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Men in Black II
Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld team up again for this retread of the smash sci-fi comedy, once more "Protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe"
Men In Black II (or MIIB) doesn't pick up where the 1997 original ended, it takes into consideration the real-time gap between the two films. Opening with a cheapo Ed Wood cum 'Twilight Zone' TV episode that re-establishes the mystery of the covert Men In Black, the action then cuts to New York City and declares the date to be July 2002 (ie when the film opened). It's a casual shot in the foot - as MIIB doesn't display five years of innovation, instead it largely repeats the plot of its forebear. Whereas the Earth was threatened by a giant cockroach in the first film, here it's Serleena, a tiny wriggly tentacle creature who transforms into a Victoria's Secret lingerie model (Boyle). When he gets wind of her arrival, Agent Jay (Smith) sets off to bring Agent Kay (Jones) out of retirement as a postmaster ("Just about everyone that works in the post office is an alien"), restoring the memory of "the most respected agent in the history of MIB, the most feared human in the universe". This is only partially successful as Serleena quickly takes over MIB HQ with her dumb henchman (Knoxville) and Jay is forced to rely on the "deneuralizer" belonging to boss-eyed Jeebs (Shalhoub). Jay and Kay then resume their bickering, patron/patronised double-act and set about dealing with Serleena ("the most feared alien in the universe"). The familiarity of the piece isn't a problem in itself - after all, the formula was hugely successful for Men In Black. The problem is that Jones' dry delivery dips dangerously into boredom and the chemistry between the stars, so fizzing in the first film, here seems flat. Too often the Danny Elfman score is relied on for lift when a gag goes limp. There are entertaining moments. For a while, Jay is partnered with Frank the talking pug dog (another character from the first film, voiced by Blaney); the pooch is thankfully not overused, so his rendition of 'I Will Survive' is fun, as is the pair's banter. "I'm supposed to take advice on love from a guy who chases his own tail?" asks Jay when Frank comments on love interest Rosario Dawson. The very premise of Men In Black is still good enough to carry the film - just. The parodying of 'The X-Files' may be past its sell-by date, but it still provides great opportunities for colourful characters - Jeebs, Frank and Rip Torn's MIB boss are joined by sundry new aliens and oddballs, including Knoxville's sicky-looking two-headed idiot, a conspiracy theorist video-store geek and an alien thug with his testicles on his chin. Verdict Less interesting second time around, this sequel suffers most from the diminished chemistry of the leads. Giant monsters, flying cars, boozing worm-aliens, shiny weaponry and plenty of mid-level chuckle gags do however almost make up for the loss. |
