Seems that it could only really work once!

Rating: 5/10 (10 July 2002)

Men in Black was a quirky, funny and inventive summer blockbuster a few years ago. It had an offbeat script and very engaging leads, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made the first film memorable. Will Smith has an easy charm, Tommy Lee Jones plays a great straight man. Well now on to Men In Black II, we have the same stars, the same director, almost every person involved in the first one, and the sequel can't even hold a candle to the first. Sequels are obviously commercially driven, most sequels are unnecessary money machines, but if they are done right they could be fun, audiences like to go back and see characters they like again. The problem with this movie is that even though it looks like the original, they forgot the element that made the first work, charm. The film has an aura of "we did it only for the money" about it. Even Will Smith seems to be bored this time, his one liners only work a couple times, Jones is OK , his wry style is there but he has nothing to do except cash in his paycheck. Perhaps Men in Black is the type of off beat story that could only work once, the sequel really is a retread of the first movie but it doesn't feel fun or fresh.
Grade: C-