I can’t think of a film sequel more devoid of the spirit of its predecessor than “Men In Black II.” The first film was a silly, fun-filled look at a secret government organization that keeps the world safe from alien threats. “MIB II” takes the escapades of the organization far too seriously. Will Smith is back as Agent J, but he finds the partners since Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) retired to be lacking in one way or another. The first ex-partner, who was played in the first movie by Linda Fiorentino, has returned to her career as a coroner. His latest partner, Agent T (Patrick Warburton), simply doesn’t listen to J, and continually feels badly when he lets J down. When he gets fed up with T, Agent J erases T’s memory with his neuralizer. Agent Zed (Rip Torn) is getting fed up with J’s dissatisfaction. J is then partnered with an insider, Frank the Pug (voiced by Tim Blaney), and they continue the current investigation.

An alien named Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) has landed in New York, looking for an item called the Light of Zartha. It was brought to earth in the late seventies in an effort to protect it from people like Serleena, who wish to use it for evil. The Men in Black team back then, which included Agent K, was supposed to refuse the light, for it has the potential to destroy the planet. Serleena and her two-headed henchman, Scrad/Charlie (Johnny Knoxville), are certain that the light is still there. They tear apart a pizza parlor where Laura Vasquez (Rosario Dawson) works, and she witnesses the killing of her boss, who doesn’t die in normal human fashion. J gets her into protective custody, and he then discovers K’s involvement. Zed then sends J to a small Massachusetts town to talk to K, who is now a postmaster named Kevin Brown. Before he can get answers, J must convince K that he did have this past. Then, he needs to be deneuralized for his answers. Meanwhile, Serleena waylays the MIB headquarters in an effort to get answers about the light. Frank is the only agent there who hasn’t been affected.

“MIB II” has a complete lack of chemistry between the lead actors, Smith and Jones. Smith simply looks angry, and Jones looks bored. No MIB innovation can correct that. In the first movie, J was the cocky, but capable novice. As a veteran, though, he has become more capable, but much more cocky, and a lot more insufferable. He not only dislikes his partners, but he berates the people he neuralizes. In one scene, after watching a video key to the whereabouts of the light, J tells its owner to move out of his mother’s place and treat his girlfriend to a meal that’s not cheap. How’s that for gratitude? K is very much like J, both at the post office and once his memory is restored. He looks unhappy in either uniform. Outside of some of Blaney’s lines as Frank, the pug eager to work with J, I didn’t find anything funny in this movie. Cameos by Michael Jackson and “MIB” series director Barry Sonnenfeld are totally pointless.

Further, Sonnenfeld breaks no new ground in “MIB II.” In both movies, an alien assumes human form. In the first movie, Vincent D’Onofrio has some funny moments as the farmer possessed by aliens. Boyle, whose character assumes human form through a lingerie ad, is strictly business as Serleena. The only difference from her counterpart in “MIB” is that she looks good wearing things from Victoria’s Secret. No attempt is made to explore the humor in the identity she assumes. The same holds true for Knoxville’s two-headed alien. It might have been nice to see the two-headed creature at odds with himself. Instead, all we get is one head trying to give the other one a cold. While Tony Shalhoub’s alien, Jack Jeebs, provides a pivotal plot point in “MIB II,” he is also there to have his regenerative head blasted off several more times. For those who saw the first installment, we’ve been there, we’ve seen that.

“Men In Black II” is, for me, the sorriest sequel of the summer. When “MIB II” isn’t repeating itself, it has forgotten the sense of humor that made the first effort so successful. It also failed to redevelop the chemistry between its stars. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones seem like two people at a reunion who really don’t care to see one another. They’re just there on a mission to save the earth again. The work they loved has become a chore. When the work of the MIB becomes a chore, they consequently become a chore to watch. It’s an action film that lacks both adventure and humor. In the future, when people create glossaries of movie terms, they might define the words “in name only sequel” with “Men In Black II,” which is the polar opposite of its predecessor. If this constitutes a sequel, then it’s time for this series to fade to black.

Recommended:
No

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age