Director John Woo here creates a sequel that's as different from the first movie as it is superior to it, replacing the tired spy shenanigans of the original TV series with the slick, slow-motion mayhem that has become his trademark. Admittedly, there's a distinct shortage of pulse-quickening action in the first hour, as Tom Cruise's pumped-up agent Ethan Hunt woos lithe lady thief Thandie Newton before heading Down Under to stop bad guy Dougray Scott holding the world to ransom with a killer virus. Around the halfway mark Woo cranks up the pace, bombarding the viewer with hi-tech lab raids, jaw-dropping motorbike stunts and balletic martial arts moves - plus, of course, the now obligatory fluttering doves. Cruise's invincible hero is a rather colourless hybrid of Bruce Lee, Superman and James Bond, so it's left to Ving Rhames and an unbilled Anthony Hopkins to provide this well-oiled crowd-pleaser with what little personality it possesses. If it's adrenaline you're after, though, look no further.