Mission: Impossible 2 - The Spence Edit

Ooo....a new Mission Impossible movie we have not seen!

I have to say, this is a FAR better incarnation of M.I.:2 than the original theatrical release.

Spence has already described the pitfalls of the original and he has masterfully replaced the score. What is more difficult and harder to appreciate by non-editors, is how difficult it is to actually replace music so that it fits the mood and pace of any sequence, and this is near flawless.

I have not re-watched M.I.:2 for many years, in fact more than a decade, so I effectively came to this cold. This truly now feels like part of the franchise again and is certainly the GOTO version for me (it has already been burnt to BD and dropped in the box set with a big "WATCH THIS VERSION ONLY" plastered all over the disc.

I very reluctantly drop one star on Audio since the volume of the new score fights with the dialogue in a few places and could do with notching down a tad in a handful of places (would have been 2 stars down had it not been so incredibly enjoyable)...but frankly it won't get in the way of watching this again VERY SOON.

If a version 2 addresses this minor point, I will revise the review accordingly.

As far as the overall feel, it is just spot on. The new opening feels like, well, just that...a genuine new opening which perfectly sets up what follows. As much as I like the original opening, let's face it; it was a vanity piece and going back to watch it straight after viewing this edit, it just feels out of place.

The trims to the Woo-mo are flawlessly executed, so much so, I had to go back and check if there was as much slo-mo as I recalled...and yes, there was; distractingly so I might add.

The improvements to the narrative allow Towne's writing ( one of the best of the TV Series writers) work to not be bogged down by cliché and awkward moments,

The whole thing zips along at a great pace, and I plan to re-watch this asap, this time with the volume on full blast (dogs permitting, who for some reason like to howl to the theme).

Masterful work all round SIR!

From a film which was a guilty pleasure stuck in 2002 to becoming a timeless action movie. Spence has nailed it out of the park and now this movie which used to be the one we all skipped, can be watched without the cringe. 100/100

I was not really planning on watching MI-II ever again, as I remembered it as 'everything bad about John Woo's films', but this edit actually redeems the film.
As other commenters mentioned, the theatrical cut of this film was over-the-top, with lots of slow-mo's and pigeons. Some of the slow motion scenes are still with us, sadly, as are a few trimmable shots of pigeons, but the pacing (and essentially everything else) is so much better!

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II is the ugly step child of the M:I franchise.

Of all of them, it feels the most dated and, retroactively, the most stylistically out of step with the rest of the movie series.

But idea of trying to fan edit this John Woo extravaganza into something more akin to the later films, is a daunting... some might even say.. IMPOSSIBLE... concept.

But thankfully Spence has accepted this mission!

And he achieved his set goals masterfully.

This fan edit is slimmer and tighter paced, increasing the entertainment value immensely. Due to plot requirements, some of very John Woo signature elements remain, but this is no fault of the editor. The new soundtrack is great, it definitely sounds more like the other movies in the franchise. Though on occasion the viewer can noticeably hear the audio remover warble after effect and there are other times where the new soundtrack is a tad too loud and it competes with onscreen dialogue. But none of this distracts from the fun factor.

This a great popcorn edit.

MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED!!!

:)

I enjoyed the original version of M:I-2 while still seeing the huge flaws that the movie had. It is always fun to rewatch the action scenes of the movie, but there is too much cheesiness and the style of music doesn't work in a Mission Impossible movie. So I'm glad to say that this fan edit by Spence does fix the biggest flaws, two of which were my biggest gripes with the movie: the pace and the music. Anything redundant has been removed to quicken the pace and get to the point. The action scenes and the quieter moments are more emotional and improved thanks to the music from other M:I movies and the pace making them tighter.

Just like some reviewers have said before me, this fan edit does salvage the second M:I entry and make it worthy one as well. It does make it, at least in my books, as good (maybe even better) as the first M:I movie. Well done, Spence! I don't know how you managed to fix this movie, but you managed to do it and even made it a great action movie in my eyes.