Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

The Mission: Impossible sequel was the third highest grossing film at the American box office in the year 2000, it beat Gladiator which was #4*. It beat Gladiator, which is a rather strong film that even won the best picture Oscar for that year. Mission: Impossible 2 on the other hand, is bad. It is bad not in that overwhelming what were they thinking, they don't know what they are doing, how did this get made kind of way, but rather in the lazy, cocky, entitled, I'm gonna be a block buster no matter what because I've got Tom Cruise in the lead kind of way. Cruise has shockingly little chemistry with leading lady Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames is underused, and Dougray Scott's photo should show next to the term 'Forgettable Villain' in the filmmakers dictionary. While the film lacks any great set pieces, I did kind of like that the story involved a plot to unleash a deadly virus on Australia, because Australia doesn't get to get menaced enough in action movies. Also I thought that Ethan Hunt was supposed to be CIA, why is his boss the very English Anthony Hopkins (who is uncredited and in about 4 minutes of this movie). This was a slog, but I understand these get better after this. *1/2


*The most money making film of that year by the way was How The Grinch Stole Christmas which is even worse. http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/moviesofyear.mv?moviesof2000+ByTGross