Stars: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Rip Torn, Lara Flynn Boyle, Rosario Dawson, Tony Shalhoub, Jack Kehler, Martha Stewart, Peter Graves, David Cross, Michael Jackson, Biz Markie

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Summary: Now a high ranking member of the Men In Black, Agent Jay must find former Agent Kay who after having his memory wiped settled for the quiet life and became a postmaster... Together they must join forces to battle against a particularly nasty alien called Serleena who has taken on the appearance of a lingerie model...

Reuniting director Barry Sonnenfeld with most of the original film's cast, MEN IN BLACK II picks up with alien-monitoring secret agent Jay (Will Smith) in a rut. Weary of the isolated life of an MIB operative, Jay continually fires new partners until MIB director Zed (Rip Torn) teams him up with the talkative pug Frank (voiced by Tim Blaney). Together they investigate an "alien-on-alien" murder witnessed by the lovely Rita (Rosario Dawson), who Jay immediately falls for. The case eventually leads Jay and Frank to track down agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), who now works at a rural post office, completely unaware of his former life. Unfortunately, it's what Kay can't remember that may save the world from destruction at the hands of the shape-shifting alien Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle). As Jay attempts to jog the memory of the reluctant Kay, Serleena takes over MIB headquarters, building up to a big New York City showdown.
A fast-paced follow-up to the 1997 sci-fi comedy, MEN IN BLACK II sticks to its guns, offering up more action, aliens, and intergalactic weirdness. This time around Smith and characters such as Frank and the wisecracking worms are the focus, although Jones makes the most out of his screen time with his deadpan persona thoroughly intact. And, as with the first movie, MIB II features plenty of enjoyable scenes, including an underground romp involving a subway-sized alien and Frank the Dog's head-out-of-the-car-window rendition of "I Will Survive."

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An exercise in by-numbers sequel-craft, Men in Black II reheats the mix that made a hit of Men in Black but leaves the ingredients in the oven a little too long. Returning director Barry Sonnenfeld throws all the pieces up in the air and has them come down more or less in the same way. An evil alien takes the form of lingerie model Lara Flynn Boyle, when it isn't a large ball of snakes, and searches the Earth for a mysterious whatsit that can turn the tide of a galactic war. The only person who knows the current whereabouts of the Light of Zartha is Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), whose memory was wiped at the end of the first film. Agent Jay (Will Smith) has to recruit his old mentor away from his new job at the post office--where he amusingly deals with spilled cups of coffee in exactly the way he used to handle interstellar crises--then proceeds to run around until he remembers how the plot works.

It's the sort of sequel that assumes walk-on-gag characters, who got a laugh last time round, deserve to be brought back and given bigger roles, which means the talking dog and cigarette-fiend worms show up again and wear out their welcome. Smith, a bigger star now than he was in MiB, unhappily has to play straight leading man rather than whacky sidekick, and his end credits rapping hasn't improved either. Its acceptable in-flight entertainment (and miles better than the Smith-Sonnenfeld Wild Wild West), but nothing here hasn't been done before and better. --Kim Newman

On the DVD:Men in Black II boasts a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that positively jumps out of the screen, while the Dolby Digital soundtrack hums with alien activity and Danny Elfman's classic spy film-inspired score. Disc 1 contains the film, "Frank's Favourites" (a selection of trailers for both films and videogames), a commentary from director Barry Sonnenfeld and "Alien Broadcast" (an in-movie feature that allows you to stop the film and watch a making-of feature connected with that scene). Disc 2 is packed full with a pick and mix of featurettes, detailing everything from the distinctive aliens to sound and audio looping. There is also an expansive outtake reel (most of which consists of Will Smith cracking up and Tommy Lee Jones getting annoyed), a somewhat highbrow but nonetheless entertaining documentary about Barry Sonnenfeld's comedy style, plus multi-angle scene deconstructions such as the subway worm and car chase. An alternative ending and Will Smith's music video and filmographies complete this expansive special edition. --Kristen Bowditch

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	None
Subtitles:	Dutch, English, Hindi
Year:	2002
Release Date:	July 7, 2003
Runtime:	84 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C S B 32718
Keywords:	Black, Men, Comedy, General, Wide, Screen, Fiction, Science, Horror, Ii, Sci, Fi, Mib, Superbit
Genre:	Science Fiction