Top Box Office Movies - Men in Black 2

Men in Black 2 (2002) Columbia Pictures
1 hr. 31 mins.
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rip Torn and Lara Flynn Boyle.
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld

Men in Black 2

Rating:

E-MAIL GIANCARLO DE LISI

Photo: Columbia Tristar

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return in a mindless sequel that fares no better or no worse than the original. ‘Men in Black 2’ is a repackaging of all the elements the first had and makes no attempt at a creative excursion. Sure, we discover we have some new aliens on earth (Oprah Winfrey) and we see some new gadgets, but nothing seems inventive in this Summer Sequel that will definitely attract the masses and disappoint the discerning viewers.

Set in present day New York, the Men in Black are comfortably monitoring the extra terrestrial activity on earth when a new threat must be dealt with. Will Smith reprises his role as Agent J, the resilient and courageous Agent who was recruited in the first film by Tommy Lee Jones’s character Agent K. In this installment, after being voided of his memories of the MIB, Agent K must be recruited by his old partner as only he knows the secret at stopping this new hybrid of evil – a voluptuous Lara Flynn Boyle. Boyle attempts at personifying evil but many will not be able to get past her black bra and full red lips as she portrays Serleena, a ravenous extra terrestrial hell bent on destroying the Men in Black.

As one may expect, the plot is wafer – thin. The first indicative of a mediocre film is the running time. Director Barry Sonnenfeld seemed content to deliver a mediocre and thinly paced film that was barely 90 minutes long. Sonnenfeld took the exact same style and production values from the first and does not impress at all in this installment. This can be seen from the opening credits as the mosaic like credits seen in the first open the film along with the film’s score. Even Danny Elfman’s musical stylings do not seem at their norm as he tries his best to compliment the weak pace of the film.

At just about 90 minutes, this would call for a fast paced film. Those who have seen the first film will easily become accustomed to this film’s exact mirroring of the plot development. Scripted by Robert Gordon, the writer of this installment seems to have taken a page from the first film’s writer Ed Solomon. The first film had Jones’ character recruiting Smith’s character; as aforementioned, the second has the exact opposite occurring. Set in a surreal and awkward New York, the film wastes no time introducing us to the weird and at times comedic aliens that inhabit the earth. From talking dogs to talking worms, to 200 foot aliens that reside in New York’s subway tracks, Sonnenfeld wants to capture that same inventiveness and fails as we are treated to a film developed through the art of recycling.

The film impressively does not rely on special effects to dictate the story. Sonnenfeld just uses them at the end to kill off a decent time at the movies with an overkill of stupidity. The film attempts at working on underdeveloped and uncaring characters as they are supposed to be the focal point of the film. Yet, they seem to be the laughing stock of the film as these are just about the most one-dimensional characters you will ever see. Smith and Jones seem to have a great rapport and are the film’s only fun factor. Yet, romance sparks in the unlikeliest of places as love at first sight is experienced in this film foreshadowing a ridiculous and altruistic climax. The film’s formula is simple: explain the threat, recruit Agent K, have fun with attempting to retrieve the memories Agent K had in order to save humanity, and roll the credits. In a nutshell, that is it. How fun can a movie like this be? Not that fun. The meat of the movie is in the middle section and surprisingly does not rely on aliens, it is between the interplay Smith and Jones have as they engage in some character clashing.

Smith takes control of the film’s opening as he showcases his character’s bitterness towards loneliness in the employment. As a result, he falls for the girl in the crime scene (Rosario Dawson) who turns out to be much more important than she seems to be. Facing a threat; under strict orders from the returning Agent Z (Rip Torn); he is assigned to recruit Agent K and retrieve his memories. Sonnenfeld’s direction is lackluster and makes it seem as if he knows how to direct a film ‘like the back of his hand’. This is stated due to the blatant lack of originality viewed resulting in this writer to think Sonnenfeld is better than any other Director. There is no effort seen on screen – not a good thing.

Still, the movie turns out to be not as bad as it could have been. Despite the flawed script, flawed characters and flawed directing, the film does retain a sense of fantasy that serves its’ purpose. Smith’s acting is average as he must act alongside a smile- less Jones as he tries his best not to crack a smile for his tough guy persona to play out for the story. In this review, references were constantly being made to the first film because if you have seen the first film, you have seen it all. A promising first 60 minutes fizzles out into an overblown, fabricated and corny climax that will leave audience members screaming for mercy. Without saying too much, romance has no part in science fiction/fantasy film, furthermore, using it as am apparatus to make the ‘wussies’ in the audience sulk is insulting.

The worst part of the film is that it makes no attempt at trying to outdo itself. It is clear that Sonnenfeld and company decided to play it safe with this installment and did not even attempt to deliver the world an interesting piece of entertainment. Instead, we are treated to a film that is no better of no worse than the original.

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Giancarlo De Lisi
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