Sunshine and Light

Men In Black II

Yes...I know. Choosing to watch Men In Black II – willingly, and not as part of some terrorist plot – has just ruined any Foreign Film cred I got from watching “Scent of Green Papaya”. And when I admit that MIIB is more my speed anyway, thousands will turn from me in disgust and despair, rending garments and ripping out hair.

Having said that, I don’t think MIIB is GOOD, I just enjoy a fluffy, no-brains-required action/comedy more than I probably should. Instead of appreciating the beauty of a quite garden with dripping papaya stems, I like jokes about the noisy cricket and blowing off an alien’s head so that he can complain about growing it back again. It’s goofy. It’s unrealistic. It’s perfect for an exhausting Monday night.

Alas, MIIB failed because it lacked the chemistry of the first one. Will Smith has outgrown the ability to just charm his way across the screen (much as it pains me to say it. I liked the old, charming Will). Tommy Lee Jones insouciance in the first movie doesn’t work here where he plays a guy who’s trying to remember the basics of the job. And let’s not even discuss Lara Flynn Boyle. She brings NOTHING to this movie. As a villain, she’s so far out of the ballpark compared to Vincent D’Onofrio that she’s not even ...in the same galaxy. The jokes about where galaxies can be found have already been outed by the first movie, and there’s little fresh about this movie. So it borrows heavily from the first movie to help explain the relationship between J & K, but then ignores the first movie all together in making the “world in a confined space” jokes.

Ultimately – it’s better than The Transporter, but you’d still be better off re-watching MIB1 instead.

Sorry, Will.

Labels: Movies

posted by MyHusbandRules @ 5:51 PM