Men in Black II (2002)

Rating: 6/10 (28 May 2012)

(6.5/10) Plot: New alien threat rises in the form of a green worm looking alien turned sexy Victoria's Secret model named Serleena who searches the earth for the never clearly defined "Light of Zartha". Top MiB agent J needs to seek out his old, memory warped partner K, now a small town post office employee, and restore his memory to find the light before Serleena gets to it.
I honestly don't understand the hate geared toward this movie. While it clearly was a step down from the original I, waits to get pelleted my tomatoes and sharp objects, actually enjoyed it. Even with originality in doubt, the movie contains many memorable characters, set pieces, and situational laughs that helps it stand out from the 2000 blockbuster. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones once again ease into the lead roles, while the previous film's small part characters Frank the pug and the Worms enjoy extended roles with mixed results. Lara Flynn Boyle's plastic sexiness looks pretty alien in itself, making the role of the alien morphing bad gal Serleena a good match although it's a shame that Famke Janssen dropped out of the part.
A short run time of under ninety minutes really affected the characterization and screen time of supporting characters like Rosario Dawson and Johnny Knoxville, who literally disappeared from the movie after carrying out a mission near the end. Movie had more of the same laughs from the first, although many jokes didn't land for me at all. The whole plot of removing "the light" from the earth was never explained completely leaving the end reveal to give more questions rather than answers. Rick Baker did another phenomenal job designing aliens and creating an otherworldly earth, while the film is highlighted by scenes of K's post MiB life, and spot on imitations of corny 1960's science fiction programs.