Nice Try, but a Can of Worms

Like the men whose lives they chronicle, members of an oh-so-secret government organization that polices and monitors alien activity on Earth, the creators of “Men in Black II” knew their challenge was great: how to come up with a sequel to one of the thoroughly enjoyable summer comedies of recent years, a film that was not only smart and funny but also pretty much of a surprise, an enterprise no one expected to be as clever as it turned out to be.

It sounds like Mission: Impossible and, regrettably, it is.

For despite the expenditure of what was clearly a lot of effort, not to mention a whole lot of money, the new “Men in Black” is a disappointment. A good-faith attempt has been made to duplicate the original elements, but the mix is wrong, bearings have been lost, the balance is off. It was attitude that made “Men in Black” special, a particular kind of cool insouciance that has proved as impossible to duplicate as it was irresistible to experience.

Not that people didn’t try. Back from the original are director Barry Sonnenfeld and stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as agents Jay and Kay, the best the planet has to offer. Missing in action, sadly, is the original credited writer, Ed Solomon. It may have been his touch, or it may have been the freshness of seeing Lowell Cunningham’s comic-book concept for the first time, but this film’s Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro script plays like the thrill is gone.

From the opening segment, a spoof of everything from TV’s “Unsolved Mysteries” through Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” the humor here seems too self-aware, too conscious of how hip the first one was and too needy in its attempts to duplicate it.

Still, Episode 27 of “Mysteries in History” hosted by Peter Graves does lay out plot points that turn out to be crucial. It seems that 25 years ago a group of Kylothians came to Earth in an attempt to hide a mysterious and valuable light from the truly evil Serleena. Following Earth’s policy of noninvolvement, the Men in Black said the light could not stay, and there, or so everyone thought, the matter ended.

But wait a minute. Isn’t that Serleena, cleverly disguised as a Victoria’s Secret lingerie model (Lara Flynn Boyle), back on Earth after a quarter of a century? She seems to think the light never left the planet and is even more determined to get her hands, uh, tentacles, on it.

The only MIB operative who knows the true story, agent Kay, the legendary go-to guy, was neutralized at the end of the last film and now works in quiet, memory-less desperation as the postmaster of Truro, Mass. Clearly, Jay has to help Kay get back to speed if Earth is to have any hope of surviving.

This is “Men in Black II’s” minimal plot, and that is one reason why the film is so short, a mere 88 minutes, including an especially long credit roll. Even with that, the story is not without its share of dead spots, and when those happen, the film sends in the aliens.

More than the original, more even than an episode of “Star Wars,” “Men in Black II” is chockablock with an endless array of misshapen aliens, often as not fully equipped with a nasty row of teeth. When you throw in Serleena, prone to changing into a grotesque all-tentacle form, this film has a higher yuck factor than it should. Director Sonnenfeld has been overly enamored of special effects before (“Wild, Wild West,” anyone?), and it is not a pleasant sight.

Hovering over the film like the guardian angel it needs is Smith as the hippest dude in town. Smith is not even close to tired of his agent role, and the interest and charisma he brings to it counteracts not-so-bright ideas like giving Frank the talking pug more screen time than he can effectively handle.

“Men in Black’s” best idea is bringing on Rosario Dawson as Laura, a love interest for the good agent. An actress who’s been in everything from “Kids” to “Josie and the Pussycats,” Dawson brings a warm and welcome human touch to a film that has been needing it all along.

*

MPAA rating: PG-13, for sci-fi action violence, some provocative humor. Times guidelines: Some grotesque characters that could frighten younger audiences.

‘Men in Black II’

Tommy Lee Jones...Kay

Will Smith...Jay

Rip Torn...Zed

Lara Flynn Boyle...Serleena

Johnny Knoxville...Scrad/Charlie

Rosario Dawson...Laura

An Amblin Entertainment production in association with MacDonald/Parkes productions, released by Columbia Pictures. Director Barry Sonnenfeld. Producers Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald. Executive producer Steven Spielberg. Screenplay Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro, based on the comic by Lowell Cunningham. Cinematographer Greg Gardiner. Editors Steven Weisberg, Richard Pearson. Costumes Mary E. Vogt. Music Danny Elfman. Production design Bo Welch. Art directors Alec Hammond, Sean Haworth, Tom Wilkins. Set decorator Cheryl Carasik. Running time: 1 hour, 28 minutes.

In general release.