Review of Men in Black II (2002) by James R — 16 Feb 2011

What is it with Hollywood and unneeded sequels? Did we really need a Men In Black 2? The first film gave us a happy ending, in which Kay was reunited with his beloved wife with a mind-wipe forgetting all about M.I.B. Yet here we are, 5 years later where Kay's wife has left him and Jay has to bring Kay back in for the sequel, I mean to save the world.

The villians this time around? An alien posing as an underwear model PLAYED by an underwear model, and a two headed alien playhed by the guy off Jackass. It says something when Johnny Knoxville isn't the worst thing about this movie.

The film seems like it has a rule where it can't have too many original ideas, so it has to rehash some ideas from the first film. It would've been interesting to have the characters' roles reversed from the last film, but it just doesn't seem to work.

Also, the film seems to have sacrificed substance for style, by parading the aliens and CGI full force. You're never 5 minutes within this film without a parade of somekind, be it a hovering alien, the dog crap alien or even the head-regenerating Monk-lookalike.

There's also the plot, which is summed up within the first four minutes or so with some Twilight Zone-esque film telling us about aliens and 'The Light'. The plot is quite dull and doesn't seem original, even the plot twist that the light is a person isn't that big a shock.

Its not all bad, though. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones play their roles well, as you'd expect them to, and the effects and make up are still good. Also, the end part where the a big mind-wipe device is hidden in the statue of liberty is interesting, as it slightly shows how much power the Men In Black must have, to place one of their devices inside an American landmark.

But did Michael Jackson really need a cameo? I mean, he looks more alien than some of the creatures in the film, but it seems like stunt casting.

All in all, a dissapointing sequel thats best avoided if you loved the original.