Men in Black II Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)July 23rd, 2002
MEN IN BLACK II (2002) 1 star out of 4. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson, Tony Shalhoub and Rip Torn. Story by Robert Gordon. Screenplay by Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Rated PG-13. Running time: 82 minutes
You laugh through — or at — most of the antics in Men in Black II, but the joke is actually on the audience. The humor is hollow, a shell covering an empty cinematic vessel.
The gags in MIBII play like leftovers from the original. MIBII can be Exhibit A in a class-action lawsuit against the production and release of sequels.
Instead of moving forward, MIBII contents itself with simply resting on viewers’ memories of its predecessor. MIBII is as stale as last week’s white bread.
The humor in 1997’s Men in Black was original and outrageous. The sequel feels recycled and uninvolving, the aliens look like retreads or rejects. Plus you know a movie has problems when a talking dog gets more laughs than the human actors.
As for the actors, Tommy Lee Jones seems bored and tired reprising his role as Kay, while Will Smith seems to going through the motions as Jay. Even Lara Flynn Boyle as the new alien menace is insipid and dull.
The interplay between Jones and Smith lacks the spark and energy that propelled their first teaming. Their evident lack of enthusiasm seeps through to the audience.
Most of the budget rests in the special effects and alien creatures, and even they lack and originality or flair. Most are creepy, slimy, crawlies or actors wrapped in tons of makeup. They lack any individuality or panache.
The interest in the movie’s sputtering plot is nil, an excuse for some tired sight gags. Even a joke involving Michael Jackson lacks punch.
The biggest puzzlement focuses on director Barry Sonnenfeld, who also helmed the first film. How could he have botched so badly, missed his mark by such a wide margin? Sonnenfeld’s sure comedic hand was left at home when filming MIBII.
It would be cynical — and probably unfair — to believe Jones, Smith, Sonnenfeld and others just took the money and ran, knowing the title alone would draw an audience and reap in some big bucks. But as you watch MIBII that nagging uncertainty creeps through your mind and begins squeezing like one of the numerous tentacles shooting out from Boyle’s alien gross-out.
At 82 minutes, Men in Black II thankfully chugs by quickly, but not fast enough to erase that ominous taste in your mouth that you've been shortchanged.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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