A terrible sequel - what were the actors thinking?

Rating: 3/10 (23 August 2006)

I'm not usually a fan of the Sci-Fi genre because it's unrealistic and the majority of the time over exaggerated. But I did find myself enjoying the 1997 film Men in Black which provided thrills and spills and great humour but more importantly a thirst for information which left me always wanting more, making me decide to watch this follow up.
What we didn't want to see was predictability in humour, action and characters, which unfortunately is what the sequel is all about.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return as the 'comedy' duo for special alien service 'The Men in Black' where Agent Jay must recover the light of Zartha and Agent Kay's memory.
Their quick wit, humorous relationship and sharp tongues got them recognised in the first film as a comedy duo not to be messed with. However in this sequel they unfortunately can't pull off the charisma they carried so well in the first and are easily pushed aside, are unfunny and my respect for two of the greatest actors of all time was diminished.
Predictability and over exaggeration are words in the dictionary and if you look them up you may find 'Men in Black II' listed. As a comedy genre you always expect jokes in every scene and there are but they are really unfunny and it's such a shame to see the talents, especially of Smith, wasted.
His character is up to his usual tricks with romance and ass kicking attitude running riot around the streets of America. But his overall act as Agent Jay appears shallow and uncomfortable, contrasting his role in the first.
The character of Agent K has also changed from the first with Jones portraying a more bored and unenthusiastic character.
The character Frank, the dog, is so annoying I wanted to scream at the producers, typical dog jokes and completely unfunny.
Because of these changes the film lacks a thrust of energy. Its very slow moving with in depth details controlling the dialogue which is unnecessary when Jay is talking about certain operations which are irrelevant to the plot. The whole idea of the film is about 'the light of Zartha' which can be confusing but more often is exaggerated and unlikable for many audiences. Even the graphics aren't as captivating as many would have hoped and when used are often unnecessary to the film's plot. Predictable unfunny and exaggerated - a sequel not bothering with