Men In Black II
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Rated: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some provocative humor.
Parental Notes: Like the first film, “Men in Black II” is primarily aimed at teens and sci-fi fans. Younger children may find some sequences too intense, but the violence is very cartoonish and completely lacking in gore.
Creating a successful sequel to a wildly popular film is difficult at best and at times virtually impossible. As a result, many follow-ups fall far short of their originals while others surpass them. “Men In Black II” is somewhere in the middle. While it’s not quite as good as its 1997 predecessor, it is still a fun ride.
The story, like that of the first film, is simple: nasty alien Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) wants to get hold of The Light, an alien artifact. Only one man knows where (and what) The Light is: former Man In Black Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), who had his memory wiped at the end of the first film. K’s former partner, Agent J (Will Smith), sets out to find K and restore his memory so they can both save the world again.
There’s plenty of the original’s humor to go around here, with all kinds of cracks about which real-life celebrities are aliens and J’s capabilities as an agent. The only area where the original’s humor is missing is the villain. Where the baddie of the first film was simultaneously freaky and hilarious, Serleena is only occasionally funny, and more bizarre than scary. Perhaps Sonnenfeld was hoping her lingerie model look would make up for it.
Like the first film, “Men In Black II” is populated with fascinating aliens and excellent special effects. Frank, an alien disguised as a pug, in particular is great. He is created from a blend of several real dogs’ performances with computer imagery to make his mouth look like he’s talking.
One thing fans of the original will no doubt enjoy is the magnified parts of several bit players from the first film and the reappearance of other minor characters. Frank and the ‘worm guys’ both have become wonderful secondary characters. Frank temporarily becomes J’s partner early on, leading to a series of exchanges as funny as they are surreal. We also get the chance to see the worms’ place, a pint-sized bachelor pad, complete with a Jacuzzi and a Twister set.
Overall “Men In Black II” is a solid summer movie, lacking only in length (it clocks in at a mere 88 minutes). Although not as good as the first film, it’s plenty enjoyable and definitely worth at least a matinee ticket’s price.