7.5 out of 10: Worth seeing, but...

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2002)

Overall good. I don't feel cheated by spending $5.50 at the matinee to see this one. Definitely closer in quality and spirit to MIB 1 than to the Wild Wild West (which was what I was dreading.) Several good gags throughout and the performances are good, but they could have been better had the cast been allowed to act, instead of being jump-cut from scene to scene. Men in Black 1 was comedy of substance; this film does not give you much time to think.
What's troubling is the pacing. Scenes that could have otherwise been great are rendered just OK because they fly by. Most scenes seem to be slapped together without the benefit of transitions. There were several potential themes in the script, but they also zip by without being explored. I don't know if the film makers ran into trouble having to redo the ending because of 9-11: if they were out of money or found themselves painted into a creative corner, or if they were just trying to pander to the current generation of video game-raised youngsters, but I kept wanting to see the movie as it was originally scripted.
How this movie will stand up to repeated viewings remains to be seen. I will sit through it at least once more to see what I missed. And it would not discourage me from seeing MIB3 if and when it comes out, but advice to the film makers: Slow it down.
If you liked MIB1, go see this one. If you didn't like MIB 1, I'd recommend not.