Okay,
I got to admit it- MEN IN BLACK II ($29) lacks the originality of
the first film and immediately gives the viewer a sense Déjà vu all over
again. However, I should also point out that this is a Hollywood movie
sequel, and Hollywood movie sequels usually are little more than retreads
of the original films that spawned them. Now despite being a bit too
familiar for its own good, I actually liked MEN IN BLACK II and had
a lot of fun watching it. The chemistry that existed between Tommy Lee
Jones and Will Smith is still there, plus the movie’s special effects
are even bigger and even better. On top of all that, Lara Flynn Boyle
makes a great alien villain and her "underwear model" scene is
more than worth the price of admission.
As
with the original film, the plot of MEN IN BLACK II revolves around
an ultra-secret agency that protects the Earth from the scum of the
universe. MEN IN BLACK II takes place several years after the
events depicted in the first film, which ended with the unexpected
retirement of Agent K (Jones). The departure of the legendary Agent K
created a void in the agency and left Agent J (Smith) unable to find a
worthy partner. In fact, all of Agent J’s rejected partners have found
themselves tossed out of the agency and their memories wiped clean.
However, when a rather nasty alien named Serleena (Boyle) makes an
unexpected return to planet Earth, it is necessary to call Agent K out of
retirement to deal with her. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than
done, since all of Agent K’s vital memories were erased the day he left
the agency. The cast of MEN IN BLACK II also features Rosario
Dawson, Johnny Knoxville, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub and Patrick Warburton.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made MEN IN BLACK II available on
DVD in a 1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic
enhancement for 16:9 displays (a separate full screen version is also
available for those with a picture tube to fill). Not surprisingly, the
wizards at Columbia TriStar have conjured up another superb looking DVD
with the wide screen release of MEN IN BLACK II. The image is
wonderfully crisp and very finely detailed. Colors appear very vibrant and
are rendered without noise or smearing. Flesh tones are fairly natural,
but always appealing. Blacks are velvety, while the whites appear clean
and crisp. Contrast is uniformly excellent and the picture produces
impressive shadow detail. The smoothly authored dual layer DVD doesn’t
betray any noticeable signs of digital compression artifacts.
In
addition to the terrific picture, MEN IN BLACK II features an
excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. The mix is pretty darn
aggressive, with the sound designers creating a cohesive, but decidedly
fun, sonic experience. There is plenty of activity in all of the channels-
including highly effective use of the split surrounds. Sounds pan around
in the entire soundstage in an effortless, but completely convincing
manner. Dialogue is cleanly rendered, with excellent intelligibility and
nice natural timbre. The bass channel is very deep and certain to give one’s
subwoofer an effective workout. Additionally, Danny Elfman’s engaging
musical score is rendered with excellent fidelity. A French 5.1 channel
soundtrack has also been encoded onto the DVD, as have English and French
subtitles.
Animation
and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive menus. Through the menus,
one has access to standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
a nice array of supplements, which have been spread across both DVDs of
this two-disc set. Disc one includes a running audio commentary with
director Barry Sonnenfeld, which is both amusing and informative. The
commentary works very well on its own, but has also been enhanced with a
telestrator option, in which the director illustrates his own comments
with on screen drawings. The Alien Broadcast feature
provides an interactive mode for watching the movie, in which viewers can
access supplemental footage with their remote controls whenever an icon
appears on the screen. Frank's Favorites offers a selection
of Columbia TriStar theatrical trailers, including MEN IN BLACK II,
as well as an animated short entitled The Chubb Chubbs.
On
disc two, one will first find the MIIB Orb, which offers
access to nine featurettes that can either be watched all together or one
at a time. The featurette section include the following programs MIB
ADR, Design in Motion - The look of MIB II, Rick
Baker - Alien Maker, Serleena, Jeff, Frank
the Pug, Squish, Splat, Sploosh - The Stellar Sounds of MIB
II, Cosmic Symphonies - Elfman in Space, and Alien
Esoterica. Disc two also include a number of other interesting
features. Scene Deconstructions utilizes the multiple angle
feature to show five special effects sequences in various production
stages. The Serleena Animatic offers an early design phase
look at a sequence from the film. The Blooper Reel offers a
few truly funny moments, but the five minutes presented here are mostly
slightly amusing bits with the actors flubbing their lines. Creature
Featurettes offers another section of short programs, including
some alien creature designs and the amusing Barry Sonnenfeld's
Intergalactic Guide To Comedy. Theatrical One Sheets
is a gallery of poster art. The Will Smith music video for Black
Suits Comin' (Nod Your Head), plus cast & crew filmographies
close out the video section supplements. On the DVD-ROM section, one will
find various web links and the film's screenplay.
MEN
IN BLACK II may not be the most inspired sequel ever produced, but it
is an amusing ride for ninety minutes. As for the DVD, it looks and sounds
terrific, plus Columbia TriStar has put together a rather impressive
collection of supplemental materials. If you are a fan of the first movie,
then MEN IN BLACK II is a DVD worth picking up.
Okay,
I got to admit it- MEN IN BLACK II ($29) lacks the originality of
the first film and immediately gives the viewer a sense Déjà vu all over
again. However, I should also point out that this is a Hollywood movie
sequel, and Hollywood movie sequels usually are little more than retreads
of the original films that spawned them. Now despite being a bit too
familiar for its own good, I actually liked MEN IN BLACK II and had
a lot of fun watching it. The chemistry that existed between Tommy Lee
Jones and Will Smith is still there, plus the movie’s special effects
are even bigger and even better. On top of all that, Lara Flynn Boyle
makes a great alien villain and her "underwear model" scene is
more than worth the price of admission.
As
with the original film, the plot of MEN IN BLACK II revolves around
an ultra-secret agency that protects the Earth from the scum of the
universe. MEN IN BLACK II takes place several years after the
events depicted in the first film, which ended with the unexpected
retirement of Agent K (Jones). The departure of the legendary Agent K
created a void in the agency and left Agent J (Smith) unable to find a
worthy partner. In fact, all of Agent J’s rejected partners have found
themselves tossed out of the agency and their memories wiped clean.
However, when a rather nasty alien named Serleena (Boyle) makes an
unexpected return to planet Earth, it is necessary to call Agent K out of
retirement to deal with her. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than
done, since all of Agent K’s vital memories were erased the day he left
the agency. The cast of MEN IN BLACK II also features Rosario
Dawson, Johnny Knoxville, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub and Patrick Warburton.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made MEN IN BLACK II available on
DVD in a 1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic
enhancement for 16:9 displays (a separate full screen version is also
available for those with a picture tube to fill). Not surprisingly, the
wizards at Columbia TriStar have conjured up another superb looking DVD
with the wide screen release of MEN IN BLACK II. The image is
wonderfully crisp and very finely detailed. Colors appear very vibrant and
are rendered without noise or smearing. Flesh tones are fairly natural,
but always appealing. Blacks are velvety, while the whites appear clean
and crisp. Contrast is uniformly excellent and the picture produces
impressive shadow detail. The smoothly authored dual layer DVD doesn’t
betray any noticeable signs of digital compression artifacts.
In
addition to the terrific picture, MEN IN BLACK II features an
excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. The mix is pretty darn
aggressive, with the sound designers creating a cohesive, but decidedly
fun, sonic experience. There is plenty of activity in all of the channels-
including highly effective use of the split surrounds. Sounds pan around
in the entire soundstage in an effortless, but completely convincing
manner. Dialogue is cleanly rendered, with excellent intelligibility and
nice natural timbre. The bass channel is very deep and certain to give one’s
subwoofer an effective workout. Additionally, Danny Elfman’s engaging
musical score is rendered with excellent fidelity. A French 5.1 channel
soundtrack has also been encoded onto the DVD, as have English and French
subtitles.
Animation
and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive menus. Through the menus,
one has access to standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
a nice array of supplements, which have been spread across both DVDs of
this two-disc set. Disc one includes a running audio commentary with
director Barry Sonnenfeld, which is both amusing and informative. The
commentary works very well on its own, but has also been enhanced with a
telestrator option, in which the director illustrates his own comments
with on screen drawings. The Alien Broadcast feature
provides an interactive mode for watching the movie, in which viewers can
access supplemental footage with their remote controls whenever an icon
appears on the screen. Frank's Favorites offers a selection
of Columbia TriStar theatrical trailers, including MEN IN BLACK II,
as well as an animated short entitled The Chubb Chubbs.
On
disc two, one will first find the MIIB Orb, which offers
access to nine featurettes that can either be watched all together or one
at a time. The featurette section include the following programs MIB
ADR, Design in Motion - The look of MIB II, Rick
Baker - Alien Maker, Serleena, Jeff, Frank
the Pug, Squish, Splat, Sploosh - The Stellar Sounds of MIB
II, Cosmic Symphonies - Elfman in Space, and Alien
Esoterica. Disc two also include a number of other interesting
features. Scene Deconstructions utilizes the multiple angle
feature to show five special effects sequences in various production
stages. The Serleena Animatic offers an early design phase
look at a sequence from the film. The Blooper Reel offers a
few truly funny moments, but the five minutes presented here are mostly
slightly amusing bits with the actors flubbing their lines. Creature
Featurettes offers another section of short programs, including
some alien creature designs and the amusing Barry Sonnenfeld's
Intergalactic Guide To Comedy. Theatrical One Sheets
is a gallery of poster art. The Will Smith music video for Black
Suits Comin' (Nod Your Head), plus cast & crew filmographies
close out the video section supplements. On the DVD-ROM section, one will
find various web links and the film's screenplay.
MEN
IN BLACK II may not be the most inspired sequel ever produced, but it
is an amusing ride for ninety minutes. As for the DVD, it looks and sounds
terrific, plus Columbia TriStar has put together a rather impressive
collection of supplemental materials. If you are a fan of the first movie,
then MEN IN BLACK II is a DVD worth picking up.
