Men in Black

Agents Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) protect our world, that is crammed full of aliens who live among us, and most of them are respectful citizens of planet Earth, but every race can have a bad apple or two. Smith and Jones make an unlikely pair, but they work in harmony really well here, and it's a pretty funny adventure.

Fine special effects help to bring the aliens in MIB to life, and they have as much character as the duo in black, and they get just as many laughs. The film carries a good plot and is entertaining from the opening scene; which sets the tone of the film nicely, and makes you yearn for some more.

8/10

As my one line summary says, this is one of the best sci-fi comedies ever made, next to the classic Ghostbusters and the highly underrated Evolution. This movie has action, comedy, and some of the best special effects in the last ten years. Rick Baker, Hollywood's resident 'creature man', as I like to call him, has made such a wide variety of aliens. There's the first alien we see, Mikey; there's the Worm Guys; and the villanous Bug. But there are many others, such as Frank the Pug and the twins. The squid baby is pretty neat. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith have an undeniable chemistry together, which repeats itself in the sequel. Linda Fiorentino is also good as the leading lady, and veteran actor Rip Torn is gruff as the head of MIB, Zed. Vincent D'Onofrio is also pretty good. My favorite line: "No, ma'am. We at the FBI do not have a sense of humor that we are aware of." All in all, two thumbs up, baby!

This movie was really fun to watch the first time I saw it in theaters, upon subsequent viewings, however, it loses its luster. Still though, it is still a fun movie to watch. Unlike the sequel which rushes us through the story, this one takes a bit more time developing the characters even though it is only about ten minutes longer. Both Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are very good and funny, especially Smith because he is the new guy so he is seeing all the weird aliens and such for the first time. This is also something missing from the sequel. In the end though the reason I probably like this one so much is that it sort of reminds me of a Ghostbuster movie, and seeing as how we will most likely never see another sequel to that movie it is nice to see a movie sort of like it in that they are keeping tabs and hunting aliens rather than ghosts. The pug dog scene is funny, and the dog is not over used as in the sequel, and there is also a funny scene where Will Smith must deliver an alien baby...their main objective in this one is to track down an alien insect that has hijacked the skin of a guy and is trying to find a universe. If he succeeds the Earth is destroyed, of course Tommy Lee's character is so calm about the whole situation that you feel you have nothing to worry about. So for a funny movie that has great scenes of Will Smith training and becoming a Man in Black watch this film and do yourself a favor and skip part two...not that it was entirely bad, I liked it okay, but it just seems like an unnecessary sequel.

"Men in Black" and "Galaxy Quest" are in my mind the best sci-fi comedies ever made, because they are both hilarious parodies of two different cultures. Whereas the latter spoofed obsessed fans who take sci-fi entertainment WAY too seriously, this one spoofs the paranoid, tin-foil-hat brand of conspiracy theorists. It has funny characters, witty lines, and does not at all take itself seriously.

There are a lot of small details that can take multiple viewings to catch. One thing I found funnier the second time I watched it is the scene where Will Smith has just been severely lectured by his boss in the interrogation room when Tommy Lee Jones enters, asks a few questions, and tells Smith to come with him. Smith: "I can't, there's still a lot of paperwork to fill out." Jones: "No, the paperwork is all taken care of." Smith's boss (walking by): "Hey, nice work, Edwards!" This is one of many quick, funny scenes that you only really get if you're paying attention.

All the actors do a good job, too. I thought Rip Torn was the funniest character, and Edgar the bug was hilariously gross. Linda Fiorentino was one of the coolest female characters ever. She put Ripley to shame. Every time I watch this, I want to marry her.

Overall, it's a great comedy that is clever and fun all the way through. 8/10 stars.

On the surface, a film featuring the straight-laced Tommy Lee Jones fighting aliens would seem to be a terrible idea. However, throw in some humor from Will Smith and some great filmmakers, and all of a sudden you have created a classic, genre-busting experience.

For a basic plot summary, "Men in Black" sees Agent K (Jones) policing hidden aliens that constitute our planet unbeknownst to the general population. But, since K is starting to get a bit long in the tooth, he sets about bringing a little bit of new blood into the MIB organization, which is where James Edwards (Smith), an NYPD street cop, comes into the picture.

The chemistry between Jones (the "straight man") and Smith (the "cutup") is what really makes this movie fun to watch. Their banter back and forth never stops from beginning to end and is always good for a chuckle.

Of course, just the concept of the film alone is unique in and of itself. Though the potential for utter failure was quite high, director Barry Sonnenfield (with probably more than a little help from executive producer Steven Spielberg) manages to make the film take itself just seriously enough to work, not but not seriously enough to prevent a lot of fun from creeping into the screenplay.

Overall, "Men in Black" is just a fun film that (in its day) was something completely new to the cinematic landscape. Unless you just really aren't into the often goofy nature of the movie, you will enjoy the special effects and witty banter thoroughly.