Five years ago, movie-goers were treated to an unusual, spectacular, and truly new film entitled Men In Black. The premise was simple, the monsters believable, and the movie as a whole was funny, well-written, and a joy to watch. I've popped this thing in my DVD player whenever I couldn't find something else to pique my interest. You'd think, that following the successful first installment, the sequel wouldn't be far behind, but a long five years later (in movie terms), the sequel has arrived, and unfortunately, lost that mystique that made the first one so much fun.

Once again, Will Smith stars as Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones reprises his role as Agent K. The plot is simple, find an extraterrestrial artifact that has been stashed on earth before the evil Seerlena (Lara Flynn Boyle) can uncover its whereabouts. But since we last left the men in black, things have changed - including, multiple times, Agent J's partner (explaining the absence of his partner at the end of the last film, Linda Fiorentino). While the objective may be simple, it seems that Agent K (who was deneuralized when last we left him) is the only one with the knowledge needed to find the artifact. So not only do we have to sit idly by as Agent J goes through yet another partner, we have to wait for him to find and convince K that he's needed back in the MIB.

Thoroughly tedious and devoid of the comedic banter between J and K the first film had, Men in Black II leaves the audience utterly bored as the special effects try (but don't succeed) to replace the void left by the script. Written by Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro, the same two behind the surprisingly entertaining Galaxy Quest, this film is flat and vacuous. The witty humor that filled both MIB and Galaxy Quest is all but missing here as there are only a couple times in which the film actually succeeds at humor.

It's really a shame that this film doesn't live up to the hype. All of the funny parts you've seen in the trailer is about all there is to look forward to in the film. Will Smith is acceptable in his return role, but nothing spectacular. It's not until he once again joins up with Tommy Lee Jones that they both begin to show some emotion and the film actually begins to entertain somewhat. I had hoped that MIB:II would be the sequel to reinvigorate the series, spawn a third installment, and entertain the masses this holiday weekend. But all it basically adds up to is a disappointment that will undoubtedly make money off of unsuspecting movie patrons - truly a shame that this film couldn't live up to the greatness of the first.

Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13 - For sci-fi action violence and some provocative humor.
Runtime: 88 minutes
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