I remember talking to someone about Die Hard 4 and they were critical of the movie because of the astonishingly unrealistic feats that John McClane lives through and I'd say they'd have the same opinion here as it's taken to another level with Ethan Hunt. I preferred the slightly more realistic tone of MI:3 to this. While it grew on me in the second half, I wasn't feeling the first half of the movie much. I think part of that feeling was that I dislike Simon Pegg's character a lot, particularly when he's not just an IT whiz. Why do writers of movies like this think you need comedic elements, or attempts at them? There is no way someone like Benji would be an agent in the field alongside someone like Ethan. It removes any believability the film and series develops. Finally, I am glad there was a twist with Ethan's wife, or otherwise it basically made MI:3 meaningless.

I think this is Game's worst proper solo release. There are really good moments, like 'The Juice', but there isn't one song that I have wanted to play over and over. The beats are above decent, but with all of the samples that have been used on well known records before, particularly during the first half of the album, it feels weird. It's hard not to like anything that samples Foster Sylvers' 'Misdemeanor' as 'Bompton' does, 'The Message' as 'Fuck Orange Juice' does, or Imogen Heap's 'Just for Now' as 'The Soundtrack' does, but all of it just adds to the feeling that I've kind of heard it before. 'Bompton' to 'Young Niggas' is a good run, but those aside, there isn't a lot here that grabs me. Lyrically, Game isn't at his best whether he is saying some stupid lines as he is trying to be conscious in 'Savage Lifestyle' or in the pop-rap songs towards the end of the album. Some of the hooks just seem lazy, and with some more effort and energy in them, the songs could have been taken to the next level. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Bompton, The Juice, Young Niggas, 92 Bars

I'd just watched the first MI movie a few days before viewing this sequel, and it's like Ethan is a different character. He is so much more smug than the first film. I can see why the villain wanted to knock his smile off his face. Moving from Brian De Palma to John Woo as a director gives this a very different feel and tone. It lacks the same tension as MI, but has more impressive action for the most part. With John Woo, you know you are going to get an overkill of slow-mos. The motorcycle action scenes towards the end of the film are some of the best I've seen and made me think of Terminator 2's iconic chase whilst watching it. To be negative, Thandiwe Newton as Nyah, wasn't impressive at all and in any film with an Australian, they always give them the strongest most stereotypical accent possible, don't they... Finally, check out the slap sound effect added when Nyah hits Sean in the car. They went a little overboard in the editing room there. 3-3.5

I only gave this a two out of five when I listened to it many moons ago, but upon revisiting it, I don't dislike anything. Yes, you can argue the posthumous albums should have well and truly stopped by now, and that these types of albums, with copy and paste verses and lots of features, were damaging 2Pac's legacy, and I understand that argument, but I don't think the music is bad at all here. For one, it feels more authentic than Eminem's 'Loyal to the Game', most of the features bring their A-game, from the rappers to the singers, like Keyshia Cole, who sings her backside off on 'Playa Cardz Right (Female)', and there is lots of respect put on Pac's name throughout the verses. There is a line in 'Pac's Life (Remix)' where Snoop seems to give himself credit for Pac's fame that to me doesn't fit in with the paying homage theme - "Cause I took the focus off of me to put 'All Eyez On you'." The producers did a decent job too with most of the production being likeable. The worst thing here is 'International' with its very '06-ish instrumentation. 'Whatz Next' kind of falls into that category as well and so does 'Pac's Life' with its electronic kind of elements that were so common in the mid-'00s. Elsewhere though, most don't sound dated. The bonus tracks 'Dear Mama (Frank Nitty Remix)' offers a more soulful slant on the hip hop classic with Anthony Hamilton adding his amazing crooning. And then a song from young Pac, 'Scared Straight', is hard as nails and sounds like an outtake from 2Pacalypse Now. Both only have Pac rapping, so they are worthy additions for that aspect as well. If you press play on this album expecting to hear 2Pac most of the time, stay away. Most songs only have one Pac verse, with a couple having two of them, but he's often on the hook in some way. When he is rapping though, his voice still "carries" as he says on 'Don’t Sleep'. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Dumpin', Playa Cardz Right (Female), Sleep, Playa Cardz Right (Male), Don't Stop, Dear Mama (Frank Nitty Remix)

After revisiting Pac's three double disc posthumous albums, this one will feel like a cup of coffee. "During an interview with MTV, Eminem stated he was so moved by Tupac's life and work that he wrote a letter to Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, asking her to consider letting him produce his next album. Shakur agreed, allowing Eminem to produce three new songs for the 2003 soundtrack album, Tupac: Resurrection, and the entirety of Loyal to the Game, bar bonus content." - Wikipedia A cup of coffee, but not a tasty one. The opener is weak, with Eminem's singing on the chorus, and just the chorus in general, leaving something to be desired and the beat not being great either. 'The Uppercut' is better, but the production could change up for the hook more to make it stand out. Without any change up it gets boring. Without writing a track by track review, the only tracks that stand out much are the ones Em got his Stan collaborators back for with Elton John and Dido on 'Ghetto Gospel' and 'Don't You Trust Me' respectively. Bubbling under those are songs like 'Out on Bail' and 'Thug 4 Life', (but I prefer the '90s originals of those), plus 'N.I.G.G.A.' that has a likeable dark beat and 'Black Cotton' is okay as well. The remixes, produced by Scott Storch, Red Spyda, Raphael Saadiq and DJ Quik, say a lot about this album, with all of them being among the best songs. The remix of 'Hennessey' is just so funky and soulful and completely outshines Em's version. Eminem isn't a bad producer, who handles the first 13 songs collaboratively with Luis Resto, but there just aren't enough good or diverse moments on the boards and a lot doesn't sound authentic with 2pac's vocals. This is the first posthumous album of Pac's that isn't worthwhile. Between a 2.5 and 3 out of 5. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Ghetto Gospel, Don't You Trust Me, Po Nigga Blues (Scott Storch Remix), Hennessey (Red Spyda Remix), Loyal to the Game (DJ Quik Remix)