 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 is an enjoyable action movie made special by John Woo, who has turned the genre into an art form. Thanks to Paramount's top of the line presentation, this film really rocks on DVD. So, if you are even mildly interested in this flick, you can't go wrong by picking up this excellent disc. Recommended. One final note: After seeing the wonderful job that Paramount has done on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, I hope Paramount will revisit the first movie and produce another unofficial collector’s edition that features a new 16:9 enhanced transfer and supplements. |
This DVD review 
.
|
|||
|
DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2008 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
|||||
Unlike
its predecessor, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 ($30) is an action movie
that is designed to push the buttons of genre fans. When the first MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE movie was released, a lot of people complained that the
plot of the film was too complex to follow. For me, the complexities of
that Brian DePalma directed outing was what made the film more interesting
than a standard action movie. With MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 producer/star
Tom Cruise has responded to the audience's complaints by streamlining
the sequel’s narrative and pumping up the action sequences. While this
in itself could have produced just another generic action flick, Cruise
wisely brought in director John Woo to work his own brand of magic and
create the kind of engrossing action sequences, which can make an audience
completely forget that the film's plot is paper thin. Despite the thinness
of the plot, I should mention that writer Robert Towne did an admirable
job of stringing together John Woo's action sequences, which were designed
in advance of the film’s story.
At
the start of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, we find vacationing IMF agent
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) being assigned a new task, which requires him
to recruit a beautiful thief named Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton)
for a job that requires her special services. Of course, Ethan chases
her down, wears her down and finally beds her down before he himself discovers
why Nyah has been recruited. From his superiors, Ethan leans that another
IMF operative named Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) has turned rogue, killed
an important scientist and made off with the scientist’s latest discovery,
which he intends to sell to the highest bidder. How does Nyah fit into
all of this? Well, it turns out that she is Sean Ambrose's former girlfriend.
So, as quick as you can say NOTORIOUS, Nyah is bedding down with
her old flame to gather information on behalf of the IMF. What the plot
lacks in originality, John Woo's action sequences and visual flair more
than make up for in their inventiveness. Woo pushes the envelope with
his impeccable choreography and fluid camera work. Nobody does action
like John Woo and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 shows exactly why he is
the master of this particular art form. The cast of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
2 also features Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan
Gleeson, Rade Serbedzija and an uncredited cameo by Anthony Hopkins.
With
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, the folks at Paramount Home Entertainment
have produced another outstanding DVD. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 is
presented in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio and the DVD features the anamorphic
enhancement for playback on 16:9 displays. The transfer itself provides
a virtually flawless image, with superb definition that brings it into
demonstration quality territory. Colors are bold and strongly saturated
without any sign of chromatic distortion or smearing. Warmer hues tend
to predominate, with flesh tones appearing quite healthy. Blacks are velvety
and the picture provides excellent shadow detail, as well as wonderfully
smooth contrast. Unless one spends their time looking for them, digital
compression artifacts are unnoticeable on this nicely authored dual layer
DVD. If you want to put your sound system through its paces, MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE 2 features an absolutely killer Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack. The sound mix is big, loud and aggressive- everything you
could possibly want from an action movie soundtrack. There is excellent
channel separation all around, with every sound effect being distinctly
reproduced. Additionally, dialogue remains clear and intelligible despite
the almost continual barrage of sound effects that accompany the film
numerous action sequences. The bass channel is rock solid, and when required,
highly explosive. Music is nicely integrated into the mix and is reproduced
without any harshness. A French Dolby Surround soundtrack is also encoded
onto the DVD, as are English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound effects enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
features, as well as a nice complement of supplements. Director John Woo
provides an enjoyable running audio commentary that may be a bit hard
for the casual listener to understand considering Woo's accent and the
speed at which he speaks. Still, this is a worthwhile listen, even if
you have to backtrack in a couple of spots. Also included on the DVD Behind
The Mission, which is 15 minutes worth of cast and crew interviews
that are standard PR fare. Impossible Shots breaks down
11 stunt sequences from the film and focuses on Stunt Coordinator Brian
Smrz and his collaboration with director John Woo. Mission: Improbable
is an MTV Movie Award parody of the film featuring Ben Stiller, as well
as Tom Cruise and John Woo. The parody is quite funny, so be sure to check
it out. An Alternate Title Sequence is also included on
the DVD, as is the Metallica music video for the song I Disappear.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 is also DVD-ROM enabled for those who have
a properly configured PC.
