With computer genius Luther Stickell at his side and a beautiful thief on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
- Austin BurkeMay 19, 2025The second entry in this iconic franchise is often considered the worst of the bunch, and for good reason, but it is not without its small victories. The biggest struggle here is finding the right balance between complex and convoluted, which is a victory we see from almost all of the sequels that follow. The editing is reminiscent of Woo’s other films, but it is such a drastic difference from the first film. The subtitles of Hunt’s first mission are absent, and the overly stylized action sequences become the focal point. Hunt gets some fantastic moments here, and his character is improved from the first, but the entirety of the plot surrounding him is far less interesting. There isn’t anything overly memorable about this script or the villainous entity, and some of these scenes are just so far over-the-top. Regardless, even the worst of this franchise can provide some fun moments, and Woo remains a fun action-centric director to watch.
- James SaenzMay 6, 2025“this punk put a hole in my versace!” i was fucking ECSTATIC when i saw brendan gleeson on screen. then found out that his role was so small and that made me sad. HOWEVER, we get doves surrounding ethan hunt as if they’re his familiars, harbingers of ass kicking. john woo’s style is so electric, melodramatic storytelling oozing with charisma. from the slow motion to the frenetic editing to the transitions from the rock and roll arrangement of the mission: impossible theme to choral scores, it’s all so over the top and charming. and the actual action?? exhilarating. sweeping camera shots and hints of wire fu abound here. tom cruise is an absolute animal for the stunt work he does himself, from the free solo climb in the opening to the insane motorcycle stunts in the finale. i truly can’t fathom how he keeps managing to one up himself in this series and am so excited for what’s to come. a lot of the paranoia and tension typical of traditional spy thrillers found in the original are lost here in favor of elements found in more standard blockbuster action films, but that comes with its own appeal. one style of camp traded for another. i will say that i much prefer the narrative of the original, and the first half of this movie doesn’t engross me once we move on from the foreplay between ethan and nyah. once we’re at the biocyte break-in john woo’s able to lock in and he doesn’t take his foot off the gas until the end credits, and i love how the final shot is reminiscent of seurat’s a sunday afternoon on the island of la grande jatte. woo rocks. dudes rock. what i love about franchises where each film is directed by a different individual is it really feels like a microcosm of artistic conversation. art is political in the sense that it’s constantly a result of one person’s response to their environment or upbringing or another artists’ work, and so seeing directors in direct dialogue with each other within the framework of a series makes the developments of each entry feel more personal and provides more depth for the experience. you can still feel how they’re trying to suss out the tone and atmosphere of the series here, like they’re still unsure of who ethan hunt is as a character and it feels very experimental in comparison to the first film and i just find that so intriguing. i know once we get to mcquarrie he becomes the permanent director for the series, so i’m really just trying to absorb and appreciate the time we have with each director’s vision beforehand, and by god does john woo have the juice.
- Ryan CollinsonMarch 21, 2026Just as bad as I remember when it came out. I am rewatching them all, because I have only seen half of them. I was dreading this one but pushed through. Ethan Hunt somehow becomes James Bond/Neo and the film has terrible character development. I absolutely hated the way this was directed when it came out, even worse now.
- RichardDecember 6, 2025I saw this one in cinema back in 2000 and John Woo’s fingerprints were everywhere. The slow motion doves, balletic shootouts, motorcycle duels and cliff climbing stunts gave the film a glossy, operatic style that was thrilling on the big screen. Tom Cruise leaned fully into the spectacle, delivering the charisma and daredevil energy you expect. But while Woo’s flair made the action memorable, it shifted the franchise away from its core. The first Mission: Impossible was about spy tension, clever twists, paranoia and the thrill of espionage. This sequel traded that for melodrama and excess. Dougray Scott’s villain felt thin, the romance subplot dragged and the virus plot was more excuse than intrigue. Watching it in cinema, the spectacle was dazzling, but it wasn’t the heart of the series. Later entries found the balance again, blending tension with action. This one remains a stylish detour, fun in its own way, but not the sharpest mission. A flashy John Woo showcase that entertains with style, but lacks the spy game edge that defines the stronger entries in the saga.
- Kevin WardJuly 7, 2025Part 2 of our M:I watch thru. There's not much here that's quite as iconic as the first one aside from John Woo's trademark action and slow motion doves, but still a really fun rewatch. So much of the is over-the-top that it had us laughing during many scenes. Still, Cruise is performing in earnest and it's mission:impossible not to enjoy Thandiwe Newton on screen. The family unanimously agreed 1 is better than 2, though.
- Jonathon PackMarch 16, 2025Listen, if it wasn’t for the negativity around M:I-2, we wouldn’t get the great Mission: Impossible III 6 years later. This movie gives us so many things to be thankful for. Add to it John Woo allowing Tom to do all his own crazy stunts leading to decades of Tom being the greatest action movie star of our generation, and maybe, of all-time!
Mission: Impossible II Trivia
Mission: Impossible II was released on May 24, 2000.
Mission: Impossible II was directed by John Woo.
Mission: Impossible II has a runtime of 2h 3m.
Mission: Impossible II was produced by Paula Wagner, Tom Cruise.
With computer genius Luther Stickell at his side and a beautiful thief on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
The key characters in Mission: Impossible II are Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), Nyah Hall (Thandiwe Newton).
Mission: Impossible II is rated PG-13.
Mission: Impossible II is an Action, Adventure, Thriller film.
Mission: Impossible II has an audience rating of 4.2 out of 10.
Mission: Impossible II had a budget of $125M.
Mission: Impossible II has made $546.4M at the box office.