Rating- * * (2/5)
Of all the polls and surveys we take to try and analyze the collective mind of the American masses, there is no better barometer than the box-office sales. Look at the highest grossing movies throughout history and it will tell you a lot about the American public at the time. Take, for example, this summer’s box-office trends; of all the highly acclaimed, smart comedies and dramas being released this summer, what are the two that make the most money? Scooby Doo and Men in Black II. Now I’m not saying that the American public is a mass of drooling idiots but – well, maybe that is what I’m saying. Americans have traditionally loved science fiction and comedy in the summer because it serves as a form of escapism from the drudgery of everyday life. Americans also don’t like to take risks; they like to know what’s coming before they ever make it to the theater. These two movies certainly offer familiarity and predictability and they at least advertise science fiction and comedy (whether or not they actually deliver it is another matter). I should make it clear that I am usually a big fan of sequels. I love taking a great story and great characters and revisiting them. But there comes a point at which the studios simply run out of ideas and fall back onto sequels to serve as nothing more than paychecks. Don’t believe me? Look at a list of upcoming movies: a Harry Potter sequel, a Lord of the Rings sequel, a Silence of the Lambs sequel, Terminator 3, Spider Man 2, Star Wars: Episode III, and two Matrix sequels! Not that I’m not excited about some of these but give me a break! Sequels can work when the characters and concept are taken in a new direction, but unfortunately that is not the case in Men in Black II. The characters and situations they are put in are entirely the same as they were in the original film. The jokes may have been funny the first time, but when they are retread and reused they are just not as fresh and original. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have pretty good chemistry together but they are really the only thing the keeps the film tolerable. Lara Flynn Boyle, although great looking has no effectiveness as a villain and her two-headed sidekick, played by Johnny Knoxville from Jackass fame, falls flat as a comic relief. The storyline, if you can call it that, is basically another form of the original story with a girl thrown into the mix this time. In short, Men in Black II works better as a deleted scene from the original film than as a separate film. If you were a fan of the first one you may want to check it out, but at least wait for it to come out on DVD which it surely will soon. As for the general public, I advise you not to even bother with this one, even though you probably already have anyway. Let this be a lesson that just because it works once, doesn’t mean it will work again.