Film

Men in Black II (2002)

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

That no-nonsense title tells its own story and several critics have complained that what seemed new and different five years ago now feels, well, so five years ago. Back then, we reckoned the original was 'so much fun, it's almost over before you realise you've been watching a great idea for a movie desperately in search of a plot,' and that still applies, more or less, though the film-making is so insouciant you can't imagine desperation figuring much at all. These guys save the world with seconds to spare and a shrug. Eye-candy includes the slippery Serleena, an alien lifeform that considerately morphs into the body of Lara Flynn Boyle, but betrays no patience for chitchat. Mostly, however, the movie concerns itself with reuniting the pining Agent J (Smith) and his neuralised ex, K (Jones), who's been minding his business in the US postal service. Turns out that just about everyone who works in the post office is an alien. Are they coasting, or is it just that they make it look effortless? Either way, the movie's smart, funny and fairly forgettable.

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