Men in Black [DVD] [1997]

Description

This imaginative comedy from director Barry Sonnenfeld ( Get Shorty ) is a lot of fun, largely on the strength of Will Smith's engaging performance as the rookie partner of a secret agent (Tommy Lee Jones) assigned to keep tabs on Earth-dwelling extra-terrestrials. There's lots of comedy to spare in this bright film, some of the funniest stuff found in the margins of the major action (a scene with Smith's character being trounced in the distance by a huge alien while Jones questions a witness is a riot.) The inventiveness never lets up, and the cast--including Vincent D'Onofrio doing frighteningly convincing work as an alien occupying a decaying human--hold up their end splendidly. --Tom Keogh, desertcart.com Men in Black follows the exploits of Agents Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith), members of a top-secret organization established to monitor alien activity on Earth. The two MIB find themselves in the middle of a deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D’Onofrio), who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. Kay and Jay face a simple imperative: track down the interloper or Earth will be destroyed. It’s all in a day’s work for the Men in Black. Review: Men in Black film - An enjoyable film. Review: Here come the Men In Black... - With it's sublime blend of sci-fi action and comedy, Men In Black is a winning mix, whether you like this sort of thing or not. It really does have something for everyone. If you don't like action there's plenty of comedy. If you don't like sci-fi, there's plenty of action. And there's even a broad range of comedy to suit everybody's humour. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith couldn't be better suited to each other. With Smith's over the top enthusiasm, coupled with Jones dry wit, this is one of the best cinematic pairings ever on screen. They play off each other, complement each other, and are the best thing in a fantastic movie. For the first time you watch Men In Black, the storyline is actually quite gripping, as the two intergalactic secret agents try and solve a crime before the end of the world. It does keep you guessing, and intrigued. Of course, by the 100th time you watch this film - and it really is that good that you will watch it a lot - the storyline will be known inside out, but you will keep watching because of the sharp banter between the two leads. The special effects even hold up well today, particularly Mikey, the first alien character you meet. A nice blend of Rick Baker puppetry, to neat ILM CGI. An impressive cast, a well paced film which will leave you breathless with its action, while trying to laugh at its jokes at the same time, Men In Black is a serious modern classic. Ufortunately the same can't be said of the DVD extras. (If you are a DVD extras kinda person, then maybe this film should only get 4 stars, but I only judge a DVD from the film. Extras, whether they are good or not, don't change a poor film.) Because Men In Black was one of the first DVDs to come out, the extras were quite groundbreaking, but we've been spoiled recently, and so they have paled in comparison. They tend to focus on the technical side of things - make up, effects, storyboards - and can get a bit boring. But there's a semi-decent effort with a retrospective look at the film, and Will Smith's excellent video to his Men In Black theme song.