Welcome everyone to a brand new series of throwback reviews. This time we will be taking a look at one of the most iconic Sci-Fi/comedy series ever, the Men In Black trilogy. With MIB International releasing very soon, I thought why not take a look at the rest of the films, and see if they are as good as I remember them. First we will be looking at the one that started it all back in 1997. This film was huge back then, becoming one of the highest grossing films of that year, and becoming an instant favorite among audiences, that is still talked about to this day, and for very good reasons.
Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name, and after a brief prologue in Mexico, the film follows James, a New York cop who gets into a chase with some other-wordily being. A man named K is impressed with James skills, neauralyzes him, and hands him a business card with an address. James goes to this address, and undergoes a series of tests. After those tests K recruits James to join the Men In Black AKA the best kept secret in the universe. Their job is to hide the fact that aliens live among us, and stop any intergalactic threat that threatens the peace. James then becomes Agent J, and partners up with Agent K himself for his first mission: to stop an alien from finding a device known as “The Galaxy”, because if they don’t, then there could be a war coming that could threaten not only the Earth but the entire galaxy. But can J, and K learn to be able to work together as a team, and save the universe before its too late?
This film is what I would consider how to do a buddy cop film the right way. It has two likable characters that the audience cares about, who have great chemistry with one another and puts them together, and sets up their conflicting personalities very well, but at the same time sets them up to be a great working team at the same time. You would be surprised how hard it is to pull those things off sometimes, and this film just nails it perfectly. The script here is full of great comedy, and lines, as the humor is so on point. This film does the “amazing Sci-Fi elements treated like its normal to the point where its boring” humor the best, something that became a little staler in the sequels simply because they were not as fresh as this film. But its not just humor the film is good at, the relationship between J and K is done extremely well, and is what makes the film work providing a nice beating heart that makes us care for them. Another thing that stands out is the world building on display here, as it is some of the best I have seen. The concept of the MIB organization is just so clever, and unique, and I love the way how the movie integrates aliens into the real world (especially when it comes to people who are actually aliens, and how they hide). I also really appreciated how small in scale the film is, even with this world ending threat, which is something that has always made this series stand out, and why it is so refreshing. But again none of this would have worked if if weren’t for J and K’s relationship.
You know for a film that easily could have used it more than it needed to, there is surprisingly not too much CGI used in the picture. Now of course it is used here and there, like for Edgar’s bug form, spaceships, a couple of the alien species, etc., but there are actually more practical effects used here, which are handled incredibly well. Credit has to be given to all of the people who worked on the makeup, and puppetry here because they did a fantastic job of bringing these creatures to life, especially Edgar in his human form. Speaking of which I also really like the designs for all of the different types of aliens we see, which also brings to mind the excellent world building here. Barry Sonnenfeld directs the film well, as it is both well shot, and made with great production value. I really like the design of MIB headquarters, and all of the creative gadgetry on display, like the weapons, and alien artifacts. I also really love Danny Elfman’s score which really sets the mood of the film really well, and is really intense in the moment.
But a great buddy cop movie needs two great actors to play the leads, and boy do we get that with Will Smith, and Tommy Lee Jones here. Without them, this movie would probably not have worked, even with all of the great stuff mentioned above. They have hilarious banter, and interactions with Smith the enthusiastic hot shot, and joker, playing off well of Jones’s stern straight man. But not only do they handle the comedy very well, they also handle the emotional moments very well leading to scenes that are truly touching especially near the end of the film. While they are the main stars here, they aren’t the only ones who get to stand out. Zed, the chief of MIB, is a fun variation on the stern authority figure who is played well by Rip Torn while Linda Fiorentino is a scene stealer as the cynical medical examiner, Laurel Weaver, who provides some nice deadpan wit, and makes for one of the more interesting characters. I also got to mention Vincent D’Onofrio who gives a truly underappreciated performance as the villainous Edgar the bug, as what he did was truly great, because not only did he capture the personality and look (thank the make-up artits for that) of the character well, but also how he also does a lot of physical work here, thanks to him being an alien in a human body. Of course how can I forget to mention the different alien species we encounter, such as Tony Shalhoub’s head growing Jack Jeebs, Tim Blaney’s sassy Frank the pug, and Brad Abrell as the energetic Worm Guys just to name a few. While they may not get much screentime they still manage to be memorable, and leave a lasting impression.
All in all Men In Black works in so many ways. Its a great buddy cop film, its a creative Sci-Fi film, its a hilarious comedy, and its just an awesome movie in general. It sets up this great, creative, new world that is just ripe for further exploration, while also introducing us to some lovable new characters that we still remember to this day. This is one of my personal favorite Sci-Fi films, one of my favorite comedies, and one of my my favorite movies period. Now that we have taken a look at this classic, we will soon look at its extremely disappointing follow up next.
Rating: A+
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