dumb and pointless, but partially saved by the old partnership

Rating: 5/10 (25 April 2005)

SPOILERS Aliens exist. Well, if you listen to most of Hollywood, a few scientists and a scarily large number of people on the internet. Imagine for a second though that not only do extra-terrestrials exist, but they visit Earth all the time and their 'airport' even has a Burger King. In 1997, we were introduced to the men who monitor these aliens. They don't have a life outside their work, but they save this planet most days without us even knowing it. They are the Men In Black.
"Men In Black" was an original, funny, well made comedy released to success and popularity in America and the rest of the globe. Unfortunately though, all too often, success leads to something terrifying. Success often leads to a sequel. Made five years after it's predecessor, this inferior second outing contains one or two funny moments, mostly involving the old partnership between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Ultimately though, the jokes are limited, spread too thin, and balanced out with a woeful script. The Men might still wear black, but their sense of humour has long since disappeared.
Agent Jay (Will Smith) is working through partners at an alarming rate. Bored and lonely, he is a workaholic. After the evil Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) makes an appearance on the planet though, Jay finds himself travelling to a post office in the country to bring back his old friend/mentor Kay (Tommy Lee Jones). Together they must stop Serleena and save the MiB and all before the world explodes.
"Men In Black II" takes a lot of criticism for being a worthless, rushed, badly made film, and for the most part, this is acceptable criticism. Often long winded, and crucially, unfunny, it isn't a spot on the standards of the original. Personally though, it does contain one or two brilliant lines.
Whether it's the locker people, the joke about the black autopilot or a few other cracking points, the great thing about "Men In Black II" is the way that Jones and Smith work together to practically spoof the original. With the characters changing positions between experienced and newcomer, the two actors are great at playing off each other's mannerisms and attitudes. Jones in particular is great as one of the few actors to ever manage to water down Will Smith's sometimes excessive personality. In so many films, Smith will perform a role, and sometimes ruin it, purely by being himself and failing to abandon his "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" attitude. In both MiB films though, he is able to go as extreme as he likes, purely because the almost deceased like qualities of Tommy Lee Jones balances the pairing out. The two appear to enjoy themselves during the film, and in jokes where they poke fun out of the original ("It's time to put on the last suit you'll ever wear.... again"), they thrive.
"Men in Black II" is not a particularly good film. With long stretches of tedium and boredom, it is far from the quality of it's predecessor. It does contain a few moments of hilarity though. These rare gems are often brilliant spoofs of the original film, and the reason they often work is because of the two main leads. "Men in Black II" is never going to top anyones list of films, but to see the partnership of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones again, it's worth watching at least once.