Don’t go back for‘Men in Black II’

When you think of the original “Men in Black,” many words come to mind. Exciting. Funny. Breathtaking. One word that comes to mind when discussing “Men in Black II” is “disappointing.” Imagine all of the paths that could have been taken to bring the characters to a new level and when you see this pointless retread of the first film, “disappointing” is the only word that seems to fit.

In his five years at the MIB, Agent J (Will Smith) has become an important force for the organization. However, a new threat has arrived. It’s called Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) a shape-shifting alien scouring Earth for a source of power known as the “Light of Zartha,” something so powerful that it has the ability to destroy the world. Only one person knows where the Light is located: Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Too bad that J erased his memory in the last movie. J finds K and brings him back to MIB HQ to restore his memory—only to find that Serleena has taken over and captured all of the agents. Barely escaping, J must find some way to bring K back to normal, find the Light of Zartha and defeat Serleena, all before midnight.

Very little from “Men in Black II” isn’t directly derived from its predecessor. Sure, change a few details here and there, but essentially, it’s the same old song and dance. In fact, you could almost chart the original in the sequel, scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot: the UFO crash, the “super car” scene, the countdown to destruction—all in the same sequence as the first film. Try as you might to generate interest in it, there’s no hiding the fact that there was no reason for this movie’s existence.

The actors, on the other hand, are a split decision. The leads, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, fondly remember their MIB characters and they give them the enthusiasm they deserve. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast cannot be praised. Lara Flynn Boyle has the integral villain position, but rather than relish in it, she prefers to remain flat and boring. Also thrown in is a waitress, played by Rosario Dawson, whose role seems nothing more than an afterthought and so does her performance.

Several years ago, director Barry Sonnenfeld commented that he didn’t want to make a sequel to “Men in Black.” In the end, he got his wish, seeing as though he just made the same movie over again. There’s only one logical course of action for the audience: Just forget that this sequel ever happened, rent the first “Men in Black” and enjoy yourself.