Review: Men in Black 2 (2002)
JoBlo
RATING: 5/10
http://www.joblo.com/meninblack2.htm
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PLOT:
"About 1500 aliens looking like humans, live amongst us on Earth. A top-secret
agency called the Men in Black (MIB) monitor and police these creatures' every
movement to ensure that the public never finds out about them. One day, a "bug"
alien lands on Earth, and suddenly, the destruction of our planet may be near."
That's the exact word-by-word plot description that I used for my MIB review,
now replace the word "bug" with "alien queen" and that's MIB2.
CRITIQUE:
Can you say, "been there, done that"? Well, if you can...and you don't mind
saying it over and over again, while enjoying most of everything that you loved
about the original MEN IN BLACK, than you will likely be entertained by most of
the rehashed scenarios presented here. Just don't go in expecting anything
original because there's nothing in here that hasn't been seen before. We get
the same basic plotline, we get the same "slick" and "chief" antagonistic banter
between Smith and Jones, we get most of the same alien beings who "worked" in
the original, we get the same potshots at celebrities who might be apparent
aliens, we get the same guns and so on and so forth. It's not a "bad" movie per
se, but it's a lot like watching the first one over again. It also moves very
quickly (barely runs 90 minutes), has the most minimalistic plotline, some fun
stuff to look at, some cool technological gadgets and admittedly, even though
most of the stuff is recycled, the banter between Smith and Jones is pretty
funny at times (although it feels "forced" at other times as well). The talking
dog, on the other hand, was absolutely hilarious! In fact, I would even go as
far as to say that he stole every scene that he was in. The same can be said for
the slick talking worm dudes, who chainsmoked and drank their way through the
entire picture (gotta love those cigars and martinis!) Pretty funny. But
wait...now that I think about it, there was this one group of characters that
was new and original to this installment: the small dudes in the locker. I can't
say much more on them, since I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone, but I will
say that they're quite humorous and inventive (...in this film? Who woulda thunk
it?).
Some of the stuff that really didn't work for me included the so-called
villainess, Lara Flynn Boyle, who definitely looked hot, but generated little
excitement and seemed to have shot all of her scenes in one day. Most of her
sequences took place in one building, and she barely ever interacted with either
of the leads in the entire movie. Strange. Then again, the entire plotline is
thin to begin with, so if you're looking for real thrills and drama, go
elsewhere, young Jedi. Johnny Knoxville's character was somewhat interesting,
but what the heck happened to him at the end? They just seemed to drop him off
at some point in the picture, never to be seen or heard from again. Rosario
Dawson was good (gorgeous eyes by the way...call me!), but her "love" connection
with Smith didn't work for me either, and once again, felt forced into a
paper-thin screenplay, scripted almost like a remake of the original, but
without the uniqueness. As for the CGI, it was pretty decent for the most part,
with special marks going out to the whole underground worm fella
(brrrrrrr...love those teeth!), but the finger snakes on Boyle's character were
just too CGI for my taste.
All in all, the film doesn't present you with anything that you haven't seen in
the original, does re-deliver most of the stuff that you liked from the original
and barely lasts long enough for you to remember anything on your way home. Is
it fun? Yeah, I suppose that it's never boring and it does feature some cool
sequences and a few laughs, but if you were expecting this sequel to take things
to another level...you will be sorely disappointed, because the only place this
movie is going is...the packaged goods section at your local Cineplex (and yes,
a Burger King makes its way into one of the alien airport scenes...for the love
of Christ...enough with the friggin' obvious product placements already!). Stop
the madness! Too déjà vu for my taste. Check it out on video, if interested.
Where's JoBlo coming from?
A.I. (8/10) - Big Trouble (7/10) - Evolution (6/10) - Galaxy Quest (8/10) - The
Hidden (7/10) - Men in Black (7/10) - Mission to Mars (3/10) - Wild Wild West
(3/10) - X-Files (7/10)
Review Date: July 1, 2002
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Writers: Robert Gordon, Barry Fanaro
Producers: Laurie MacDonald, Walter Parkes
Actors: Will Smith as Agent J
Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K
Lara Flynn Boyle as Serleena
Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi
Year of Release: 2002
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(c) 2002 Berge Garabedian
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Steve Rhodes
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
He's back and in fine form this time. After two colossal turkeys (WILD WILD
WEST and BIG TROUBLE), director Barry Sonnenfeld, working from a cute script by
Robert Gordon (GALAXY QUEST) and Barry Fanaro (KINGPIN), is back with a
satisfying sequel to his MEN IN BLACK. Summer is the time for popcorn flicks,
and MEN IN BLACK II (MIIB) is a fun one. Running a fast 88 minutes, it won't
tax your seat or your brain. All you need to do is sit back and let the good
times roll as aliens of all shapes and sizes entertain you.
If you've always found aliens a little too, well icky, you'll like Serleena, the
lead villain in MIIB. When this alien arrives on earth, it flips through a
magazine in order to find out what earthlings look like. Since it turns out
that we look like Victoria Secret's lingerie models, Serleena, played with sexy
wickedness by Lara Flynn Boyle, adopts a look that's to die for, literally.
With a pasty white complexion and a push-up bra that shoves her breasts through
her throat, Serleena, a woman with a Medusa complex, is on the third planet to
retrieve a long, lost light. Forget that. The plot I mean, since it is totally
unimportant. You're there to enjoy all the dead-pan acting and the crazy
creatures.
The movie again stars Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K and Will Smith as Agent J, who
are both back saving the earth. This time they are ably assisted by a talking
pug named Agent F, who had a small part in the original film. Agent F is a real
card, but he's a jokester with a sensitive ego. "That's canine profiling, and I
resent it," F tells K, when K doesn't give proper respect to F's species.
Hand's down, the funniest scene occurs in a locker at Grand Central Station.
It's so priceless that if you miss it due to a restroom break, it's worth paying
to see the entire movie again just to catch that one small incident.
A properly PG-13 rated film, it'll have you going, "yuck," as tongues and
tendrils go into ears and out noses. And some of the monsters, although
hilarious, are also prime candidates to scare the little ones. This is no
MONSTERS, INC.
If there is a slight disappointment with MIIB, it is the absence of Linda
Fiorentino (THE LAST SEDUCTION), who was so terrific in the original and who
looked certain to have a part in the sequel. Boyle ("The Practice"), however,
proves to be an excellent alternative as a female costar for Jones and Smith. I
don't want to upset Jones and Smith, who deserved the extremely lucrative deals
they were given to repeat their roles, but they are upstaged by a dog (Mushu).
Let's hope they paid Mushu with something more than dog biscuits.
MEN IN BLACK II runs just 1:28. It is rated PG-13 for "sci-fi action violence
and some provocative humor" and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 13, gave it a full ****. He liked the freshness of the
material for the sequel, the blend of seriousness and humor, the creative
special effects and the acting. Overall, he thought it was a really funny
film.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Wednesday, July 3, 2002. In
the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: Steve....@InternetReviews.com
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Susan Granger
It's been four years since agents Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee
Jones) teamed up as intrepid detectives monitoring alien activity for a secret
society for the protection of Earth. With his memories erased, or 'neuralized,'
Agent Kay, is now postmaster of Truro, Massachusetts, where "Just about
everybody who works in the post office is an alien." Lonely Agent Jay, who has
'neuralized' his last eight partners, has turned to a civilian, pizza parlor
waitress Laura Vasquez (Rosario Dawson), for companionship when he is told by
MIB chief Zed (Rip Torn) to retrieve Agent Kay. Hidden deep in his former
partner's brain is an important clue that can save the planet from its new
enemy: Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle), a slimy, shape-shifting Kylothian monster
who takes the form of a slinky Victoria's Secret model. Working with a
two-headed, half-witted accomplice (Johnny Knoxville), she firewalls and flushes
Agents Jay and Kay while taking over MIB's New York headquarters in her search
for the ominous Light of Zartha. It's all ho-hum routine except for Frank, the
brazen, sarcastic Pug, once just an informer but now promoted to Agent F. This
cigar-smoking pooch gets the most laughs, along with alien pawnshop owner (Tony
Shaloub) and the obnoxious Worm Guys. Martha Stewart pops up on TV and Michael
Jackson does a cameo as wannabe Agent M, a hopeful in the alien affirmative
action program. Screenwriters Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro, director Barry
Sonnenfeld, production designer Bo Welsh and creature creator Rick Baker simply
recycle what succeeded before. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Men in
Black II" is a short, sardonic 6, a slapstick diversion dedicated to eliminating
more extra-terrestrial scum. Frankly, I expected more.
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Laura Clifford
----
Without Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), Agent Jay is getting lonely, neuralizing
one partner after the next when they don't fill his mentor's highly polished
shoes. When MIB Headquarters is infiltrated by Serleena (Lara Flyn Boyle)
and her gang in search of the Light of Zarka, it appears only Agent Kay
knows its whereabouts. It's up to Jay to deneuralize Kay and fight off
the evil Kylothian in "Men in Black II."
This movie has the first press kit I can remember which offers the
original film's grosses instead of the present film's plot synopsis. At
least they're wearing their hearts on their sleeves. This insipid retread
of the original film scatters about 5 decent jokes and they're almost all
crowded into the first two acts. Barry Sonnenfeld owes Frank the Pug
(voiced by Tim Blaney) big time.
The film begins with a pre-credit 1978 anthology show hosted by Peter
Graves which shows a reenactment, complete with campy Ed Wood level effects,
of the MIB incident which is sparking the current action. (Note that in a
film with an 88 minute running time, this sequence is repeated.) Then
we meet up with Jay and his current partner Tee (Patrick Warburton), who
immediately mishandles errant alien Jeff, a giant worm. Once Tee's
neuralized,
we're in for the best part of the film, where Zed (Rip Torn) pairs up Jay
with Frank, the talking pug. Whether singing "I Will Survive" in the
passenger
seat or barking the chorus of "Who Let the Dogs Out" or simply responding
to his partner, Frank is innately entertaining. Give this dog a bone.
We also see Serleena land, disembark looking like "The Little Shop of
Horror's"
maneater, turn herself into a replica of a Victoria's Secrets lingerie model,
and bisect a pizzeria owner in front of his terrified, but hidden, employee
Laura (Rosario Dawson), a witness Jay can't bring himself to neuralize.
At the thirty minute mark, Jay travels to Truro, MA, where Kay is a Cape
Cod postmaster. Act II involves getting Kay's memory back, which is as good
an excuse as any for some toilet humor while Act III involves the inevitable
showdown.
While stumping on talk shows, Smith and Jones have been quick to point out
that the new film is different due to the reversal of Jay and Kay's dominance,
but in truth, screenwriters Robert Gordon ("Galaxy Quest") and Barry Fanaro's
("The Crew") most original moment is to have Kay take a page from "Memento's"
Leonard Shelby - he's left himself clues to figure out the whereabouts
of an object he neuralized out of his own memory. One of these clues leads
to locker C18 at Grand Central Station that features the film's funniest scene
not involving Frank.
Smith and Jones replay their schtick, although Smith's energy level is
lacking.
His best bit involves some physical comedy near the end of the film. Rosario
Dawson fits the bill as a love interest, but as to villain Lara Flyn Boyle -
why didn't they just hire a real Victoria's Secrets model? The part requires
little acting and the special effects budget could have been cut by not
having to fashion a fake bosom. Johnny Knoxville ("Big Trouble") actually
has more of a presence as Boyle's two-headed sidekick. David Cross and
Colombe
Jacobsen are standouts as a nerdy video store owner and his strange
girlfriend.
Rick Baker's effects are fine, particularly when he's dealing with reappearing
aliens like the Worm Guys. But some birdlike creatures look
like escapees from "The Kids in the Hall" and a monster that resembles a
pile of intestines is clearly nothing but a bunch of rubber. An alien
referred to as a Ballchinian may get a groan of a laugh, but it, too, has
appeared before - in "Kentucky Fried Movie."
"Men in Black II" may offer a respite from the heat and even some 4th of July
fireworks for good measure. But please, if III is a glimmer in anyone's
eye, make it about Zed and his new assistant Frank.
C
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Christopher Null
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 2002 filmcritic.com
In an interview, director Barry Sonnenfeld told me about four years ago that he
didn't want to make another Men in Black. The studio wanted it, he said, but he
just wasn't interested. What a difference Wild Wild West and Big Trouble will
make to your choice of film projects!
And so Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return to their black suits in one of the
most uninspired sequels in recent memory, going through the motions while
spouting one-liners en route to encounters with familiar characters at the
familiar locations which made the original Men in Black so endearing.
The conceit of this 88-minute, blink-and-ya-missed-it affair is that Jones'
retired Agent K is needed once again to save the planet from some encroaching
threat that will destroy the entire earth within the next few days.
Unfortunately, K's memory (which holds the key to saving the planet from said
threat) was erased at the end of the last movie by his old partner Agent J
(Smith). The first third of the film sets up the threat (in the form of a
panty-clad Lara Flynn Boyle -- excellent casting, there -- in disguise as an
enormous worm-type alien thingy). The next third involves the quest to get K's
memory back. The final act, of course, pits our heroes against the alien as
they bring out their crazy plastic guns and take an amount of brutal physical
punishment that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger wet himself. It really feels
like a cartoonů if only it weren't for the actual humans appearing in the
movieů.
While Sonnenfeld musters the energy to get to the obligatory Men in Black theme
of alienation among one's own kind, the film never becomes as endearing as its
predecessor. The talking dog just isn't as funny when he's humping a giant
alien's tentacle. Tony Shalhoub's Jeebs isn't as much fun now that we know his
head grows back. And while some of the casting is inspired -- including David
Cross as the perfect video store geek and cameos by would-be aliens Michael
Jackson and Martha Stewart (uncanny in its timing!) -- some of it is
oh-so-obvious in its pandering to the MTV generation. Johnny Knoxville? I
haven't seen a supporting role this blatant and pathetic since Tom Green
appeared in Charlie's Angels. (Though, in fact, Knoxville is a far, far worse
actor.)
The rest of the movie is harmless, forgettable, and simply uninteresting in
comparison to recent action flicks like Spider-Man and Minority Report (yes, you
can have your sci-fi and your mind food, too). The special effects are nothing
new and are rarely even credible. The script is as subtle as Kung Pow (potshots
at postal workers? Puh-leezeů). And even the cute ending is spoiled by what
comes after: Will Smith's atrocious "Nod Your Head" musical number as yet
another movie-inspired anthem for our youth. How lazy are today's kids, that
nodding your head actually passes for a dance move, anyway? Elvis, where are
you?
RATING: ***
[* = lowest rating / ***** = highest rating]
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Producer: Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes
Writer: Robert Gordon, Barry Fanaro
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rip Torn, Rosario Dawson, Patrick
Warburton, Lara Flynn Boyle, Tony Shalhoub, Johnny Knoxville
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/meninblack/
---
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Robin Clifford
"Same planet. New scum." This is the war cry for the long-awaited sequel
to the 1997 hit flick about our world and the aliens from outer space
that secretly populate the earth. Agent Jay (Will Smith) is now the head
honcho of the cops keeping order among the alien population, but a
powerful newcomer, Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle), has come to Earth to
wreak havoc. Jay has to bring his old partner, Kay (Tommy Lee Jones),
out of retirement to put a stop to the menace in "Men In Black II."
Return helmer Barry Sonnenfeld and his MIB stars Smith and Jones have
bellied up to the bar again in anticipation of recreating the success of
the their original venture which took in over $500 million at the box
office worldwide a few years ago. The aim, I suspect this time around,
is to beat that B.O. figure and make everyone involved rich. Too bad the
filmmakers forgot to provide a movie even remotely close to the first.
Where "MIB" intro'd a new, alien-enriched world with lots of humor, both
tongue-in-cheek and slapstick, action and effects, the remake gives us
retread F/X and little of the original film's humor.
Will Smith looks the least comfortable here than in any role he has had,
and he has had some biggies. Agent Jay is the top dog, so to speak, in
the MIB field operations and, like his predecessor Kay, has had to bear
the onerous burden of policing the wild and wacky immigration world of
intergalactic aliens. Jay is a cynic, now, and has lost the humor and
smartass sassiness that so endeared him to everyone in the '97 flick.
Now, Smith is required to mouth lines similar to "What is a dead
Cerulean swamp dingy doing in the immigration lounge?!" Dialogue like
this does not roll off the tongue and much of the time the actors are
just mouthing their silly lines.
Tommy Lee Jones is so deadpan as the returned Kay that you'd think he
wished he stayed in retirement as US Postmaster Kevin. He is able to pay
lip service to the shoddy dialogue on the strength of his ability to
deliver it with authority. Lara Flynn Boyle is awash amidst a sea of
special F/X as the multi-tentacle alien bad guy, Serleena, in search of
the key to omnipotent power - a maguffin called "The Light of Zartha
(sic)". Her "human" persona is supposed to be a Victoria Secrets
catalogue model, evinced by her scanty black underwear, but the actress
is given nothing to do. Tony Shalhoub reprises his role as alien
pawnbroker, Jeebs, who has his head blown off again, not once, but
twice. (It was far funnier in the first "MIB.") Johnny Knoxville as
Serleena's two-headed henchman, Scrad/Charlie, is hamstrung by the
material - a good idea wasted.
The screenplay by Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro is a manufactured
rather than crafted story that reverses the ideas put forth in the first
film. Remember when Kay decided he had enough of MIB and opted to be
neuralized, wiping out all his memory of his super secret agency? Well,
the scribes find a loophole - in the deep recesses of the former agent's
mind lay the hidden memories of his past as an MIB and only needs to be
releases by the application of the de-neuralizer. Very convenient but I
can live with it. Unfortunately, there is little that is funny in
"MIIB," with only a couple of exceptions.
To give the filmmakers their due, the expanded presence of Frank the Pug
(voice of Tim Blaney), the talkative doggy MIB, and the Worm Guys (they
used to make the coffee) provide the film's six laughs (I counted).
It's pretty sad when a supporting character, and a dog to boot, is the
best thing in the movie. Listen closely to Frank's lyrics to "I Shall
Survive." They're worth the effort. It's too bad that the human
characters don't fare as well.
The makeup and special F/X are slick but unimaginative. Goofy looking
aliens abound but they are not any more creative than the beasties in
the bar scene in the original "Star Wars." CGI stuff, like Frank's motor
mouth, is done convincingly and well. Production design, by Bo Welch,
does try to inject some character into the sets, especially the bachelor
pad of the Worm Guys that is very groovy and retro and the place where
girl can find out if it's true that "once you know worm, it's what
you'll yearn."
I came out of "Men In Black II" feeling like I had been had. The makers
have forsaken the entertaining elements of the original and, instead,
rehash old jokes and leave any life at the doorstep. I like Frank the
Pug, though. I give it a C-.
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Brendan Cullin
RATING 5.5/10
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Do not go into Men In Black II expecting an earth-shattering episode of the Men
In Black series. This movie is almost the same movie as the original. There are,
however, a few minor differences. Brace yourself for this... It is not nearly as
funny. It is not nearly as original. And it is not nearly as entertaining. And
what you get when you add up these three factors is a colossal disappointment.
Now before you go running out to see the Powerpuff Girls instead this weekend,
there are a few things that must be made clear. Men In Black II will be
entertaining for some. I think it is a good movie for the kids and the very big
fans of the first movie. But for some of the more sophisticated movie fans
(yeah, whatever) this movie just does not cut it. I draw your attention to the
Austin Powers series. The second Austin Powers installment was able to add great
new characters and to many, is considered a better, funnier and more
entertaining movie than the original. This is not the case with Men In Black.
The new villain, played by Lara Flynn Boyle, looked great in lingerie but that's
about it. Johnny Knoxville's two-headed alien mysteriously disappeared towards
the end of the movie. And Will Smith (Agent J) and Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K)
were not nearly as good as they were in Men In Black. Smith's one-liners were
lame and Jones seemed very uninterested in his role. Furthermore, the chemistry
the two of them had in the original movie was not there for this one. The only
person that seemed genuinely interested in her role was Rosario Dawson, who
played Agent J's love interest and the sort of damsel in distress. I do have to
admit that the talking dog was better used this time around and probably the
best thing in his limited role in this movie. Agent J's worm buddies were also
sort of funny, although at times, I had difficulty understanding what they were
saying. Oh, and Michael Jackson's much talked about cameo was brief, unexpected
and not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Overall, the one problem with Men In Black II was that I just did not feel as
entertained as I thought I should have been after seeing this movie. In this day
and age of big-name actors, big budgets and big expectations, feeling mildly
satisfied after a movie just isn't good enough. There will be some who will
enjoy Men In Black 2. Don't get me wrong. It does have its moments, but in the
end, I have to rate MIB2 as a mild disappointment. The magic of Men In Black
disappeared and judging from the end of the movie, there is no indication that
it will reappear in a third installment.
Review Date: July 1, 2002
Author: Brendan Cullin
Official Site: http://www.meninblack.com
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: July 3, 2002
Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Michael
Jackson
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Copyright © 2000-2002 Liam Cullin
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