Mission: Impossible II

UK Release Date: 7th July 2000

A secret agent is sent to Sydney, to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera" (www.imdb.com).

Director: John Woo (Hard Boiled, Broken Arrow, Face/Off)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson

Everything that made Mission: Impossible rare has been peeled away. There's no intense set-pieces, no nifty gadgets and no kick-ass team. Mission: Impossible 2 is a not so impossible mission for one. Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt has the looks, fortitude and strength the women swoon over and the men crave to be. Stripped of it's unconventional anecdotes, John Woo's M:I-2 is just another generic action movie. Cruise's greatest feat is performed before the opening credits feature and the only aspect of an impossible mission comes from Hunt's love interest Nyah (Thandie Newton), who goes undercover to find out the whereabouts of a disease called Chimera from 'crime-lord' Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott in fine villainous form). For a good chunk of the film's second act, Ethan has little to do. Newton's work overstays its welcome. When the twists and turns eventually arrive it's too little, too late. At least Cruise, with his silky mane, looks like he's having a blast, it's just a pity it can't be said for the rest of us. Even the life-like face masks are missing. It's absence is only short lived. In the mean time, Cruise gallivanting the globe will have to do.

2.5/5

Mission: Impossible

UK Release Date: 5th July 1996

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization (www.imdb.com).

Director: Brian De Palma (Scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito's Way)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave

Tom Cruise and Brian De Palma deliver on so many levels with Mission: Impossible. It makes Pierce Brosnan's 007 era look dismal. The story is a complete maze full of gadgets, chaos, traitors and twists that's still as hard to comprehend the second, or even the third time round. De Palma has Cruise at the rudder of every scene, taking on an impossible mission to single handedly uncover the mole who betrayed him and his team. The organisation suspect him to be the rat, so choices are limited. From Prague to Washington and then to London, Ethan Hunt's hunt is cool, full of trust issues, face masks, Emmanuelle Beart's gorgeous agent trying to prove Hunt's innocence, tense set pieces and adrenaline fueled action. One particular nerve-racking scene sees Hunt infiltrating a secure vault with sound detectors and a touch sensitive floor. One of the tensest scenes in film history.  

4/5 

The Green Hornet

UK Release Date: 14th January 2011

Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father's large company, teams up with his late dad's assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team (www.imdb.com).

Director: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind)

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson

The Green Hornet is Michel Gondry's first crack at a conventional story. Based on a 1930's radio show, this new turn out evenly distributes its hits and misses. Seth Rogen, as the millionaire man-child Britt Reid, has freedom to do as he pleases. Co-writing the script alongside long time friend Evan Goldberg, there's small disparity from their previous work (Superbad, Pineapple Express) i.e less improvisation. Rogen is perfect for the role, floundering his immaturity even after his father (Wilkinson) dies. He washes away the idea of succeeding his father as CEO of the family newspaper company, rehires his coffee maker, Kato (Chou) and becomes a masked vigilante. Rogen's in the backseat of this ride; Kato is a martial arts expert, weapons maker, mechanic and a life saver. He even (almost) gets the girl (Britt's secretary Cameron Diaz). Britt squabbles a great deal but does bring the fun and amusement. They are a highly engrossing pair. Gondry plays on our expectations; Rogen and Chou are equals, the fighting is tough and adventurous and Christoph Waltz's mob-boss has idiosyncratic flaws. The Green Hornet won't make you laugh out loud but it will exceed usual linear expectations. Watch it for Franco's cameo if not for anything else.

3/5

Abduction

UK Release Date: 28th September 2011

A thriller centered on a young man who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website (www.imdb.com).

Director: John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers)

Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs, Michael Nyqvist, Denzel Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver

With the film titled Abduction we'd at least expect (or hope) Taylor Lautner's high school-er will be abducted. No? Maybe he was abducted before, hence the parents who look nothing like him but have different skin colour too. Nathan (Lautner) also miraculously knows how to defend himself. Convincing? Not in a million years. A lukewarm story accompanied by a enigmatic script awards Lautner zero edge and maximum cheesiness. Lily Collins, although very pretty and adept at acting these days, has little to do but gawp. Their romance is ruined by one foul line and an even fouler kiss. Someone wants Nathan dead, someone connected to his real father. He's wiggled out of hiding with his surrogate parents (Bello and Isaacs) by an unconvincing terrorist (Nyqvist) who wants an important list that's kept on a mobile phone. Cleverness doesn't come in to Abduction's vocabulary. Even Nathan's psychologist Dr. Bennett's (Weaver) balloon-camera cover-up trick in a hospital feels stupid.

1/5

Avengers: Age of Ultron

UK Release Date: 23rd April 2015

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans (www.imdb.com).

Director: Joss Whedon (Serenity, Avengers Assemble, Much Ado About Nothing)

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Serkis

Too many cooks? Not when Joss Whedon's concerned. Age of Ultron follows Assemble tidally, keeping Marvel's phase 2 films in tip top condition. Ultron has the comic edge, but now with added ambivalence and cloudiness. Think Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire compared to its predecessors. It's dark, convoluted and sometimes frightening. Not for the very young or the faint hearted. The Avengers work together effortlessly, whether its making dinner, friendly repartee or kicking ass. The hot-headed Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) and the seductive Black Widow's (Johansson) romance ignites, the Cap (Evans) and Tony Stark (Downey. Jr) clash often. Thor's (Hemsworth) hammer has just as much flare as he does and we see a side to Hawkeye (Renner) we've never seen before. Stark and Banner's AI product Ultron (voiced by the incredible James Spader) brings out the best and the worst in the Avengers. They unite to kill the unkillable, but sibling 'mutants' Quicksilver (Taylor Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Olsen) stand in their way. Age of Ultron doesn't just develop important characters, it casts new ones, keeps the story interesting (albeit a little confusing) and manages to tease us with what's to come. Well done Joss Whedon, well done.

4/5

Austin Powers in Goldmember

UK Release Date: 26th July 2002

Upon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the aptly named villain Goldmember - who is working with Dr. Evil (www.imdb.com).

Director: Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Parents, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)

Starring: Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael Caine, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Verne Troyer

Goldmember completes the Austin Powers franchise with little more than a nod to the 1st and 2nd films. The story's recycled again, Dr. Evil (Myers) insists on world domination, Austin Powers (Myers) awkwardly saves the day. It's not rocket science. Myers is up to his usual tricks; Evil garners the most laughs and Powers is, well, Powers. Mini Me gets the discriminated, but they're still just as funny. The 3rd installment sees two new inclusions, Beyonce Knowles's Bond-esque girl Foxxy Cleopatra, who lacks the emotional pull that Heather Graham had, and Michael Caine as Austin Powers' father, Nigel Powers, who fits his role suitably. Myers' Goldmember and the returning Fat Bastard fair less better. Still, Myers carries on doing what he does best, and that's making (most) viewers laugh.

2.5/5