Review: Men In Black II

Men In Black II was released on July 3, 2002. The sci-fi sequel stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. The Amblin film was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.

Synopsis:

Agent J (Will Smith) is having a hard time replacing Agent K as a partner. K now works for the post office and has no memory of his time working for the Men In Black. When an alien threat appears that only K can handle, Agent J must find a way to bring his old partner back to the MIB.

Positives:

• The film strives to have more emotion and heart than the original. At times it does succeeded with that.

Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones both giving movie star worthy performances.

Negatives:

• The digital effects are far less convincing in this film than they were in the previous MIB installment.

• The action and tone of the film are far more cartoony and over the top than they should be.

• Men In Black II lacks the urgency and energy of Men In Black (1997).

In Closing:

Men In Black II is not nearly as fun or inventive as its predecessor. The poorly handled slapstick action and comedy makes it hard to take anything in the film seriously. The performances from the leads are strong, but Men In Black II does a bad job of getting you excited for more MIB adventures.

Rating: C-