Mission possible

With the exception of being a slight punch in the gut to 007 and using many
of the special effects techniques made popular by "The Matrix," the latest
Tom Cruise flick "Mission: Impossible 2" holds its own.

Looking only at the trailers, one might be inclined to write off the film as
a "GoldenEye" and "Matrix" love child, but that is really not the case.
Though the ideas of the two films are conveyed,  director John Woo seemed to
make sure that "Mission: Impossible 2" had its own identity.

The most obvious punch in the gut for 007 has to be an exciting car race
between a Porsche 911 and an Audi TT convertible on a windy, mountain road.
The scene is entirely too close to the race in "GoldenEye" where James Bond
pits his Aston Martin against a Ferrari convertible in a similar situation.
The difference, of course, is that the 911 and TT don’t fair as well as the
Aston Martin and the Ferrari.

Another punch is the fact that in "Tomorrow Never Dies" James Bond is in
cahoots with a spy from another government, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), who
shares a mutual interest in the same thing.  In "M:I 2" we have a similar
situation where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) uses the expertise of a common thief
(Thandie Newton) to get the uncommon goods he wants.

In "Tomorrow Never Dies" the main henchman out to get Bond is named Stamper.
  In "M:I 2" the henchman is called Mr. Stamp.  The names are a tad close.

A new twist in spy movies is the "M:I 2" plot dealing with biological
advances in medicine.  A new antidote is made to counter a lab created
disease, should it ever get out. But, certain people only see that spreading
the disease around Sydney, Australia creates demand for the vaccine, thus
forcing stock prices through the roof.

Above and beyond parts of the basic plot, though, "M:I 2" is an exciting
film with a more bad boy style image than Bond has.  Hunt is frequently
shown wearing a tee-shirt where Bond would be in a sportcoat, and the fact
that Hunt has longer hair and usually sports a five ‘o clock shadow puts him
in a different attitude bracket than Bond.

Though "M:I 2" does strike close to Bond’s homecourt and utilizes certain FX
camera movements seen in "The Matrix" and now countless TV commercials, the
movie is great.  It would be hard to create a film like this without
stepping on 007’s large feet.  Bond has a large following and reputation to
maintain.  But, "M:I 2" is proof that Bond is not the only spy out there
with what it takes to save the world.

The "Mission Impossible" franchise, if that is what the producers are hoping
it will become, have old and established competition with Bond.  However,
where "M:I 2" gets its strength is from the sense of teamwork it has.  Bond
usually works alone and it is getting a little old watching the same guy
save the planet over and over again.  "M:I 2" offers a new, more realistic
approach to what might really go into the task.  Though the movie stems from
an old television series, it has a new audience to romance, an audience very
familiar with James Bond’s way, and will have to earn its stripes to be
serious competition for 007.

Exotic locales, dream cars, beautiful women, gorgeous men and an obscenely
ridiculous plot are all part of the ingredients for a good spy film and
"Mission: Impossible 2" does not sell the audience short.