Same Planet. New Scum. Same Film?

Rating: Null/10 (20 August 2002)

Evil alien Serleena has arrived on Earth seeking the light of Zartha. Only one agent can stop her, K. But he has been neuralised so it is up to his former partner J to get him back & together they can save the world!
In 1997 Men In Black blasted onto cinema screens from out of nowhere. It was a great summer movie reminiscent of Ghostbusters but bringing its own fresh, fun feel. The pairing of Tommy Lee Jones & Will Smith was inspired & they are together again in MIB II.
As the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it. That seems to have been foremost in the minds of all involved with this ok if decidedly average sequel. This movie will have an all too familiar feel to fans of the original. Yes a sequel should retain all the good things that made the original a hit but must also add some new ideas of its own. On this front MIB II is lacking. The plot is almost identical to the first film - evil alien in human form arrives on Earth seeking mysterious artifact & two MIB agents must not only stop the alien but find out what exactly the artifact is, all within a tight time limit of course!
Much of this film feels like it was written after market research. What did fans like about the first film? Well lets just put all that in this one! Characters such as Frank the pugdog, the worm guys & Jeebs all make a return here to varying degrees of success. Frank is good but the other old characters just seem like that, lets have some new ones! Once J & K are reunited the film gets better, they are as good as ever & you can forgive the lazy plot whenever they are on screen. The banter between the two is as good as before with a slightly different dynamic to start with. The rest of the cast are nothing more than ok, Lara Flynn Boyle pretty much miscast as a not very threatening or nasty alien.
Apart from Tommy Lee & Will this film is saved by a couple of good little action set pieces & also one or two really funny gags such as one locker joke at Grand Central Station. But a film that is supposed to be a comedy should have much more than one or two comedic highlights! FX were also a highlight of the original MIB & its a bit of a mixed bag. The CGI looks a bit rushed but Rick Bakers imaginative & skilled work is again first rate.
In conclusion this is ok. . . for a sequel. There have been many good ones like Empire Strikes Back, or sequels which have taken the original concept & advanced it, adding a new dimension such as Aliens or T2. MIB II, whilst not a terrible film is far from brilliant. It is the rehashed plot which lets it down, especially considering the 5 year gap between the movies. Fans will enjoy it for some funny scenes & the return of the Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones double act but will leave the cinema slightly underwhelmed.