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Men in Black II

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Men in Black II
Two men in black men, sitting in egg shaped chairs, holding large guns
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBarry Sonnenfeld
Screenplay by
Story byRobert Gordon
Based onThe Men in Black
byLowell Cunningham
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGreg Gardiner
Edited by
Music byDanny Elfman
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • July 3, 2002(2002-07-03)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$140 million[1]
Box office$441.8 million[1]

Men in Black II(stylized asMIIB) is a 2002 Americanscience fictionaction comedy filmbased on theMarvel Comicsseriesof a similar namebased on theconspiracy theory.Produced byColumbia PicturesandAmblin Entertainmentin association with MacDonald Parkes Productions, and distributed bySony Pictures Releasing,it is the sequel toMen in Black(1997) and the second installment in theMen in Blackfilm series.The film was directed byBarry Sonnenfeldfrom a screenplay byRobert GordonandBarry Fanaro,and it starsTommy Lee JonesandWill Smith,withLara Flynn Boyle,Johnny Knoxville,Rosario Dawson,Tony Shalhoub,andRip Tornin supporting roles. It also featuredMichael Jackson's last theatrical film appearance before his death in June 2009. In the film, the emergence of an assumed subdued alien threat reunitesKevin Brown / Agent K(Jones) andJames Darrell Edwards III / Agent J(Smith).

Development for a sequel film began following the box office success of the original; Jones, Smith, and Sonnenfeld's returns were confirmed by 2001, andDavid Koeppwas initially hired to write the screenplay. Koepp then left production to work onSpider-Man(2002) and was replaced with Gordon, who developed the script and story further. Fanaro was later brought in to perform some final rewrites to Gordon's treatment.Principal photographybegan on June 11, 2001 and lasted until that September, taking place primarily inNew York City;filming was delayed and several scenes were reworked following theSeptember 11 attacksthat month. Thefilm's soundtrackcontained thetheme song"Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)",performed by Smith. Aside from this song, composerDanny Elfman,who scored the first film, returned to compose its sequel.

Men in Black IIpremiered atMann Village TheaterinWestwood, Los Angeleson June 26, 2002, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 3 of that same year. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, who deemed it inferior to its predecessor, but praised Jones's and Smith's performances and action sequences. Nonetheless, it was a financial success, grossing $441.8 million worldwide and becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 2002.Its sequel,Men in Black 3,was released in 2012 to a critical and commercial incline.

Plot[edit]

In 2002, five years after joining theMIB,Agent Jis the top agent but has developed a habit ofneuralyzingpartners he feels are emotionally unfit to cope with the work. When he is called to investigate the murder of an alien, Ben, at his pizzeria, waitress Laura Vasquez tells him that the murderers are Serleena, ashapeshifting,plant-like Kylothian who has taken the form of aVictoria's Secretlingerie model, and her two-headed servant Scrad and Charlie. Laura says they were looking for something called the Light of Zartha. J is strongly attracted to Laura, and in violation of MIB rules, does not neuralyze her to erase her memories.

J finds that little is known about the Light of Zartha, except that it is immensely powerful. As he investigates the crime, every lead points to his former partner and mentor,Agent K,who was neuralyzed upon retirement five years previously and remembers nothing of his MIB service. InTruro, Massachusetts,where K is now the town'spostmaster,J convinces him of his past by proving that all of his fellow postal workers are friendly aliens.

In New York City, Serleena, along with Scrad and Charlie, launches an attack on MIB headquarters before K's neuralyzation can be reversed, but Jack Jeebs has an illegal deneuralyzer in his basement. K eventually regains his memories but remembers that years before, he neuralyzed himself specifically to erase what he knew of the Light of Zartha, and those memories have not returned. As a precaution, he left himself a series of clues.

At the pizzeria, they find a locker key. J and K fear for Laura's safety and hide her with the worms. The key opens a locker inGrand Central Terminalwhere a society of tiny aliens, who worship K as their deity, guard their most sacred relics: K's wristwatch and video store membership card.

At the store, as J and K watch a fictionalized story of the Light of Zartha, K remembers the Zarthan Queen Lauranna entrusted the MIB with safeguarding the Light from her nemesis, Serleena, who followed Lauranna toEarthand killed her. After hiding the Light, a grief-stricken K neuralyzed himself, both to bury his sadness and to ensure that he would never reveal its hiding place. K still cannot remember where he hid it nor what the Light looks like. Thinking it might be Laura's bracelet, he only remembers that it must return to Zartha soon, or both Earth and Zartha will be destroyed.

At the worms' apartment, they find that Serleena has captured Laura. With the worms, they infiltrate MIB headquarters, freeing Laura and the other agents. Serleena attempts to retaliate by chasing them with a spaceship through New York but is eaten by Jeff, a gigantic worm alien living in theNew York City Subway.

Laura's bracelet leads J and K to the roof of a skyscraper, where a ship stands ready to transport the Light back to Zartha. K reveals that Laura is the daughter of Lauranna (and, it is implied, his daughter) and that she's also the Light. K convinces J and Laura that she must go to Zartha to save both her planet and Earth from destruction. Serleena, who has absorbed Jeff and taken his form, attempts to snatch the ship carrying Laura as it lifts off, but J and K blast her out of the sky. Since all of New York City has just witnessed this battle in the skies over the metropolis, K activates a giant neuralyzer in the torch of theStatue of Liberty.

Back at MIB headquarters, J finds the tiny locker-dwelling aliens in his locker, which K moved there to give him some perspective. When J suggests showing the miniature creatures that their universe is bigger than a locker, K opens a door and reveals that the human universe is a locker within an immense alien train station.

Cast[edit]

  • Will SmithasJames Darrel Edwards III / Agent J:Still on active duty with the MIB, he is not satisfied with the partners assigned to him and keeps neuralizing them.
  • Tommy Lee JonesasKevin Brown / Agent K:A decommissioned senior MIB agent and the only person who used to know how to stop the latest threat to Earth's safety.
  • Rip Tornas Chief Zed: The head of the MIB.
  • Lara Flynn Boyleas Serleena: A shapeshifting Kylothian alien who comes to Earth to find a vital power source used by her race's enemies.
  • Johnny Knoxvilleas Scrad and Charlie: A humanoid alien (Scrad), with a second small head (Charlie) on a stalk protruding from his neck, who does Serleena's dirty work.
  • Rosario Dawsonas Laura Vasquez: A young woman who turns out to be the long-lost alien princess from Zartha and the power source sought by Serleena.
  • Tony Shalhoubas Jack Jeebs: An alien pawn shop owner who uses a home-built machine to "de-neuralize" K and restore his memory.
  • Patrick Warburtonas Agent T: Partnered with J, who neuralizes him and throws him out of the MIB after an incident with Jeff.
  • Jack Kehleras Ben
  • David Crossas Newton
  • Colombe Jacobsenas Hailey
  • John Alexander as Jarra
  • Michael Jacksonas Agent M(cameo)
  • Martha Stewartas Herself(cameo)
  • Peter Gravesas Himself
  • Linda Kim as Princess Lauranna, an alien from Zartha and the mother of Laura.
  • Paige Brooks as 'Mysteries in History' Lauranna
  • Nick Cannonas MIB Autopsy Agent
  • Biz Markieas Alien Beatboxer
  • Jeremy Howardas Postal Sorting Alien
  • Martin Klebbaas Family Child Alien
  • Doug Jonesas Joey
  • Peter Spellosas Captain Larry Bridgewater

Voices[edit]

Production[edit]

Despite some initial involvement fromDavid Koepp(who left to work onPanic RoomandSpider-Man),[2]the script was written by Robert Gordon and later revised by Barry Fanaro, who added pop culture references, something which Gordon had deliberately avoided.[3]Sonnenfeld took issue with the producers' focus on the love story between Will Smith's and Rosario Dawson's characters, saying that "I learned onWild Wild Westthat audiences didn't want to see Will as the straight man. And until Tommy comes back into the movie, by definition Will's the straight man. "Fanaro condensed the first part of the film and brought Agent K in earlier.[2]Famke Janssenwas originally cast as Serlenna, but dropped out due to personal issues, Lara Flynn Boyle was hired to replace her.[4][5]

Principal photographybegan on June 11, 2001 and ended on September 23, 2001. The climax of the story was originally filmed against a backdrop of the twin towers of the originalWorld Trade Center;but after theSeptember 11 attacks,the climactic scene was reworked to being at theStatue of Liberty.Other scenes incorporating views of the twin towers likewise were edited, or reshot.[6][7]Filming forMen in Black IIwas also suspended due to the attacks.[8]

Supervising sound editorSkip Lievsayused aSynclavierto recreate and improve the original recording of the neuralyzer sound effect from the first film (which was the sound of a strobe flash as it recycles) by removing some distortion.[9]For some of the scenes with the Serleena creature, the sound crew "took tree branches, put them inside a rubber membrane and pushed that around and added some water."[9]For the special effects scene where the subway train is attacked by Jeff the Worm, a specially designed vise was used to crush a subway car and make it look as if it had been bitten in half.[3]

Unlike the first film and the1997 animated series,Men In Black IIdid not feature Agent L who was played byLinda Fiorentino,even though the character had a prominent role in the latter. It was briefly mentioned in the film by Agent J that she had been neuralized because she wanted to work back at the morgue. According to producer Laurie MacDonald, the studio did not consider her a permanent character in the franchise and decided to remove her from the sequel. There were also reports suggesting that Fiorentino was difficult to work with and supposedly Jones' refusal to work with her.[10][11]

Music[edit]

Main article:Men in Black II (soundtrack)

The motion picture soundtrack toMen In Black IIwas released on June 25, 2002 byColumbia Records.[12]

Release[edit]

Marketing[edit]

In October 2001, the first photos forMen in Black IIwere revealed. A teaser trailer premiered in December 2001, which was attached to the screenings ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingandAli.[13]Just four months later in April 2002, a new trailer was released online. It made its debut in theaters on May 3 with the release ofSpider-Man.[14]

Burger Kingbegan selling a variety of kids meal toys themed to the film at their restaurants.[15]Several action figures were also released byHasbroat theNorth American International Toy Fairevent.[16]

Avideo gamepartly based on the film was released in 2002, titledMen in Black II: Alien Escape.[17]

Home media[edit]

Men In Black IIwas released onDVDandVHSon November 26, 2002,[18]and onBlu-rayon May 1, 2012. It came with an alternate ending where J is sent to the homeworld of the aliens from Grand Central Station.[19]

In the United Kingdom, the film was watched by 710,000 viewers onsubscription televisionchannelSky Movies 1in 2004, making it the year's eighth most-watched film on subscription television.[20]

The entireMen In Blackseries was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 5, 2017.[21]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Released theatrically on July 3, 2002,Men in Black IIearned $18.5 million on its opening day, making it the third-highest Wednesday opening, behindStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom MenaceandJurassic Park III.[22]The film would go on to make $52,148,751 during its opening weekend, becoming the highest Fourth of July three-day opening weekend, surpassing its predecessorMen in Black.[23][24]Within five days, it grossed $87.1 million, breakingIndependence Day's record for having the biggest five-day Fourth of July Wednesday opening.[25]Men in Black IIwould hold the record for having the largest Fourth of July opening weekend until it was surpassed bySpider-Man 2in 2004.[26]That same year,I, Robottied the record for having the highest opening weekend for aWill Smithfilm. Both films remained so until 2007 when they were taken byI Am Legend.[27]The film was ranked number one at the box office upon opening, beating outThe Powerpuff Girls Movie.It would go on to compete against other summer films likeLilo & Stitch,Mr. DeedsandMinority Report.[28]The film held the number one position in its second weekend with revenue of $24,410,311, a 53.2% decrease from the previous weekend. The third weekend saw a 40.4% decrease, with box office of $14,552,335, coming in at number three.[29][30]

In its fourth weekend, the film was at fourth place, with revenue of $8,477,202.[30]Men in Black IIfell out of the top ten after five weekends.[30]After sixty-two days of release in North America,Men in Black IIhad grossed $190,418,803.[1]43.1% of the film's worldwide revenue of $445,135,288 came from North America.[1]

Critical response[edit]

Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an approval rating of 38% based on 198 reviews, with an average score of 5.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Lacking the freshness of the first movie, MIB 2 recycles elements from its predecessor with mixed results."[31]OnMetacritic,the film received a score of 49 based on 37 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[33]

A. O. ScottofThe New York Timessaid, "Within the trivial, ingratiating scope of its ambition... the sequel is pleasant enough" and, noting the vast array of aliens designed byRick Baker,said that the film "really belongs to Mr. Baker."[34]A review inThe Hinducalled the film "worth viewing once."[35]A review fromDigital Media FXmagazine praised the spaceships as looking realistic, but criticized many of the simpler visual effects, such as the moving backgrounds composited behind the car windows using blue-screen (which it called a throwback to the special effects of earlier decades).[36]In August 2002,Entertainment Weeklyplaced the Worm Guys among their list of the bestCGcharacters, and said that enlarging the roles of Frank the Pug and the Worm Guys inMen in Black IIwas beneficial for the "tiring franchise."[37]

Accolades[edit]

The film was nominated for bothBest Science Fiction Filmat theSaturn Awardsand "Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture" at theVisual Effects SocietyAward but lost to bothMinority ReportandThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersrespectively.[38] [39]The film also earned aRazzie Awardnomination for Lara Flynn Boyle asWorst Supporting Actress.[40]

Sequels[edit]

Main article:Men in Black 3

A sequel titledMen in Black 3,was released in 2012.

Main article:Men in Black: International

A fourth installment,Men in Black: International,was released in 2019.

References[edit]

  1. ^abcd"Men In Black II".BoxOfficeMoJo.com.RetrievedMay 3,2016.
  2. ^abKarger, Dave (July 12, 2002)."Aliens, Smith, And Jones".Entertainment Weekly.p. 2.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.
  3. ^abMunson, Brad (2002).Inside Men in Black II.New York: Ballantine Books. p. 16.ISBN0-345-45065-5.
  4. ^"Boyle Replacing Janssen in Men in Black 2".ABC News.July 19, 2001.
  5. ^Harrison, Mark (June 11, 2019)."Men In Black: The Franchise's Behind-The-Scenes Battles".Den of Geek.
  6. ^"Digital Media FX News Archives: Men In Black 2 Ending to be Refilmed After Disaster".Digital Media FX.September 14, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon January 24, 2002.RetrievedDecember 22,2008.
  7. ^Romine, Damon (September 22, 2001)."Tragedy Affects Men in Black 2".TVGuide.com.
  8. ^Linder, Brian (September 14, 2001)."MIB2 Edited".IGN.RetrievedAugust 17,2022.
  9. ^abJackson, Blair (July 2, 2002)."Men In Black 2".Mix.Archived fromthe originalon December 3, 2008.RetrievedDecember 21,2008.
  10. ^Garrett, Victor (December 19, 2022)."Men in Black II: Why Agent L Never Came Back For the Sequel".MovieWeb.RetrievedMay 19,2023.
  11. ^Gallagher, Simon (September 5, 2018)."10 Movie Characters Cut From Sequels (In The Worst Way)".What Culture.RetrievedMay 19,2023.
  12. ^Men In Black II SoundtrackatAllMusic
  13. ^Linder, Brian (October 31, 2001)."Men in Black 2 Stills".IGN.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
  14. ^Linder, Brian (April 30, 2002)."Out of This World MIB II Trailer".IGN.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
  15. ^"Taste life as a special agent".The Bolton News.August 2, 2002.
  16. ^Keier, Helen (February 20, 2002)."Toy Fair 2002 Day Two - Part 2: Star Wars, Men in Black II, and More!".IGN.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
  17. ^"Men in Black II: Alien Escape - GameSpot".gamespot.com.RetrievedJune 12,2019.
  18. ^Hettrick, Scott (August 25, 2002)."Col TriStar adds trio of fall vid releases".Variety.RetrievedApril 8,2023.
  19. ^"Men in Black II DVD Release Date".DVDs Release Dates.RetrievedMay 19,2018.
  20. ^"UK Film Council Statistical Yearbook: Annual Review 2004/05"(PDF).UK Film Council.p. 76.RetrievedApril 21,2022– viaBritish Film Institute.
  21. ^"Men in Black 4K Blu-ray".blu-ray.com.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.
  22. ^"Back in Green, 'Men in Black 2' Grabs Est. $35 Million in Two Days".Box Office Mojo.July 5, 2002.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 1,2023.
  23. ^"Same weekend. New record. 'Men in Black 2' Bags $87 Million Over Fourth of July Weekend".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedOctober 5,2014.
  24. ^Fuson, Brian (July 10, 2002)."Men in Black II' Starts Fourth of July Weekend With a Bang".Homemediamagazine.com.Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2007.RetrievedOctober 12,2019– viaThe Hollywood Reporter.
  25. ^Lyman, Rick (July 8, 2002)."Box Office Has a Record Weekend, 'Men in Black' Leading the Way".The New York Times.
  26. ^"Spider-Man 2 Earns Record $180.1 Million in 6 Days!".SuperheroHype.com.July 5, 2004.
  27. ^"Smith's 'Legend' lives on with $76.5 million record debut".Tipton County Tribune.December 17, 2007. p. 4.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 1,2023– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  28. ^"Independence Day record tumbles to MIBII".Screen Daily.July 7, 2002.
  29. ^Gray, Brandon (July 22, 2002)."'Road to Perdition' Squeaks Past 'Stuart Little 2' in Photo Finish ".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2023.RetrievedMay 15,2023.
  30. ^abc"Men In Black II: 2002".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedFebruary 3,2010.
  31. ^"Men in Black II (2002)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedDecember 14,2022.
  32. ^"Men in Black II Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedSeptember 1,2009.
  33. ^"Men in Black II".CinemaScore.Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2018.
  34. ^Scott, A.O.(July 3, 2002)."Men in Black II (2002) FILM REVIEW; Defending Earth, With Worms and a Talking Pug".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 21,2008.
  35. ^Mahesh, Chitra (August 2, 2002)."Men in Black-II".The Hindu.Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2003.RetrievedDecember 21,2008.
  36. ^Evans, Noell Wolfgreen."Digital Media FX Review of Men In Black 2".Digital Media FX.Archived fromthe originalon June 30, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.
  37. ^"Movie Commentary: The Worm Guys made our list of best CG characters".Entertainment Weekly.August 26, 2002. Archived fromthe originalon February 6, 2007.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  38. ^"Minority Report&Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersWin Big At The 29th Annual Saturn Awards "(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on April 2, 2012.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
  39. ^"1st Annual VES Awards".visual effects society.
  40. ^"23rd annual Razzie Award nominees".UPI.February 10, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 1,2012.

External links[edit]

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