Men in Black (1997)
Grade: 50
"Men in Black" is a black comedy. It stars Tommy Lee Jones as a member of a quasi-government agency that monitors and occasionally tangles with the aliens among us. You may not have been aware of it, but for decades now aliens from all over the galaxy have been on earth, although most of them are in Manhattan. Jones recruits energetic cop Will Smith, whose performance is much more winning than in "Independence Day", the last time Smith got the best of trouble-making aliens.
Smith and Jones get to dress in cool black suits, drive an impressive car that definitely does not have a Ford engine, and fire small weapons that pack an enormous punch. It's all in good fun, and there job is made easier in that most of the aliens are OK. As Jones says, "they're just trying to make a living like the rest of us." By the way, "Men in Black" reveals that Sylvestor Stallone is an alien. I knew it!
But there's a bad apple in every lot. An alien labelled "the bug" crash-lands on Earth and begins a vendetta against a rival alien race, threatening life on Earth as we know. Smith and Jones are on the case. Linda Fiorentino, looking lovely but out of place, enters the story as a morgue doctor. Aliens dead or alive don't seem to upset her much.
While often entertaining and even funny, I can't give "Men in Black" a high grade. Smith and Jones are just fine and are given some good lines, but there is a cartoonish feel to the story, and the depth just isn't there. Perhaps it would help if the aliens' characters were fleshed out, or if Fiorentino had a credible character, or if the agents had family members who were endangered. Anything that would create conflict, drama or tension. A final complaint is the villian is a clumsy, mumbling clod that doesn't inspire fear, loathing, laughs or even interest. No wonder the story focuses on the derring-do of the agents. Smith's training is limited to a one-hour tryout, surprising given his level of responsibility.
So, if you want to see a black comedy, rent "Army of Darkness" instead. It is funnier, and has more gore and violence that is key to the genre.
http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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