The men are back (From Western Telegraph)

The men are back

Men In Black II

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rip Torn, Lara Flyn Boyle, Tony Shalhoub, Rosario Dawson. Cert. PG Dur. 88 mins

This week I celebrate the idiocy that is Men In Black II. Special effects have come a long way. The days when the actors were filmed moving in front of projected images of monsters made from plasticine model-animations are long gone.

In their place is the new breed of monster flick. Special effects technology can do almost anything, allowing high-quality, high-concept, sci-fi and fantasy to indulge even the nerdiest B-movie palette.

In Men In Black we saw how Jay, a cop played by Will Smith, found himself being invited to join a crack team of alien hunters, The Men In Black. They act like parole officers and the immigration department for the earth, monitoring the movements of aliens who secretly live here. Will Smiths character was obviously always being shocked by the discovery that every weird human on the planet was probably some strange alien refugee. He was perfect for the role as was his partner and mentor played by Tommy Lee Jones. Together they were the best comedy alien kicking duo in the summer blockbusters.

But that was five years ago. Five years! Doesnt time fly while youre watching Big Brother. And at the end of that movie Tommy Lee Jones character zapped himself with the memory zapper rendering all his alien adventures non-existent to him and he was returned to normal life.

Five years of other business passed for director Barry Sonnenfeld. Some good some not so good, for the man who made his name in the business as the Coen brothers cinematographer. When I heard Sonnenfeld was finally doing a sequel my fondest hope was that they find a way to bring Tommy Lee Jones out of retirement. Men In Black was a man verses aliens, shoot 'em up' comedy, but at the heart of it was a buddy movie.

Will Smith being the young buck, and Lee Jones the old hand. Its success grew from Sonnenfelds eye for shooting comedy and the infectious pleasure of the screen partnership. Well, Im pleased to say thatMen In Black II is more of the same, but it cleverly uses a role reversal, as Smith now with five years alien-hunting under his belt has to teach the old dog new tricks as Lee Jones comes out of retirement.

Theres a plot which revolves around Will Smith trying to stop the evil Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) from finding the the Light of Zartha in order to save the world. The whereabouts of said light are locked in Tommy Lee Jones blank memory so, well you know what to expect.

I Just loved Men In Black II. Its pleasantly funny in a chortle-chortle kind of way, with some excellent comedy action set pieces. I can only say that everything I liked about the first Men In Black, I liked about the second. Thats the best guide I think for you to judge whether youll like it too. Either way, here come the men in black again.