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QUICK PLOT SUMMARY:
Action/Adventure - MiB Agent J (Will Smith) has to bring back former Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in order to stop the deadly alien Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) from bringing about the destruction of Earth.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 - The MPAA rated this film PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some provocative humor.
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Reviewer's Corner
Same suits, but Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black aren’t as sharp the second time around
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Barry Sonnenfeld’s sci-fi sequel Men in Black II really could have come out in the late 80’s – that glorious time when second installments of hit summer films seemed a dime a dozen and not nearly as polished as their predecessors. Whereas the first film, 1997’s Men in Black, sparkled with comic science fiction fun supported stylistically by the sharp visual wit of director Sonnenfeld’s art deco eye for retro kitsch, this second movie just kind of shuffles onto the screen, taps at your shoulder, and clears its throat to get your attention. Men in Black II isn’t a terrible film – in fact, a few of the action sequences are peppered with special effects that seem brighter and better crafted than in the original – but the actors really seem bored by this material, as if there were another, better script out there they would have opted for instead of the one finally delivered by scribes Robert Gordon (Galaxy Quest (1999)) and Barry Fanaro (Kingpin (1996)).
As with the time since the first film, five years have passed since Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) opted to be neurolized into retirement from the elite government agency that monitors alien activity on Earth. Agent J (Will Smith), continually frustrated by his slew of new partners, clearly misses the spark and companionship of his old friend – the latest replacement being the vapid strong-arm Agent T (Patrick Warburton). However, when a sleek, raven-haired alien named Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) shows up in New York searching for a mysterious light source after a 25 year hunt (it’s location known only to the former MIB Agent K), it’s up to Agent J to help K restore his memory in time to save the world from complete destruction.
The role reversal here of Smith’s character introducing Lee’s character back into the agency is a nice twist from the first film, but could have worked better. Admittedly, the irony of Agent K going from one faceless government agency (MIB) to another, equally faceless one (the U.S. Postal Service) during his time away in the five years between films is a clever wink. But it’s not enough. The original film had Will Smith’s Agent J brought into this world of the agency completely mesmerized by it, and it was fun to be an audience member along for the ride. Now, we’re familiar with the men behind the curtain, so Men in Black II simply feels more like a surprise party we’re putting on instead of the one we’re not expecting. It’s truncated running time feels rushed rather than fun and over too soon, as if Sonnenfeld needed to wrap this film up into a neat bundle quickly lest we lose interest in this proven and interesting canvas. The Men in Black stage is a fun one to watch – why couldn’t they take a bit more time in getting an interesting story to go along with it? After all, it has been five years – surely something more exciting could have been come up with as a basis for a sequel, instead of simply rehashing a similar conflict from the first film (one alien race desperate to steal something from another alien race). Perhaps a plot about the very structure of the MIB threatened by alien corruption within? Or a story about how our MIB agency has to work with another planet’s similar organization against a common foe? There is a lot of material to work with there involving immigration agencies on an interstellar level, a lot of chances to play and have fun. Instead, it seems that Sonnenfeld and writers Gordon and Fanaro went for the easy pitch, and that’s a real detriment to the caliber of direction and the chemistry between the actors involved here.
That being said, there are a few moments of genuine fun here (including one involving Agent K and a small planet-like object in the MIB weapons room), but they come too few and far in between to add up to a film that is a real solid piece of entertainment. As it closes over the final frames, Men in Black II ultimately feels like just another workday at a government office, a place no more interesting than the IRS or the DMV – a new acronym, the same routine. And with the possibilities here, that’s just very, very wrong.
Reviewed by Jon David Loraditch
What do YOU think? -- July 2, 2002
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WHO SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE:
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- AS A DATE MOVIE
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- Probably Okay - The wacky sci-fi humor may make for a fun date, especially anyone who was a fan of the first film.
- CHICK FLICK
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- Probably Okay - Nothing here for female audiences to really look up to (Boyle's character is simply a black clad, sutlry vixen), but it's pretty harmless stuff.
- GUYS MOVIE
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- Good Bet - Guys who were a fan of the first film will likely still enjoy this installment, but the clever humor and fun pace of the original is sadly absent.
- CHILDREN
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- Good Bet - Kids will enjoy the silly story and strange creatures here.
- TEENAGERS
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- Good Bet - Teens will likely enjoy watching Smith in action on screen, although he almost seems to be dialing this in after his wrenching performance from Ali (2001).
- GENERATION X
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- Probably Okay - Most Gen X-ers who enjoyed the wackiness of the first film will be slightly let down, but there is a lot worse out there to spend your time on.
- BABY BOOMERS
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- Probably Okay - Boomers will likely enjoy this film as a piece of light entertainment, and they'll be able to appreciate the set design and feel of the 60's sci-fi world that Sonnenfeld has created as he did in the first movie.
- MATURE AUDIENCES
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- Probably Okay - A lot of mature audiences may not get all of the humor here, but the film is relatively harmless if a bit excessive on the strange sci-fi, cartoonish violence.
- INTELLECTUALS
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- Maybe - Nothing really of interest here to intellectuals, except some minor plot holes and some major flaws about what we know of cosmology.
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WHAT PARENTS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE THEIR CHILDREN SEE THIS MOVIE:
MOVIE DETAILS:
- VIOLENT ACTS
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- Some - People shoot at aliens with guns; an alien is repeatedly shot in the head; a robot fires rounds and rounds of bullets into an elevator, in an attempt to kill two people; two MIB agents load up on all kinds of heavy weapons; a woman holds a guy up by his throat, choking him. Most of the violence here is really very cartoonish, however.
- SEX/NUDITY
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- Very Little - Some flashbacks show women dressed in tight fitting clothing; the alien Serleena is a sex-kitten type bad guy, walking around in lingerie or in a revealing, tight black outfit.
- PROFANITY
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- Some - 10 Damns; 7 A-words; 2 B-words; 4 Hells.
- TENSE SCENES
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- Some - Two ships fly around the New York City skyline, one shooting at the other; a giant worm devours most of a city subway; overall silly sci-fi violence.
- IMMORAL/ILLEGAL BEHAVIORS
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- None -
- QUESTIONABLE CONTENT / UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS
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- None -
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- Children's Value Rating
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Most kids will get a kick out of this crazy, sci-fi, comic book adventure.
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