Rarely funny, ultimately disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (3 July 2002)

When making a sequel to a movie like Men in Black, it must be difficult for the film makers to maintain the aura and attitude of the original, while still exploring enough new territory to create a meaningful addition to the series.
MIB2's creators struggled, and failed, to create a movie that added much to the world established in the excellent original movie. It doesn't help that half the signature duo, Agent Kay, (Tommy Lee Jones) begins the story without a memory, because it leaves Will Smith's Agent Jay and a talking dog, yes a talking dog, to carry the already weak script for the first 45 minutes.
While the ~90 minute running length of the original helped the pace, the similar running time of the sequel simply leaves all the periphery characters underdeveloped. Serleena is an unconvincing threat to the galaxy, and Rita (Rosario Dawson) has approximately 10 lines throughout the movie, despite being the primary love interest.
The film does have some nice moments: ones that stand out are Jay's lingering fears of loneliness and the VERY end scene in the movie, which I won't describe.
Ultimately, though, the movie disappoints, even more so considering the promise it shows at times. I'd say it warrants about a C-. Ignore all those over-the-top, 10-out-of-10, movie studio reviews and just rent the original instead.