MovieChat Forums > Mission: Impossible II (2000) Discussion > Weirdest/weakest script of any mainstrea...

Weirdest/weakest script of any mainstream action movie ever?

posted 10 years ago by shiherlis
11 replies | jump to latest

I wanted to like this movie so badly. I loved the first MI, loved John Woo, Thandie Newton was the hottest woman on the planet, I even thought Cruise's hairdo was cool at the time, but WTF was wrong with the screenplay? Some crazy stuff happens at the very beginning of the movie, then NOTHING HAPPENS for a very long time, two very hackneyed set pieces, and then a really crappy climax with no payoff. It doesn't have any of the formulaic plot points, no first act "twist," no mid-point "turn" or crazy reveal anywhere. Literally NOTHING happens. How is this possible? Not only that but the entire movie doesn't make any sense. The villain already won in the first 5 minutes. He throws away his entire life's plan because an old flame turned up on the grid? F MY A$$ Cruise. This should have been so much better.

[–] yurenchu 10 years ago

The script was borrowed from Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), which was used as a "clothes hanger" for (very cool) action scenes.

I agree that the plot was weak, but it's not true that the structure didn't make any sense. It's just that they dumbed down the story because audience members had been complaining that the plot of the previous M:I movie was too complicated.

I loved the flamenco scene in Sevilla, and Ethan's escape from the Biocyte building (although it was a bit of a rip-off from The Last Of The Mohicans (1992); but I hadn't seen that movie at that time).

If you want an action movie with "formulaic plot points", there are plenty of others to choose from.

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[–] TMC-4 (20185) 7 years ago

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/560775-did-you-know-mission-impossible-2-is-a-remake-of-hitchcocks-notorious-here-have-a-look

[–] McQueen1980 9 years ago

The action is terrific, the story is straightforward

End of story

[–] Con2014 9 years ago

Most of the issues with this film seem to be placed on the fact that John Woo built the story around the set pieces and not vice versa. However I think its mainlyvl due to the set pieces themselves not being as engaging as Woos previous films. If the action was as good as Hard Boiled this would probably be one of the best MI films.

[–] TMC-4 (20185) 7 years ago

http://forum.earwolf.com/topic/14125-mission-impossible-2-2000/page__view__findpost__p__135809

This one has been considered by many to be the worst of the Mission Impossible franchise, and marked the beginning of the end of John Woo's career in Hollywood. After this, he reunited with Nicolas Cage on the war flick Windtalkers, which was a huge big-budget disaster at the box office, and followed that up with Paycheck starring Ben Affleck, which disappointed many as well. After these two fiascoes, Woo eventually retreated to his native Hong Kong and hasn't looked back since.

[–] directorscut 9 years ago

Cruise didn't write the script, Robert Towne did (obvious from the blatant sexism in it). Towne was still at this point considered a genius because of CHINATOWN despite writing mostly crap since.

[–] Cognoscente (2664) 4 years ago

The original script was better: https://popcultmaster.com/2018/03/18/chimera/

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 4 years ago

The premise of a worldwide, unstoppable virus as a villainous plot does seem like it has potential... for some reason...

[–] Cognoscente (2664) 4 years ago

Except the original script's charm was that it was a wittier take on a tired theme.

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 4 years ago

I was just saying that, given the current global situation, the premise has promise to be something that resonates with people.

[–] bigbadwolf666 (4707) 4 years ago

this was probably before the sequels came out.