Men in Black

I remember how much I liked this movie as a teenager and I still like it a lot. It is one of my top 10 favorite comic book films. “Men in Black” has a great balance of comedy, action and fright. Future Oscar nominee Will Smith steals the show and the design of the film is well done. The film has many memorable moments, which will live in the consciousness of fans for a long time to come. The special effects are another well-done element as is the story. Thanks to Will, Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Sonnenfeld, Rick Baker and Steven Spielberg, the Men in Black went from being a mysterious conspiracy to being a cool-looking group of heroes.

I like a lot of the stories about the making of this film. When you think of MIB, Will and Jones always come to mind but can you imagine Clint Eastwood and Chris O’Donnell on the poster. Those are some names of actors who were offered the lead roles. To be honest, I kind of like the thought of Eastwood as a Man in Black. His persona has some similarities with Jones’. I like how the story was simplified in post-production. The script during filming wasn’t all that confusing from what I can see but the simplification of it allowed us to focus on more entertaining elements. Another change that was incorporated is that the film takes place in New York, which makes a lot of sense. The climax was changed during filming as well. I like the use of a CGI alien bug as opposed to a physical robot or puppet like Mikey. The bug has to be more threatening than anything else before it and the best way to achieve this is by creating something in the computer. It was a good choice and worth the large amount of money they spent on those shots in the climax. Rick Baker won his fifth Oscar for makeup hands down. His work relates very well with the design of the overall film, which was also nominated at the Academy Awards that year but lost to “Titanic”. MIB is set in the 90’s but the design reflects the 60’s and therefore, the film relates to the sci-fi movies of that era. I enjoy the creative design of the aliens we see throughout the movie. Danny Elfman’s score is one of my favorite musical scores and I believe it to be his best work. It was nominated that year for best original score for a musical or comedy and it should have won in my view.

Even though Jones’ name comes first in the credits, Will dominates the spotlight in this film. As a result, it is hard to talk about the story without mentioning his work constantly. The role of Jay feels like it was written just for Will but it is his acting skill that creates this illusion. I have noticed how in all his movies, his dialogue seems to be delivered with ease as if it is improvised. The movie starts off well in that we are thrown into scenes in which we feel sort of lost. I like how the central border patrol officer goes from being in charge to being quite comic. Will’s first scene is such a good establishing sequence for his character. Jay is a funny guy but his character is more than that. He is smart also as we see throughout the film. I love that the alien Will chases is not played by an actor but rather a stuntman. His acting is not too bad on the roof of the museum. Another testament to Will’s acting ability is the scene where he is being interrogated by his fellow cops. I enjoy how his performance blends well with the stereotypical New York cops. The recruitment testing sequence is a very funny part of the film. The love the reasons for why Will doesn’t shoot the alien cardboard cutouts and instead shoots the girl. Another hilarious moment is Will’s reaction to “boy Captain America”. I like the cameos on the view screen when Kay is explaining observation. We have Stallone, Al Roker and Spielberg puts himself in there also. Will’s comic acting during the alien baby delivery scene is extremely funny. In just one shot, he waves hi and then encourages the woman alien to breath by demonstrating followed by his initial reaction to the baby alien being born. Laugh-out-loud funny. Other great written moments in the film are when Will realizes the potential for creating new memories for people and the excuses that Will gives to cover up the fact that the dog Kay is interrogating is an alien. I like how thick Will is when he thinks that Laurel is trying to hit on him. Even the bug is appalled that Will hasn’t figured out what is going on. I also laugh at Will’s reaction to the final translated message that the earth will be destroyed. He always makes light of the situation. At least the Arquillians say sorry for having to destroy the earth. The director makes a silent reference to a scene in “Independence Day”. Just as Will punched an alien in that movie, the bug in the climax of MIB punches Will. Another great comedic acting job of Will's is when he steps on the bugs to offend the alien. His delivery of the line “Uh-oh” is unmatched. Another fun fact about the film is that Will hates being dirty and so I like the scene when he is covered in entrails because he doesn’t have to act very much. It seems the whole movie is just another day for the MIB and that is kind of cool. I like Will’s suit at the end of the movie. It sort of shows that he has modernized the MIB.

I think that the biggest impact that this movie has made on pop culture is the neuralyzer. It is the most famous way of erasing people's memories. “Men in Black” introduced me to Tony Shalhoub, Rip Torn and David Cross. Upon first viewing, the film feels very short but I believe that to be evidence of how good the film is. MIB is the “Ghostbusters” of the 1990’s. Both were made by Columbia and MIB fits into the genre that "Ghostbusters" helped to create. Just like the Ghostbusters’ theme song, I don’t think that Will’s song during the end credits of MIB will ever become unpopular. This is one of my favorite Will Smith movies and was a big part of my teenage years. MIB has a good focus and balance between comedy & science fiction. The sequels were not too bad either.

4.5 Stars