|
Men in Black 2
Approach cautiously, or not at all
By Harold John Behling
![Tommy Lee Jones, left, and Will Smith hunt for criminal aliens in]() " SRC="http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper231/stills/voxj01d6.jpeg" >Media Credit: KRT Tommy Lee Jones, left, and Will Smith hunt for criminal aliens in "Men In Black II." The movie opened nationwide July 3.
|
|
As one of the more anticipated sequels of summer 2002, Men in Black promises another truckload of dry humor, strange and exotic aliens, and the verification of our most paranoid theories about extra terrestrial life.
And it delivers to this effect. What it doesn't do is show the audience anything that they haven't seen before. And as many sequels in the past have shown us, the concept of the original alone cannot carry the second movie.
Men In Black 2 takes place six years after the original. A vastly powerful alien being arrives on Earth, assumes the form of a sexy femme fatale (Lara Flynn Boyle), and holds MIB headquarters ransom in order to recover some precious space artifact. In order to track this secret artifact, Agent J (Will Smith) must call upon the retired Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones).
On paper this plot seems both boring and unoriginal. On the screen it's even more boring and unoriginal.
The primary fault being that the dry, nonchalant-in-the-face-of-the-extraordinary, not-surprized-by-anything, composure of Smith and Jones is overplayed.
In the first movie there was a contrast. Smith was the unbelieving inner-city cop who freaked out extensively at the sight of Tommy Lee Jones blowing off the head of an alien (which grew back.. this scene also appears in the sequel). His outlandish behavior played perfectly against Tommy Lee Jones' stony faced composure.
In MIB2, Will Smith's character has become the hardened MIB agent. Compared to Jones, he is still the hot headed rookie, eager to jump into the fray, but this aspect of his character isn't portrayed effectively. Neither is the chemistry between the two which propelled the original.
However, the aspect of this film that is most destructive to its potential is its complete and total lack of suspense. There is never a doubt that the world will be saved, both agents will survive, the pretty girl will emerge unscathed, and the city of New York will remain oblivious to the presence of aliens, secret organizations and the whole bit.
It goes as far as to look like both Jones and Smith have already seen the movie, as they know exactly how to deal with each problem placed in font of them. This complete lack of emotional fuel is best shown in a scene where Smith hangs from the mouth of a large worm while Jones absently blasts potshots at it while at the same time giving a speech to this film's heroine (played by Rosario Dawson).
Even with this fistful of complaints, it is still possible to make a decent comedic film (even a sequel). But the bottom line is, it just isn't funny. Or rather funny enough to devote two or more hours to.
Sprinkled intermittently are a few good laughs but nothing comparable to some of the hilarious sequences in the original.
If you're a die- hard fan of the original, you might be able to squeeze a few extra laughs out of it, making it worth your while, but don't say I didn't warn you. Sequels should always be approached cautiously (or in this case, not at all).
|
|
|
|
|
|
