Another Impossible Mission, this time involving the hunt for a deadly virus. Tom Cruise will star, along with Ving Rhames, Thandie Newton, Brendan Gleeson, Dougray Scott, John Polson, Rade Serbedzija and Richard Roxburgh. Anthony Hopkins will play Cruise’s new boss. Michael Tolkin and David Marconi have written the script. John Woo will direct.

Capsule Review Mission: Impossible 2 is, by any standard, a mediocre sequel. The convoluted plot of the first Mission: Impossible has been traded for a straight-line, connect-the-dots scenario that can’t even manage one surprising twist. The characters are barely there, and the script overuses its minimal arsenal (how many times must the “perfect” latex disguise mask be used?). There’s never a feeling of jeopardy, despite the entire world being at stake. Nor do any of the action sequences spur much excitement, mostly due to poor editing. As soon as a stunt starts looking interesting, the film cuts away. Director John Woo’s signature touches are all over this film, but this is a hamstrung version of his best works. The movie is good for its minimal escapism, but little more.