'Men in Black' sequel a cosmic failure

Men in Black II -- PG-13
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
Showing: Showplace West 12 My first warning that "Men in Black II" was going to be subpar was when I tried to get my free reviewer's pass; normally, we high-paid and deeply respected IDS reviewers (cough) are allowed to see the films we review free of charge. But this time I was told that Sony had decreed from on high that there were to be no free passes to reviewers or to theater staff. Why would they do this, you may ask? Because reviewers and theater staff see movies first, and thus warn others of poor quality movies. By preventing people from seeing the movies in advance, or for free, they stem the tide of negative reviews. Tough luck for them. I paid to get in, and I can now provide this warning: "MIB II" is a waste of 80-some minutes of your life. Starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as agents Jay and Kay, respectively, "MIB II" is a weak and typical Hollywood cash-in sequel. The story is painfully weak and reminiscent of the first movie's plot. Basically, an evil plant-alien named Serleena, played by Lara Flynn Boyle of "The Practice," has come to Earth to retrieve a powerful object. If she gets it, the whole galaxy is in trouble, and if the Men in Black don't find it first, it will detonate and render Earth a wasteland. Tragically, "MIB II" lacks any of the panache or cleverness that made the original so amusing. Both Smith and Jones seem to basically coast through the roles, though their inherent chemistry does make for a few enjoyable moments. As an aside, Smith/Jay is briefly assigned Frank the Pug, who you may remember from the original, as a partner. I personally found scenes involving Frank to be deeply irritating. The Worm Guys, on the other hand, were pretty amusing, as was a scene that takes place in Grand Central Station in a locker. You'll know it when you see it. All in all, "MIB II" is a bland, formulaic sequel that is short on laughs and entertaining value. Its saving grace is the chemistry between Smith and Jones. But that chemistry only renders the film vaguely watchable and certainly not worth the $7.00 admission.