Men In Black II

Movie Name: Men in Black II

Year of Release: 2002

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle, Rosario Dawson, Rip Torn, Johnny Knoxville, Tony Shalhoub, Patrick Warburton, Jack Kehler, David Cross

Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis:

After the success that met the first "Men in Black" the sequel was inevitable, which came out 5 years later. This time around, agent J has to and seek out the retired agent K, since there's a new alien threat on Earth. This new threat, who has taken the shape of a beautiful lingerie model (and has a two headed assistant), is looking for an alien artifact. This alien browsing on Earth is witnessed by a waitress, who spurs the romantic interest of agent J, and who turns out has a tie to agent K. It's up to them to reunite and save the planet.
Barry Sonnenfeld's career has been largely dominated by comedic films, with his most successful ones ("The Adams Family", "Men in Black", "Get Shorty") being a perfect blend of wit, finely tuned characters and a unique stylistic approach (that is also a testament to his early career as a cinematographer). "Men in Black II" follows the pattern established by the first film, with the dichotomy of the central characters making for the odd couple routine, providing enough fodder for the successful comedy bits. The film also benefits from the casting of an interesting array of very talented supporting actors, including Rip Torn, Lara Flynn Boyle and Rosario Dawson. The film however doesn't really add anything new in terms of structure or further expansion of the characters, particularly when compared to the original, but it's expertly built with a fantastic team featuring the score from Danny Elfman, the makeup effects from Rick Baker and production design from the great Bo Welch. An entertaining, yet forgetful sequel from an interesting film maker.