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44 out of 62 people found the following comment useful :- bland sequel, 16 July 2002 Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States
`Originality,' is, almost by definition, a one-time thing. In 1997, the original `Men in Black' struck a nerve with movie audiences by showing that even a big budget blockbuster, heavily loaded down with state-of-the-art, computer-generated special effects, could still manage to seem light on its feet. The makers of that film pulled off this feat of gravitational legerdemain by coming up with a concept and a script overflowing with creativity, wit, imagination and a cachet of `hipness' to go along with its tone of anarchic playfulness.Well, five years have passed and we now have `Men in Black II' to confirm what most of us suspected all along: that works that rely on `uniqueness' as their prime selling point are rarely ever able to duplicate their success a second time around. Five years can be a lifetime in pop culture and what seemed `cool' one summer can appear decidedly `old hat' the next. Without that aura of cutting edge newness that defined the original, `Men in Black II' seems like just another loud, over-the-top summertime blockbuster.Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back playing Jay and Kay, agents for the government's top secret organization whose job it is to monitor the activities of the thousands of aliens who have secretly infiltrated earth's societies and to help protect the planet from any possible threat from interstellar space. Smith and Jones still appear to be quite comfortable in their roles and they are aided by Lara Flynn Boyle, as Serleena, the baddest alien this side of Darth Vader, and Rip Torn, delightful as Zed, the slightly cracked head of the Men in Black agency.Although the special effects in this film are, as one would expect in this day and age, astonishing and virtually seamless, the same can definitely NOT be said for the film's screenplay. The story moves along at a fairly fast clip, but it rarely makes us laugh. In fact, the script comes across as undisciplined nonsense, lacking both logic and coherence. Unlike in the earlier film, we get the sense that literally everything here has been placed at the service of the special effects. There's an awful lot of running and bouncing around but rarely to any point or purpose. Indeed, we end up feeling at the end somehow more exhausted and drained than exhilarated and euphoric. It would appear that director Barry Sonnenfeld thought that if he could just keep the thing MOVING we wouldn't notice that he had nothing new to offer in this retread. It doesn't work. In fact, if `Men in Black II' shows us anything, it is that just because something MOVES doesn't mean that it can't bore us at the same time.
23 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :- A hasty 'grab-as-much-money-as-you-can' job, 18 May 2005 Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium
Let me just start by saying that I normally like movies with Tommy Lee Jones and / or Will Smith in them. They certainly don't belong to the enormous group of average and unnoticeable actors, but have some kind of style and presence that I really can appreciate. But I'm afraid that's about the best thing I can say about them right now, because what they did in this movie was nothing but a hasty 'grab-as-much-money-as-you-can' job and I really don't like to see that."Men in Black II" starts four years later from where the first one ended. Kay has given up life as an agent and has returned to civilian life, working in a postal office, while Jay has continued to work for the 'Men in Black'. While investigating what seems to be a routine crime, Jay uncovers a diabolical plot masterminded by Serleena, an evil Kylothian monster who disguises herself as a sexy lingerie model. With their headquarters under siege and time running out, Jay must convince Kay, who no longer remembers anything of his time with the MIB, to rejoin the agency so they can save the Earth from being destroyed completely.I admit that some of the special effects were nice to watch, but even that didn't always convince me. Some of the aliens were small masterpieces, others however seemed like a hasty job, unfinished by the people of the computer graphics department. The only possible explanation for that might be that they wanted to save enough money so the profit rate would be even larger. And the computer animations weren't the only one to suffer from that problem. The script writers didn't come up with any new things either. All they did was to repeat what worked in the first movie. It even seems like they didn't have the time to come up with a new and decent plot.And yet not everything was that bad. The humor for instance worked, not always perfectly but it worked. Jokes like "It came with a black dude, but it kept being pulled over" when they talk about the automatic pilot in the Mercedes were funny. I even liked that dog singing on the front seat of the car, but overall it just wasn't enough to save the entire movie. No, if you are looking for a spectacular new movie that is full of great acting, a great story and some excellent computer animations, than you'll be very disappointed by this one. It just seems like they threw it together in a couple of weeks and that's why I can only give it a 6/10.
10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :- Same Planet. New Scum., 10 August 2006 Author: Jessica Kolk from Brazil
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
''Men in Black II'' is not fantastic as the first movie, but it is a good and entertaining movie to be watched anyway.It is so funny to see Michael Jackson as one of the aliens from MIB! (I mean, let's be honest, the guy doesn't even need a make up to look like one!)One of the things I need to complain about this movie, is the fact that we don't have the same good explanations as the first one. A lot of errors are present, like the lack of story about Laura's life explaining why she is the light of Zartha, if she is K's daughter with Lauranna or not,as well as Johnny Knoxville's character just disappearing without reason.It has been five years since Agent K returned to the comforts of a civilian life working as a mail man. Agent J, for the other hand, continues to work for the Men in Black, but he never has success finding a good partner to stay with him: all of them hated the life of being an agent and were neuralized. Serleena, an evil Kylothian alien, disguises herself as a Victoria Secrets' model while planning to find the Light of Zartha, that will put the galaxy in danger once again. Now J will need the help of agent K once again to save the planet, specially because he is the only one who knows where the Light of Zartha is.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- More of the same, 28 December 2002 Author: Andrew McNamara from Australia
Men in Black II contains lots of humour and competently executed visuals, however the story falls short of the original Men in Black. But it's always enjoyable to visit an old friend, even if they aren't on top form.
36 out of 66 people found the following comment useful :- A huge step down from the original., 27 December 2002 Author: Michael DeZubiria (miked32@hotmail.com) from Luoyang, China
Sequels are almost inherently inferior to their original films. The reason that a sequel is ever made is because the original film was a huge success and therefore people want to see more, but at the same time have developed high expectations from the original film, expectations which are rarely if ever completely fulfilled. In my opinion, every sequel has a right not to live up to the original that it followed, but Men In Black II abuses the privilege almost as much as Austin Powers has already done twice so far. Roger Ebert makes an interesting comment in his review of Men In Black II, stating that the original was so enormously successful because it was unexpected and we had not seen anything like it, while the second one is a rehash of the original, and now we HAVE seen something like it. The expected result is that, like the two Austin Powers sequels, what we have here is little more than an extension of the same jokes that we saw in the original film.The entire cast has come back, of course, since this is guaranteed to be a hugely popular film (although at the same time guaranteed to be an artistic failure), and we also see a few more introductions to the cast of actors and artists with flailing careers like Lara Flynn Boyle and even Michael Jackson, who embarrasses himself in the film by playing the part of someone desperately trying to secure himself a position as one of the Men In Black (`I can be Agent M! Pleeeeeeeeeease???'). Naturally, everything that got a laugh in the original film is milked to death here, although not entirely without effect. I thought it was really funny when K blows off Jeebs' head (feeding off of one of the more amusing scenes from the original during J's introduction to the aliens amongst whom he lives), and J asks him how he knew that Jeebs' head would grow back if his memory had not been restored, and K replies, `It grows back?' Not very creative, but certainly amusing.The movie has its strong points, I am not saying that it was a stone-faced bore, but the problem is that it completely feeds off of whatever was successful about the original film. There is virtually nothing creative presented in this film, it is much talkier and drier than the original and doesn't seem to have a personality of its own. MIB followed an alien disguised as a redneck named Edgar as he tries to get his hands on a galaxy that is small enough to fit on a cat's collar. In the second film, we not only have a charm on a bracelet that is the most sought-after item in the film, but we also catch a couple of overly brief glances at some tiny populations of life forms that are able to fit into an airport locker but are still not able to secure themselves a larger part in this film, which chooses instead to entertain us with a talking dog. How's that again? Why is it that there were so many interesting creatures in the original film but this one gives us a quick glimpse of some fascinating creatures but then tries to distract us with the talking (and sometimes singing) antics of a tiny dog, which had just the right size role in the original film?Things like this and the fact that the movie had nothing new to add to the Men In Black story bring the quality of MIIB way down, leaving it to tag along behind its predecessor like an annoying little sister. We already know there is going to be a Men In Black III (hey, if they made a second sequel after the ridiculous Austin Powers 2…), so we can only hope that the producers and director will take a little more time in deciding how to entertain us and what kinds of life forms to focus on, because this was entirely overlooked in this sequel. Even the enormously sexy Boyle was not comfortable on her role and therefore unconvincing as an alien villain in disguise (indeed, it was more convincing that the writers were so unconfident in their script that they felt the need to gloss it over with a sexy villain than it was that she was a threat to the MIB), and Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones had little to nothing to work with in their roles. There is still something left to be salvaged in the Men In Black story. Like the story for Hollow Man, there are nearly endless possibilities, but they were unfortunately largely ignored in this film. At least it's all uphill from here…
12 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :- Not as bad as I was told, 27 April 2006 Author: Fletch06 from United States
This movie was pretty good, all in all. It had a lot of really bad bad jokes, I'll admit. I think it was mostly geared toward younger people. But a few were funny.I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'm just going to write in general terms.One of gags in this movie was so hilarious, it canceled out all of the bad jokes and somewhat weak storyline, and turned it into a wholly positive experience for me hehehe.I'm still laughing, 2 weeks later! I am glad I suffered through all of the painful so-called humor, just to see that one scene.Instant classic! I found parts of the actual story difficult to follow. I don't think that's so important, if you can realize this movie for what it is. Harmless fun.
22 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :- I think the makers of the film thought we had somewhere to go., 9 May 2003 Author: Aaron1375 from Alabama
This movie is the sequel of course to the hit movie "Men In Black". I gave this movie a six, but I felt like being generous (I probably should give it a five). This movie is short. I mean really, really short. There is a short that preceded the movie so that tells you how short this movie is (the short got more laughs than the movie I think). I went to this movie knowing how short it was, but it just went by so fast and the movie was a bit unmemorable that it was a waste of time to drive to the theater. There was no time for character development or much story development. In fact, the opening credit scene itself took four or five minutes. The story has Smith's character trying to get the memory back of Jones character to battle an alien threat. For the most part there isn't much that is funny in this one, but there are a few scenes to make a person chuckle. Then there is the pug dog. I think it had the same screen time as Tommy Lee Jones. It was funny in small doses, but its role was expanded way too much for the sequel. Johnny Knoxville's character was lame as was the main villain, which had looks but no funny dialogue at all. Tony Shaloub is back, and once again his character's role is small and underused. So all in all this is an inferior sequel by all means with just enough to look at to keep you from getting bored. If they ever make a part three, please let them get a director who is capable of making a movie.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :- "Men In Black 2" knows to quit while it is ahead., 11 July 2007 Author: Van Roberts (zardoz@bellsouth.net) from Columbus, Ms
Sequels, or the cinematic spawn of Hollywood blockbusters, constitute an entire film genre of their own. The best reunite the entire original cast and crew. Think of the "Lethal Weapon" epics. All the chief characters return in the best sequels. Remember "The Adams Family," "Beverly Hills Cop 2," or "Smokey and the Bandit 2?" Not only do the best sequels raise the emotional stakes, but also they feature an antagonist twice as savvy as the original foe. Look at the James Bond movies, the "Indiana Jones," "Evil Dead," and "Rambo" trilogies. The best sequels take you beyond the original. Consider the "Star Trek" series or the "Back To The Future" trilogy. The worst sequels recycle the original material without imagination. Remember "Beneath the Planet of the Apes," "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure," or "Crocodile Dundee 2?" The worse sequels jettison main characters for lame excuses. Chris Tucker's absence in "Next Friday" is intolerable! The "Rocky" movies killed off secondary characters in each sequel. The worst sequels cannot recapture the spontaneity of the original. Recall "Weekend at Bernie's 2?" The worst sequels usually contain only half of sure-fire elements that sparked the original. Remember "Ghostbusters 2," "Smokey and the Bandit 3," "Beverly Hills Cop 3," "Crocodile Dundee 3," and "Exorcist 2?"The new sequel to "Men In Black" (1997), the numerically specific "Men In Black 2," brings back Will Smith as Agent J, Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K, and their "MiB" boss Zed (Rip Torn of "Freddy Got Fingered") as well as several Dr. Seuss-style extraterrestrial wiseacre worms. The 'Elle' character that Linda Fiorentino played, the morgue attendant who teamed up with Agent J at fadeout, has gone back to the morgue. Agent J has become a "Dirty Harry" of sorts and has a hard time keeping a partner. The predictable follow-the-numbers, up-against-a- deadline, end-of-the-planet screenplay by Robert Gordon of "Galaxy Quest" and Barry Fanaro of "Kingpin" lacks the wit, whimsy, and the wonder of the original "Men In Black." The "X-Files" meets "Dragnet" quality of "Men In Black" doesn't seem as funny as it did five years ago.When the alien villainous Serleena crashes her UFO in Central Park, she takes the shape of a sexy Victoria Secret's model (Laura Flynn Boyle) and threatens the planet with destruction unless she acquires the legendary 'Light of Zartha.' Think of the Medusa with snakes for hair and you've got a good idea what Serleena resembles. Desperately, Zed dispatches J to reactivate K. As Kevin Brown, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) has been stacking mail for the U.S. Post Office, since Agent J "neuralized" him in the original. The superb comic chemistry between silly-minded Agent J and sour-pussed Agent K qualifies as the best reason to watch this okay but anemic opus. Director Barry Sonnefeld, who helmed the original "Men In Black," lets nothing --especially storyline--interfere with either the wacky action or his outlandish computer-generated bugs and worms. At 88 trim minutes, "Men In Black 2" knows to quit while it is ahead.
5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- A Very Weak Sequel, 22 January 2003 Author: sddavis63 (revsdd@gmail.com) from Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada
As funny as the original MIB was, the sequel proves that the same old thing can get very old and very tired very quickly. I mean, how often can you really find it funny to watch an alien grow its head back after having it shot off? This was a cute gag in the original (and I think we only saw it happen once if I remember correctly.) In this one, it happens over and over again. HEY! AFTER THE FIRST TIME IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY! That's the basic problem with this movie. It doesn't seem to have a lot to differentiate it from the first one, with the result that it's just not that interesting.Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprise their roles as Agents "Jay" and "Kay" respectively, and here was one element of the story that might have made this a fun adventure if it had been developed. "Kay" is retired as this movie opens, and he's been "neuralized" - his memory of having been an MIB agent has been wiped clean. If the story had focussed more on "Kay" and his attempts at re-integrating into the MIB agency, I think this might have been a very funny movie. But "Kay's" re-integration just seems to happen far too easily, and for the most part the focus of the movie is on Smith's "Jay." The problem with that is that I just feel Jones is better suited to the whole MIB persona, and I felt Smith quickly became tiresome without Jones balancing him more fully. (And Frank the dog - another of Jay's "partners" - just didn't cut it. I really wanted that dog to get eaten by the big worm or something. A very irritating character, in my opinion.)My advice: stick with the original.3/10
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- Kind Of Entertaining, But Stinks Compared To The First, 8 August 2005 Author: TheGame2k2 from United States
Sequels to hit movies, can go one of three ways, Great, In Between, Or Terrible, MIB 2 gets stuck in between. This movie really doesn't show signs of light until Tommy Lee Jones enters the picture, because his acting really saves this picture. Plot stinks, i mean it. Lara Flynn Boyle, does not fit the character she is given. Rosario Dawson, who plays Laura, is a good character, if only she was used a little more in the picture. Rip Torn has a larger role, and works, and is quite funny. Michael Jackson, probably the most unexpected character, but i loved the "I can be Agent M". Johnny Knoxville is just stupid in this movie.Barry Sonnenfeld again directs, but this doesn't even come close to touching the first one. Overall, still entertaining in a few ways but it is really only saved by some good actors and dog.
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