Mission: Impossible is proving to be a great franchise for charting trends of Hollywood filmmaking over the last 30 years. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 is a perfectly preserved relic of high-octane early-2000s excess replete with nu metal, John Woo’s distracting slow-mo action scene cinematography, a particular brand of ‘edgy’ (but not yet ironised) casual misogyny, and a sense of pre-9/11 American triumphalism that is unafraid to imply that the USA has a horrifyingly comprehensive global surveillance program. There’s also a charged sense of (heteronormative) sexuality (partly expressed through an ill-fated attempt at a ‘sexy’ Tom Cruise) that, while not altogether successful in this film, is notable as basically absent from today’s blockbusters. Fans of heavy-handed symbolism should look out for the many doves.