Like many others I'm really rather fond of Men In Black, the 1997 comedy vehicle for Will Smith in which he joined a government organisation which policed aliens secretly living on earth (mainly New York). Perhaps because of the mix of comedy, an action adventure that took itself and the characters seriously, blended with a mix of fantasy with original effects work, not to mention its New York setting, Men In Black most felt like Ghostbusters...but for the UFO crowd. It shouldn't be surprising then that the sequel to Men In Black should be equally as lame as the Ghostbusters follow up.
But it is. Men In Black II feels rushed and like it's been developed by a committee of eager to please studio executives and toy manufactures. So we have an Earth in peril plot that feels kind of derivative of the first film (complete with evil alien hiding in a host human body), a contrived love interest for Will Smith (thankfully in the luminous form of the lovely Rosario Dawson), a time wasting plot to wedge Tommy Lee Jones' previously departed character back into the franchise, a visual style that rarely ventures outside the parameters of the first film and an annoying talking animal sidekick.
The story has no real flow feeling more like a serious of disjointed, unfunny scenes, Barry Sonnenfeld's direction lacks the sharp timing he brought to The Addams Family movies and much of the effects work is terrible whether it's Jeff the giant worm of Johnny Knoxville's weird, detached, floating-in-space second head.
There are a few smiles to be had and one big belly laugh once Mr Jones is back on the case, but really, this is a sequel that shouldn't have happened. Here's hoping this summer's Men In Black 3 regains the franchise mojo.
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