The Men in Black are back

Agents J and K once again fight alien scum and save the planet

Featured Actors:Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones

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Running Time:1 hr. 28 min.

One would think that saving the Earth from the clutches of an evil alien might be a difficult task. But with the right weapons and special effects from Industrial Light and Magic, anything is possible for the mysterious Men in Black.

Despite a slight improbability in the storyline, “Men in Black 2” comes off as a strong sequel to the first “Men in Black,” which was released in 1997.

The Men in Black are called into action when an evil alien, Serleena, comes to Earth in search of the Light of Zartha, an object that holds the supreme power of the universe. In order to locate this object before Serleena does, Agent J (Will Smith) must find Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and somehow get him to remember all of his previous Men in Black training. For those who might have forgotten, Agent K was “neuralized” at the end of the first movie. Rather unbelievably, K manages to remember every minute detail about the whereabouts of the Light of Zartha.

The film makes up for this somewhat unbelievable event of K regaining his memory in fast-paced chase scenes, and is packed with a never-ending array of special affects. Some of these special effects include a giant alien worm that eats a subway car, various exploding heads and a talking dog. Other than the small, aforementioned glitch in the story, the plot and overall story idea flow together rather well.

Although the film is PG-13, there is still a good amount of mild expletives, including a scene in which Serleena, played by Lara Flynn Boyle, strolls through a city park in some rather revealing lingerie. A better ploy to appeal to the male audience has never been created. Johnny Knoxville from MTV’s “Jackass” has a role in the film as a two-headed alien henchman for Serleena.

With “Men in Black” having raked in more than $250 million, and “Men in Black 2” already having grossed more than $87.2 million in its first week, it’s hard to understand why there wouldn’t be another sequel.

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Reporter Jared DuBach can be reached at [email protected]