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I remember the first time I saw this movie -- in the theater with a bunch of people from work. We’d been eagerly anticipating this film, so we took off early to catch the matinee showing. And when it was over, I don’t think any of us dared to express our disappointment. I know I didn’t. So I just said something neutral, like “That was cool.” But I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about it.
If you’re looking to see Tom Cruise being pretty, then this is your movie. He’s definitely pretty in this movie -- and the filmmakers do their best to make that point clear. “Here’s Tom Cruise on a motorcycle. Isn’t he pretty?” But if you’re looking for action, adventure, and an exciting plot, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Tom once again plays Ethan Hunt, an agent whose mission is to hunt down and stop fallen agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) who’s stolen the antidote for a deadly virus, which he also plans to steal and use to make himself excessively wealthy. To catch Ambrose, Hunt works with a rather mismatched team that includes a thief called Nyah (Thandie Newton). Hunt immediately falls for Nyah, making the mission even more difficult, since it involves Nyah seducing Ambrose, her ex-boyfriend.
This movie could have been a good one. Could have. The action was great, and the story was promising. But it went downhill from there. The plot lacked creativity, and much of the story revolved around the fact that people could trick each other by changing identities with the use of a fancy mask, a la Scooby Doo (And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that pesky, yet pretty, Tom Cruise!). Had it happened once, I could have let it slide, but it happened repeatedly, and it made me feel cheated. I felt like the writers didn’t think the audience was smart enough to handle an intelligent plot. I just hope they learn from this experience and make up for it in Mission: Impossible 3 (scheduled for release in 2004).
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