Funnier than the first

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2002)

As someone who laughed only intermittently during the first movie, no one was more surprised than me when I found myself enjoying MIB2 the entire way through. The first movie never quite seems to find a consistent comedic tone, lurching from slapstick (pinballing through HQ) to darker stuff (the Edgar-suit and any number of casual killings) and back again. In separate movies these bits might be funny; placed side-by-side the transition is jarring, and they tend to cancel each other out.
MIB2 finds a much better balance, deploying its humor with a steadier hand. And as a sequel, it works. The villains I didn't find particularly memorable, but they get things moving. Jokes and plot developments that refer back to the first movie aren't simply recycled, they're grinningly sent up (with the exception of the final visual joke, which adds nothing new to its predecessor). New laughs are in plentiful supply. The backwards-clues part of the story is neatly done, and the big twist nicely executed. Best of all, Jones and Smith, despite the changed dynamic between their characters, somehow top even their incredible chemistry from the first movie. That alone is worth the price of admission.