MIB II:
Getting Freaky With It

By Esther Iverem
SeeingBlack.com Editor and Film Critic

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"Men In Black II" has jokes, action, and lots of funky aliens—including a seven-ton worm, a two-headed man and a snake lady—that give new meaning to the phrase "get your freak on" But the film does not have an ounce of tension. [Hey, even "Ghostbusters" had tension.] Not for a moment do we really believe that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are really saving the earth from anything more dangerous than a rolled-up comic book. And not for one moment do we really believe that they might lose their paper fight.

In the summer of a tough, flying Spiderman, a saber-wielding Yoda and a crime fighter with removable eyeballs, "Men in Black II" comes off as a parody of itself, self-conscious and mocking of its own silliness. And that's not all bad. At the same time that it seems designed for the 13-year-old male, it also holds some amusement for adults who enjoy a film with no pretension that it is about more than entertainment. From its first scene, a fake TV show with 1930's special effects about the Men in Black agency, this movie lets us know that it's all jokes.

Without tension, we're left with a series of visually interesting scenes that, depending on your investment in them, will either amuse you mildly or a great deal. The story here is that Agent J.(Will Smith) has not given up his good government job and is still working for the Men In Black, a secret agency that regulates alien life on earth. When a new alien plot that could endanger the planet is uncovered, Agent J is sent to find his old partner Agent K. (Jones) and bring him out of retirement. Together the two must face the evil and determined Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle), a slithering Kylothian monster who has transformed herself into a Victoria's Secret model.

Ha-ha. So goes the jokes, with Sarleena, having just landed and devoured a man whole, strutting through Central Park in her lingerie, with a belly the size of a planet. So goes the movie—entertaining in spots, mainly frothy, not riveting.

In the four years since we last met Agent J., he has developed more confidence and competence in his work but he is still foundering in the shadow of the legend, Agent K. Smith brings some hipness and energy to the flick but is confined by his character's lack of cool and action skills. Several scenes are supposed to be funny because aliens toss Smith's character around like a ragdoll, in a manner that they never toss Jones's character. Agent K. might be wrapped up in snakes-like vines. He could be about to be eaten. But he is always cool. Good thing, because Agent K's coolness helps to mask the fact that Jones sleepwalks though the movie.

Aside from the talking dog, the real acting standout for me is Boyle who, with her best steely stare and demeanor, shows that there is not too far a leap between the assistant district attorney she plays on ABC's "The Practice" and a control freak alien from outer space who can eat you alive.

Esther Iverem's film reviews also appear on BET.com

Related Sites:

• http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/meninblack/

-- July 12, 2002

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