Men In Black A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1997 Michael Redman
*** (out of ****)
This irrelevant romp through a battle with goofy aliens is everything that "Mars Attacks" promised last summer and failed to deliver: it's comical and almost has a plot.
Back about the time of the Roswell landing -- or crash dummies in a weather balloon, depending on which outlandish tale you chose to believe -- the "scum of the universe" began moving to earth. Now there are 1500 disguised as humans living mostly in New York City, although anyone who has spent time in the Big Apple might have estimated a higher number. Think of it as "Casablanca without the Nazis" as Special Agent K explains.
As with everything else in our brave new world, these offworlders need to be kept track of and the public protected from itself. That task falls to the Men In Black, members of an agency so secret that even the government doesn't know about it. Agents K and J (Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith) are at the forefront of immigration control. ("Jones" and "Smith": now those are names that aliens might take.)
Disguised as humans (notably Newt Gingrich, Dennis Rodman and Sylvester Stallone) they mostly live normal lives until a viscous insectoid illegal alien arrives on an assassination mission. Mission completed, the bug goes on a killing spree while the planet is in danger of destruction.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld ("Addams Family", "Get Shorty") has taken a little known Malibu comic book and turned out a witty film filled with subtle jests as well as the expected slapstick and outer space goo. The almost-overlooked material is as comical as the longer more obvious scenes. J's delivery of the tenacled baby and K's shakedown of a reluctant dog are hilarious. So is the notion that the supermarket tabloids are the only ones to print the truth and the throwaway "Elvis isn't dead, he's gone home" line.
Jones' deadpan delivery is perfect for the blasé agent who's seen too much and is training his new partner in the ways of the unexpected. (After shooting off the head of a pawnshop owner who promptly grows it back and reveals a cache of high-tech weapons hidden behind the jewelry, K asks his associate "Did you notice anything strange?")
Smith, in his return to the science fiction battles after "Independence Day", is the tall handsome leading man for the end of the century. If Eddie Murphy were still making quality movies, he might have had this role. Since Murphy's career fell apart a few years back due to some bad choices, Smith fills his wise-cracking over the edge shoes admirably.
The supporting roles are filled with competent actors (Rip Torn, Linda Fiorentino) but don't get much screen time. The exception is Vincent D'Onofrio who plays the giant cockroach in ill-fitting redneck skin suit. As his face constantly slips around and scrunches up in the corners, the bug doesn't quite have the "walking around in human skin" gig down and steals every scene that he's in.
There are a few problems. The buddy bit of this buddy film doesn't come across, the film seems a bit short and some portions underdeveloped. But it's an energetic comedy and the effects are impressive without burying the humans. It's one of the few films of the genre that you won't regret seeing.
(Michael Redman as penned these words of wisdom for over 21 years and would like to congratulate Chet Chmielewski and Jennifer St. Dennis on the birth of their daughter Kathryn Claire who has nary a tentacle in sight. Electronic missives shoot directly to mredman@bvoice.com )
[This appeared in the 7/10/97 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana] -- mailto:mredman@bvoice.com
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