Review of Men in Black II (2002) by Brandon L — 12 Jun 2013

I like to say that sequels get a bad rap. People often love the first and their expectations grow so much they expect the sequel to be better than the original, and when it inevitably doesn't reach their expectations they become disappointed and end up hating it when the movie is good on its own accord.

In the case of MIB 2, I'm happy to report...well...that argument doesn't apply. Not to say MIB 2 isn't enjoyable. It is. The villain here played by Lara Flynn Boyle is certainly much more developed and interesting than the villain in MIB 1, and the first portion of the movie where J tries to re-recruit K after K has his memory wiped at the end of MIB 1 is great and very funny.

But after he comes back, well, it feels like a...sequel. The jokes are the same, the characters are the same (save J's new love interest named Laura, played by Rosario Dawson, who is about as interesting as any other Will Smith love interest in any movie he's ever been a part of), and the ending is basically the same, except this time the focus is not on K, but Laura who we care much less about.

If you enjoyed the first MIB, I still recommend watching this one, as you'll likely still enjoy it, but if you didn't then this one won't be your saving grace.3 stars: Enjoyable, but unremarkable.