all the chaos. Cruise is suprisingly good as well, improving greatly from the first film with a bit of a sharper, darker character - he actually looks like he's having fun here, at times. And last definitely not least, Ving Rhames is back again and has some of the best moments in the picture(the crowd cheered during his first appearance in the film). It's a wonderful cast that works well off of one another and once it launches, it makes for wonderful entertainment, with a break-in scene that is similar to the famed break-in from the first film, but it takes it all to the next level.
Complaints are minor - the story is a little smoother this time, and there are some entertaining twists, but the dialogue remains weak at times. There could have been some more editing done to the first hour and also, there are a few too many slo-mo shots. Aside from that though, a lot credit goes to cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball, who has created a bold visual look for this film after also doing stunning work last year with "Stigmata". Sound effects editor Tony Lamberti("End Of Days", "Godzilla", "Mission To Mars" has also done a fine job creating an exciting audio experience.
"Mission: 2" did begin to wear my patience thin during the opening half once or twice, but once it gets going, the second half contains enough outstanding action to wipe any complaints about the slow opening away. Cruise is great, Newton is fantastic and Rhames is very good, as well.I had fun - and really, what more is there to a film like this one? After this film, I'm hoping for more editions of this series.
The DVD
VIDEO: Paramount's presentation is among their very best, with only a few very minor problems appearing now and then, but not really enuogh to cause much of a distraction. The 2.35:1 presentation is anamorphic and often quite stunning. Jeffrey Kimball's cinematography often provides amazing visuals, which are done fine justice on Paramount's presentation. Sharpness is consistently excellent, and detail and clarity are equally pleasing, both fantastic.
Although there are a couple of moments of minor shimmering, I didn't notice any pixelation and the absence of print flaws makes for a particularly gorgeous presentation. Black level is solid, as well. Colors are also a success here, looking beautifully rich and bold, well-saturated and with no flaws that I noticed. Overall, this is an excellent presentation that is one of Paramount's very best so far. (2.35:1/anamorphic).
SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is just as exciting an experience as one might expect from an action movie such as this one. Although I will admit that there are some slow moments during the first half of the picture, there are still some moments where the soundtrack recieves more intense tasks. Even when there isn't an action scene going on, we're still kept company by Hans Zimmer's intense score, which sounds very dynamic and often envelops the viewer extremely well.
The sound really elevates during the second half of the film where the action sequences really begin to come at a more rapid rate. Surrounds are agressively used and really help to provide a more entertaining sound experience. Explosions pack very solid force, and bass in general is definitely powerful. Dialogue is fine, easily heard over all of what else is going on in the various scenes. A top-notch soundtrack with great audio quality, although one that really takes off further during the second half of the film. A french Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is also included.
MENUS:: Easily the most impressive menus that Paramount has ever done, there are some interesting things to discuss about their work. Menus are animated and in Dolby Digital 5.1; when you make a selection from the extras menu, an additional animation comes up that provides some "fiction" details - like this information is "classified" - but more interesting is that these screens offer the running time for these extras, and then the viewer can press play once again to play the supplement. Cool menus, and a great intro to the movie.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director John Woo, who provides a very energetic and informative commentary track that I enjoyed listening to. The director is quite chatty when speaking; although there are definitely some pauses throughout the commentary track, when the director does speak, he has quite a lot to say, and is quite energetic. The commentary is a good mix of technical details and story analysis, with Woo offering his thoughts on the story details and twists as well as how some of the larger sequences were produced. There are a few more pauses of silence than I would like to hear, but the moments when the director does speak provide enough of a look inside the making of the movie that I was generally pleased with the track, which is worth a listen for fans of the film.
Behind The Mission: The Making Of MI:2: A promotional 14 minute 28 second documentary that offers interviews with the main cast and crew, along with some behind-the-scenes footage of the production at work. Filled out with the occasional clip from the movie, this documentary isn't bad, but it's a little too "promotional" for my liking.
Mission: Incredible: Although this featurette is a little shorter at 5 minutes and 12 seconds, it does provide a bit more interesting subject - a more detailed look at some of the stunt sequences that were included in the film.
Impossible Shots: These are a short series of featurettes that talk in detail about some of the bigger sequences that are included in the film. Interviews and footage from the crew talk about what it takes to complete sequences this technical and complicated. Highlighted are : "Moab", "Spanish Chase", "Assault On Biocyte", "Fire Walk", "Flame Ride", "Motorcycle Chase", "Asphalt Skiing", "The Joust", "Mano A Mano" and one additional one which sort of gives away a bit of the movie so I won't talk about it. The entire set of short featurettes are about 37 minutes in length, and the separate featurettes are a couple of minutes a piece.
Mission: Improbable: One of my favorite parts of the disc, this is the MTV movie awards parody, with Ben Stiller doing a phenomenal job as Cruise's "stunt double". Cruise and Woo also appear in the video, and I found some parts of it extremely funny. Cruise always has seemed like he's had a good sense of humor about himself, and that shows again here as he is pretty amusing as well. Even Woo has a couple of funny moments.
Also: Alternate title sequence, Metallica "I Dissapear" video; DVD-ROM web features including additional production/cast notes and more.
Final Thoughts: Paramount has certainly done a very nice job with the audio/video presentation. Although a couple of the extras were a little "promotional", the commentary was informative and the "Mission: Improbable" parody is funny enough to watch over and over again. The film itself is enjoyable "Summer" action fare, with a few spectacular action sequences in the second half. Recommended .
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