By Peter Bowes BBC News, Hollywood

Men in Black II has become the latest summer blockbuster to defy the critics by breaking US box office records.

Tweaked by slightly more sophisticated special effects, the film amounts to a carbon copy of the original blockbuster starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

During the Independence Day holiday it took $87.2m (�56.4m) over the five-day weekend.

The tally topped the first Men in Black which grossed $84.1m (�54.4m) over the same period in 1997.

However, accounting for higher admission prices, the film actually sold less tickets than the original.

A talking dog plays a key role in the film

The film�s success appears to be based entirely on the fact that it revisits a winning formula.

It reunites the engaging duo of Smith and Jones to once again battle invasions from outer space.

The darks suits and sunglasses are back and there also cameo appearances by pop star Michael Jackson and America�s DIY guru, Martha Stewart.

The story is set five years after the original.

Smith's wisecracking Agent Jay is a top alien-buster in the secret service, while Agent Kay, played by Jones, is a grumpy supervisor at a rural post office in Massachusetts.

Lara Flynn Boyle plays an evil alien

He is unaware of his previous high-flying career - having had his memory obliterated after his retirement in the first movie.

"What happens is Tommy Lee Jones's character was neuralised," explains Smith.

There's actually a flip in the relationships in the first half of the film where I'm the veteran and he's the rookie."

The action develops when Agent Jay uncovers an earth-threatening plot by the Kylothian people.

They are led by evil Serleena, played by The Practice's Lara Flynn Boyle, who is disguised as an underwear model.

Comedy

"It feels really good," says Boyle, who is a newcomer to the cast.

"Just to be a brat and be cranky and get away with it and look good on it at the same time."

As Jay and Kay attempt to stay one step ahead of Serleena, they are assisted by a black-suited pug dog which can talk.

Smith reckons the scenario provides some of the film's best comedic moments.

"A human being having a full emotional conversation with a dog is funny, innately," he says.

"It's one of those things where you get in a scene and you always go for what is the best joke.

'Disappointment'

And a talking dog for some reason, whatever he says, is hilarious."

The joke appears to have been lost on most US critics.

Under the LA Times headline, Fade to Black, Kenneth Turan describes the sequel as "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."

The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday says the sequel "is surprisingly lacking in the sly humour, easy chemistry and nimble pace" of the original.

The unusually short film - it runs for 88 minutes - reportedly cost over $100m (�64.7m) to make.

'Excited'

Despite the sniping of the critics, the initial box office receipts suggest the studio, Sony's Columbia Pictures, is heading towards a healthy profit.

At the film's LA premiere, Will Smith was already joking about another sequel - Men in Black III presumably.

"Men In Blue, Men In Pink, Men In A Soft Teal - you know it just doesn't have the same effect," quipped Smith.

"As long as people are out here screaming and excited to see it, I'll keep making them."