Review: 'Men in Black II' entertaining sequel

Not as original, but still fun

(CNN) -- Despite a totally lame opening with Peter Graves, "Men in Black II" does deliver the goods with double barrels. But in all honesty, nothing can truly recapture the magic of the first film.

In 1997, "MIB" came out of left field to post the greatest July 4th holiday box office opening in the history of movies. It was fresh, totally unique, and introduced one of the most unlikely comedy teams ever to appear on film, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The sheer awe factor -- the feeling of discovery -- that this film unexpectedly caused cannot be reproduced.

That being said, "Men in Black II" is a smart, witty follow-up to a landmark comedy. Its cool factor -- if not its surprise factor -- is still way off the charts.

Agent Jay (Smith) is now a top dog at MIB headquarters. Fans will remember that Agent Kay (Jones) was neuralized at the end of the original film. With his memory erased, he retired from MIB, and is now working for another large government organization -- the United States Postal Service.

Doggedly fine moments

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Lost without Kay, Jay is unhappily going from one partner to the next. He just can't seem to find a match. Eventually, with increasing frustration, he's forced to neuralize them one after the other. Patrick Warburton is one of the most amusing of these hapless rookies. Jay's boss, Agent Zed, once again played by the irascible Rip Torn, is beginning to lose patience and assigns him to Frank the Pug, who had a small role in the original.

This teaming provides some of the most insanely funny moments in the film. Voiced by Tim Blaney, Frank the Pug is priceless as he banters back and forth with Agent Jay. Whether he's complaining about canine profiling (just because he can sniff his own butt) or headbanging his way through a rendition of "Who Let The Dogs Out," Frank almost steals the show from Smith -- no mean feat. This dog should have his own movie.

Fun note: The same dog played Frank five years ago, and the now 7-year-old pug had to use makeup to cover the gray on his snout.

However, the one element above all that makes "MIB II" work is the introduction of Lara Flynn Boyle as the evil Serleena, a Kylothian monster who has disguised herself as a lingerie model. She's come to earth on a secret mission, and the only person on the planet who knows what that mission is - ta da! -- is Agent Kay.

Golden touch

Now things start to get exciting, as Agent Jay de-neuralizes Agent Kay and the reunited pair starts kicking butt and taking names.

What follows is lots of firepower, great special effects that provide plenty of eye candy -- as if Boyle isn't enough candy for everyone -- and a dazzling array of delightfully witty repartee. OK, OK: there are some lowbrow moments, but they're funny too.

Director Barry Sonnenfeld has had great success as a director: there was the original "Men in Black," of course, but also one of the best comedies of the last decade, "Get Shorty" (1995). However, he's occasionally struck out with such turkeys as "Wild Wild West" (1999 -- Smith's only big bomb to date), and his attempt to repeat the magic of "Shorty" with the disappointing "Big Trouble" (2002).

But with "Men in Black II," he's once again struck cinematic gold. As mentioned above, the surprise factor is gone, but with this sequel Sonnenfeld has managed to build on the original concept and branch out from there, not just repeating the schtick from the 1997 version.

Of course, it all begins with the word. "MIB" was originally based on a Malibu comic by Lowell Cunningham, and the screenplay for the first film adaptation was by Ed Solomon, who did an excellent job. Now, screenwriters Robert Gordon and Barry Fanoro have come to bat, and while they haven't surpassed the original, they're in the same ballpark. Their credits to date have been less than impressive, but this duo was able to tap into the offbeat rhythm reguired for this ham-on-wry, out-of-this-world comedic confection.

As before, the soundtrack -- once again by Danny Elfman -- is excellent, and once again Will Smith himself has a hit single from the film, "Black Suits Coming (Nod Ya Head)."

"Men In Black II" opens nationwide on Wednesday July 3, and is rated PG-13.