Men in Black II

Men in Black II is a misguided and spasmodic patchwork of spectacular scenes, a third of which could have been cut out and no on would have been worse off for it. But then the film would have been an “unusable” 60 minutes. I’m actually asking myself why I’m giving it three stars. Maybe just for the divine dog. (12/07/2002)

In a word, hopeless. There are lots of conversational moments that are supposed to be funny but aren't and miss the point. The film cost 140 million, but it doesn't show in the end result. As a pilot for a TV series I could still accept it, but as a sequel to the globally successful first one it's crap. (08/05/2003)

Although the first part was more consistent, the sequel does not bring any embarrassing shame to it. Frank adds a few successful lines, puts the locker on his knees at the station, and if it weren't for the final ending, MIIB would be much more tolerable. Thanks to the fast-paced action, however, it remains tasteless on the tongue. (05/08/2006)

Men in Black had an idea and a swing. The sequel tries to ride in a similar style, but what works in it is mere stealing or copying from the first one. There is a high number of "jokes", but many of them do not work at all and others are too cheap. The film does not hold together and only a few successful scenes will remain in memory. Overall impression 40%. (05/08/2006)

But there’s almost no story. Without the funny scenes, that excellent pair Jones & Smith, Frank and the worms, it would be a complete crock. In terms of special effects, MIIBis of course perfect (Spielberg made sure of that), but no amount of tricks can make up for a screenplay full of plotholes. And MiB had so much potential after part one. I’m disappointed. So I rather hope that someone will write an ingenious screenplay and make everything right in MIIIB. But for that, someone would have to want to see a number three. (05/08/2006)

A pretty pathetic attempt at funny and entertaining sci-fi. The opening part, in particular, is an ordeal and I thought I wouldn't be able to finish it. Then, thankfully, Tommy Lee Jones steps in, the moronic mutt is finally relegated to the background, and the film at least improves a bit from the ugly mess of the first half. But then comes the "spectacular" final action set-piece, which is everything except imaginative and entertaining, and my opinion is knocked low again. I don’t even want to watch the third one they have in the works. (22/02/2012)

It's still quite funny in places, but it's definitely not a big hit. The movie relies on entertaining and well-known characters, because otherwise it would be a complete disaster. The story is terribly schematic and tries to shock with its grandiose effects, which nowadays look quite bad. But yeah, I simply like these two and Tommy Lee Jones is a great comedic actor. (02/01/2014)