Men In Black II-Made Me Sad
Men in Black II is a big let down. The original MIB was a lot of fun with a innovative script which was original in numerous directions, ranging from its approach to science-fiction comedy to visual effects. Men in Black II is a good example of why there is so much trepidation in regards to sequels. MIB 2 takes what was great about the original and knocks those elements around and drags them out. The film isn’t bad, its just a let down.
In brief, Agent J (Smith) must get Agent K (Jones) back on the force so to speak. Agent K has had his memory wiped and has no recollection of his time as an Agent, and the world needs him blay, blay, blay. With all the potential stories at their disposal someone should have stepped up and cranked out a better sequel than this one. Yes, it has its funny moments, and yes it has some good visuals, but that’s not enough when a potential franchise is on the line. Again, this is not a horrible script, but with so many options for where the franchise could go, what we needed was more bravery.
Money wasn’t a problem as there was approximately $140-$150 million to play with, and that is a lot of cash even by the current silly Hollywood budgets. This budget, like so many of the current budgets of blockbusters is something of a problem. What ultimately ends up on the screen simply does not reflect the price tag of this film. If I was a shareholder I would be pretty upset and more to the point I would want an accounting of where that $140 or even $150 million dollars went, because it is not reflected in the production values of the film. The production values are very good, they just aren’t $140 or $150 million dollars good. With all that said, the film was wildly successful and profitable, but truthfully the failure to go with a stronger script undoubtedly will undercut the profits of Men in Black III, which will need to be excellent to reinvigorate the fan base. Don’t worry, with around $300 million dollars rolling in you can bet there will be another film, let’s just hope it has some of the originality of the first film.
Story C
Acting B (Strong acting performances by Smith and Jones help a script that needed an influx of originality.)
Visuals B
Originality/Innovation C
Enjoyability Grade B-
Home Theater/HD Factor B
Overall Grade B-
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