Mission: Impossible 2 - The Spence Edit

I've always liked mi2, used to love it but I admit that it's a bad film. Made when little Tommy cruise was into bad metal and John woo movies, this entry has always stuck out and has dated horribly. Just when everybody had given up on it Spence comes along and sits the film comfortably back into the franchise. No more limp bizkit, less balletic slo-mo gun fighting and the first act of the film is now suitably restructured to fix the drag. I have been eagerly waiting for this edit since Spence announced it and I was not disappointed.

This edit elevates an out-of-place, unnecessary, entirely skippable entry in what is otherwise an excellent franchise to fit right in among the others (albeit at the weaker end). I really was not expecting this much of an improvement and will definitely keep this edit in my M:I lineup.

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!

This movie has always been the odd one out in this series and it’s a credit to the makers for continuing with it after this dud, but I never knew that the movie could be fixed in the editing room, but by golly, Spence has done it. By cutting out the ridiculous slow mo and the woo effect and completely changing the score, this film is no longer a mess and flows perfectly well and fits in perfectly with the later movies.
This edit deserves high praise and should be everyone’s go to version of the film rather than the guilty pleasure that is the theatrical version.