BLU-RAY REVIEW

Men In Black II

Featured In Issue 167, May/June 2012

Picture5
Sound5
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
36930
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Sci-fi action violence and some provocative humor
(Retail Price):
$19.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
88
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A, B & C
(Theatrical Year):
2002
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
05/22/12
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Barry Sonnenfeld
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Five years ago, J (Smith) and K (Jones) were agents working for the government in search of aliens. In Men In Black II, J still works for the secret department but K, who had his memory of his former self erased, is now living the simple life of a civilian. When Serleena (Boyle), an evil alien who disguises herself as a lingerie model, hits town intent on destroying the earth's population, J springs into action. Turning to his former partner, J restores K's memory, and the two join forces to save the world from all things evil. Based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham. (Tricia Spears)

Special features include commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld; an alternate ending (HD 02:13); a blooper reel (HD 05:09); nine featurettes: MIIB: ADR (HD 09:25), Design In Motion: The Look Of MIIB (HD 10:01), Rick Baker: Alien Maker (HD 10:46), Squish, Splat, Sploosh: The Stellar Sounds Of MIIB (HD 08:04), Cosmic Symphonies: Elfman In Space (HD 12:52), Barry Sonnenfeld's Intergalactic Guide To Comedy (HD 06:00), Creature Featurettes (HD 25:53), Serleena Animatic Sequence (HD 01:51), and Multi-Angle Scene Deconstructions (HD 07:42); the music video "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" by Will Smith (HD 04:39); BD-Live functionality; D-BOX® Motion Code™; and an UltraViolet digital copy.

First reviewed in Issue 67 as an anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 DVD, the picture exhibited a bright picture that was sharp and nicely detailed, with excellent contrast. Shadow delineation was also superb, with excellent visual information in the darkest scenes. Colors were rich and well balanced with accurate fleshtones and, aptly, deep blacks. A second anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 Superbit™ DVD was reviewed in Issue 74 that exhibited the same subtle improvements that Superbit fans had come to expect. But, as with the Blu-ray Disc™ release of MIB, this newly remastered 1.85:1 1080p AVC Blu-ray Disc shares the same picture attributes and is now the definitive release of this action comedy classic. Color fidelity is well balanced with saturated hues, natural fleshtones, and deep blacks. The colors are rich and warm and eye-popping. Sometimes these eye-popping hues seem a bit pasty, with undefined crayon-like coloring, but this is the intended stylization. Contrast and shadow delineation is nicely rendered throughout. Dimensionality is impressive, conveying an almost three-dimensional quality. Resolution also is outstanding. This is such a wildly colorful visual experience that simply pops off the screen with attitude. Fans will not be disappointed! (Gary Reber)

The Superbit DVD was released with a DTS® Digital Surround 5.1-channel soundtrack, which was virtually indistinguishable to the Dolby Digital presentation. The soundtrack was impressive, with a loud, energetic presence that delivered an appropriately dynamic, action-paced listening experience. The soundfield was consistently expansive, with wide imaging and generous split surround envelopment. The newly remastered DTS HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack, as with the previous MIB Dolby® TrueHD release, is certainly remarkable, with both nuanced and dynamic clarity. This is a spatially energetic, holosonic® listening experience that will surely entertain and impress. The soundfield is consistently expansive, with wide imaging and generous split surround envelopment. Bass is very deep and nicely defined, with occasional intensity that will test the mettle of your system. Low-frequency extension is extremely deep, to below 25 Hz in all channels! The music has a pervasive, expansive presence that is well recorded and integrated into the sound mix. The dialogue production is clear and intelligible and nicely integrated spatially. As with the original, this is an impressive film soundtrack, with a loud, energetic presence that delivers an appropriately dynamic, action-paced listening experience. (Gary Reber)