MEN IN BLACK (PG-13)
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld Running Time: 98 minutes Originally Released: July 2, 1997 (USA-National)
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* * * (out of four)
A lot of times a three-star film will be my favorite. They're usually the kind of movie I can watch most often too. They're usually not too deep, allowing for semi-brainless relaxation, and at the same time, not too dumb. MEN IN BLACK is a four-star three-star film. (Hope you could follow that one)
MEN IN BLACK doesn't wait to get to the fun. Just minutes into the film we are introduced to Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), introduced to an alien, and introduced to the the awesome memory-diminishing tool that all MiB agents use. After all, you can't have alien witnesses running around with that kind of knowledge can you?
MEN IN BLACK is, of course, the organization which "moniters all extra-terrestrial activity on Earth". NYPD officer James Edwards (Will Smith), is on a routine foot chase when suddenly the no-good punk he's chasing starts leaping up buildings and blinking more than one pair of eyes. The alien delivers the simple message that the world is going to end, and with that, dives off of a roof. Naturally nobody believes his story . . . nobody that is, except for the top secret organization that not even the government is aware of.
Edwards then meets Agent Kay, the man who never seems to crack a smile, and is introduced to the MiB. Edwards winds up joining the team and is stripped of anything that can point back to him (birth certificate, drivers license, and even the literal removal of his fingerprints). James Edwards no longer exists. Meet Agent Jay.
Agent Kay takes the rookie Jay under his wing as they go about "regular" duties. Eventually a far more treacherous event comes into play. A "bug" has landed on Earth and is going to wipe out mankind if these two don't (or can't) stop it. The plot isn't exactly clear, but we know it has to do with a galaxy as big as a jewel or marble being sought after on Earth, and that is crucial that the MiB find it before the "bug" does.
Barry Sonnenfeld, who also did the ADDAMS FAMILY films, directs this nicely. It's fun, it's funny, it's action-packed. A nice summer blockbuster as it rightfully turned out to be. This is one of those movies that is just "fun" and can't really be summed up any nicer or clearer. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones both do great jobs and both are a blast to watch. Definitely one of the best films of the the summer of '97, MEN IN BLACK comes highly recommeded from me!
November 26, 1997
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