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Review: Men In Black II

The first Men In Black came out of nowhere five years ago. Barry Sonnenfeld stole the box office that summer with the original, strange, hilarious, spoofy sci-fi comedy. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were the perfect pair for this inventive "who-are-the-aliens-in-our-midst" romp, playing secret agents working for a super-secret government agency keeping an eye on beings from outer space. It was perfect for the era of the still-vibrant X-Files. The sequel, inevitably, has lost some of the surprise. But it's still plenty of fun. Spoilage warning: plot discussed, not ending, not that it matters here.

The story line is almost irrelevant. Will Smith (Agent Jay) has to neuralize one dumb partner after another, and ends up with a smart-mouthed, sometimes hilarious pug for a partner. He pines for his former sidekick Tommy Lee Jones (Agent Kay), now neuralized and working for the institution with the greatest number of aliens, the U.S. Post Office. (The movie, like the first, gets off some great double entendres and inside jokes).

The movie opens with a campy Peter Graves spoof on the Ed Woods' style sci-fi movies of the 50's and 60's. Simply, Lara Flynn Boyle plays Serleena, the powerful alien queen ravaging earth to get her hands on a distant planet's light source. If she isn't stopped, the world will be destroyed, of course. Her prescence forces the MIB agency (headed by Sid, played by Rip Torn) to go and de-neuralize Kay, who comes back to re-join his buddy and save the world.

This is all beside the point, of course. The whole film is a device for Sonnenfeld's loopy rags on Martha Stewart (not perhaps as funny as it would have been a month ago) and Michael Jackson. There are hilarious locker room and worm aliens, and blessedly, the movie never takes itself seriously for a single second. Like the better parts of the Scream series, the movie ends up spoofing itself and the people who loved it.

If you go see it, all you need to know is that the surprise originality of the first is missing, mostly because we know what to expect, but the loopy and inventive spirit of MIB is very much alive.

CmdrTaco my 2 bits is that this movie was bland. It probably is my least favorite of the last half dozen movies I've seen. I loved the original, but this just doesn't have the punch of the first. Its got its moments, but the whole ride is weak. Watch Lilo & Stich instead ;)

15 of 429 comments (clear)

  1. First Jon Katz Sucks Post!!! by Alec_Baldwin · · Score: -1, Troll

    I hate America. I'm finally leaving. Cya suckers.

    1. Re:First Jon Katz Sucks Post!!! by Alec_Baldwin · · Score: -1, Troll

      Another fine fp for the clit. I was going to dedicate it to my brothas Egg Troll, on by, trollaxor, diaper tales, and all the fine members of the CLiT. Unfortunately I saw an AC fag on the horizon so I had to claim it immediately. Oh well, back to using lightspeed .NET technology to claim future FP's.

      *vrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooom*

  2. It was sadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    right out of assland and sucked major dick.

    Go see this crappy website instead.

  3. MIB and 9/11 by Angry+Black+Man · · Score: -1, Troll

    Hey Jon, does the movie draw any 9/11 "terrorism" parrallels or allegories? From the trailers, it seems as though many of the worms have a distinctly Arab/Middle eastern look about them. Do any buildings get knocked over? Or any reference to American patriotism?

    In this post-9/11 world you would expect a movie of such intellectual caliber as MIIB to handle it in a sensitive, way.

    --
    the byproduct of years of oppression by the white man
  4. Props to Katz! by st0rmshad0w · · Score: 1, Troll

    Glad to see he made it all the way thru that without a single 9/11 reference, but I think I still need to go with Taco on this one, it was pretty weak compared to the original.

  5. Re:Lilo and Stitch all the way! by hendridm · · Score: 0, Troll

    > why hasn't there been a slashdot review of Lilo and Stitch?

    Because a lot of us are adults and/or prefer adult-oriented humor (not porn, but some post-grade school wit is always appreciated).

  6. Re:Lilo and Stitch all the way! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Megumi, when are you going back to Japan? I am living in Tokyo, and quite frankly I would love to fuck the ass off of you when you get back.

    Let's go out for drinks!

  7. Empire Strikes Back = worst of the 5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    "I still say that "Empire Strikes Back" s***ed"

    Its boring. Even worse than the one with Jar Jar.

  8. delayed lucidity by jafac · · Score: 3, Troll

    I've noticed an odd effect, roughly for the past two or three years, prior to watching a movie, I've been a little exited by the hype, then while watching the movie, I'm usually really digging it. Then, anywhere from a couple of hours to maybe a day later, I'm thinking about it and going, "man, that movie actually kinda sucked".

    I mean, Episode I, despite Jar Jar, I was really exited and into it, because my 6 year old son was. But later, thinking about it, I couldn't find any really redeeming qualities to it except maybe a little satisfaction at knowing some of the earlier history of Star Wars.
    Same with Episode II. Damn, nearly every movie I've seen in the theaters for the past 2-3 years, except maybe Being John Malkovich.

    That said; having seen MIIB yesterday - it sucked. It sucked really bad. I want my money back. I want my two hours back. Seems the only way Will Smith can get people to listen to his RAP anymore is to get in a movie and virally infect the soundtrack with it. The ONLY worthwhile bit was when he says his car originally had a black driver, but he kept getting pulled over. And I saw that in the trailer.

    And I'm not going to see Minority Report, because I'm boycotting the Church of Scientology.

    Depressingly, the next movie I'm looking forward to is LOTR II. At least I got to see the trailer. But even more, I'm looking forward to LOTR I's DVD with the extra hour of footage.
    Fuck this. Movies suck, work sucks, I'm the only person in the office - screw it I'm going to the beach.

    --

    These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
  9. Your Message by Slashdot's+Attorney · · Score: -1, Troll

    It has come to the attention of Slashdot that you have been posting material that falls under Slashdot's copyright. Please cease this behavior as required under the DMCA and the U.S. Copyright Act. Feel free to contact me if you have further questions. For future reference, Slashdot retains ownership of all articles, messages, reviews, and columns posted on the Slashdot message board. Thank you for your understanding.

  10. Re:Lilo and Stitch all the way! by Megumi_Slashbot · · Score: 0, Troll

    I don't know if that's a troll or a genuine anonymouscoward pickup line! if it's a troll... that's not a real troll. THIS is a REAL troll. You knows the rest! Megumi!

    --
    :)
  11. Re:Best line by RTFA+Man · · Score: -1, Troll

    Even funnier -- I missed it and your girlfriend was sucking my head off. That bitch loves to polish my knob. I think she does it just for the special sauce, though.

  12. cmdrtaco by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    CmdrTaco my 2 bits is that this movie was bland. It probably is my least favorite of the last half dozen movies I've seen. I loved the original, but this just doesn't have the punch of the first. Its got its moments, but the whole ride is weak. Watch Lilo & Stich instead ;)

    Who cares what you think??? Watch a faggoty animation movie instead???

  13. Life in the Marketing Dept. by etp · · Score: 0, Troll

    Though I have not yet seen this excuse for a movie, I cannot imagine this is a real review. How much of the marketing budget did Columbia Pictures use up to pay you? Not much I think.

  14. Re:Lilo and Stitch all the way! by daviddennis · · Score: 1, Troll

    How is she going to know which AC to contact upon her return to Japan?

    This provoked my curiosity; nice picture indeed. But how do I know this is a correct picture of the poseter? After all, she admits she's a troll.

    Are trolls not legendary for posting bogus pictures of themselves?

    D