Good-- not great-- but at least it's an "honest" sequel!!!

Rating: 6/10 (5 July 2002)

I LOVED the original, and found this sequel much less brilliant, but still a decent movie. Some good critics have slammed it for not being a work of originality and genius, but that is unfair. True, sequels, by definition, must be taken along with the first movie that inspired them, and put in the overall context. But, can't sequels also be judged, at least somewhat, as movies in their own right?
Given the "entire franchise" context, and the "stand alone" criterion, "Men in Black II" has its moments, but clearly isn't as good as "MIB." One nice thing to say in its favor, though, is the evident fact that the director and producers did NOT populate the second movie with 50,000 more aliens, puppets, and cartoons, as so often happens in sequels. That showed a bit of restraint. Also, the plot didn't "undo" all the achievements of the characters and the story in the original. That is, whatever we as the audience might have enjoyed in the make-believe world of the first movie remains intact. Note the difference in some franchises, where virtually ALL of the gains, wins, achievements, etc. obtained by the characters in the original are essentially wiped out, nullified by some lame-brained Hollywood Suit who can only see the dollar signs of the sequels. "Back to the Future" comes to mind--- a brilliant, sweet, and innocently spiritual movie wherein characters changed their destinies and overcame fear, limitations, etc.--- only to have all of that completely undone in the opening frames of the second movie.
"MIB II" at least takes up where the first one left off--- (although I'd have loved to have seen the gorgeous and interesting Linda Fiorintino return as agent "L.")---and that alone is worth high praise, given the crap that "summer blockbuster" movie producers often deliver via sequels. "MIB II" is true to the theme, although not very well done. It is a bit dim, a bit shoddy-- but at least it is an honest sequel! And that is, indeed, cause for praise and admiration.
Bottom line: decent. Not bad. "B-," or a 6 out of 10.