Men in Black (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray]

My parents first bought this when it came out because they knew I loved star wars and this had aliens so they bought it. I loved it! It has some of the best actors, Tommy Lee Jones is one of my favorite actors, and Will Smith was great. This was probably Smith's first big movie, the biggest thing before that was The fresh prince of Bel-air. The story is that there is an agency that protects the earth from aliens and things like that, well K ( Tommy Lee Jones) recruits J (Smith) and they have to find an alien that landed out in a farm. This alien is wearing an Edgar suit (one of the farmers skin) and it is trying to find "the galaxy" and is killing people on his way. Funny in parts, really good movie. Nothing like star wars but in a good way. I'm not sure if the 2nd is any good as I haven't seen it, but I heard it sucked so stick to the 1st.

A hilarous and campy film that hits the spot on orginality. Will Smith continues his comedic acting as the young hotshot rookie. And Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as the overbearing yet lovable experience "MIB" character. Both actors bring life and vitality to the movie and characters they play. A film that brings a great sense of comedic punch lines and humorous slapstick. A great for the whole family to watch.

I would actually rate this movie 4and a half stars. This movie is a lot of fun, energetic, exhibits a spot on sense of humor, ecspecially Tommy Lee Jones excellent dead pan, and is filled with great special effects and an actual honest to god storyline. Highly recommended but avoid the train wreck of a sequel.

If there was ever a movie to blow the doors off of alien conspiracies in a hilarious way this is it. For no other reason than that, Men in Black is a well-deserved hit. Combine that classic sci-fi charm with a smart combination of different special effects techniques and the chemistry of actors Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith and you have a recipe for fun.

Probably the most intriguing element of Men in Black for me is its classic sci-fi charm. The urban legends of the men in black surfaced around the 50's and this movie seems to tip its hat at that prospect. The aliens and gadgets all have that classic 50's sci-fi B-movie aspect in regards to their looks and names. The B-movie aspect is all the funnier when Tommy Lee and the gang interact with this strangeness as if it were an everyday thing. In addition to the classic sci-fi fun you also see some fun with the whole government conspiracy to hide the truth. I'm telling you it's great fun seeing MIB agents with their deadpan looks handle completely outrageous situations.

This movie oozes style. Not only with the sci-fi space guns and tech but also the look of the MIB headquarters. It's another throwback to the 50's with some major art deco designs and black and white color schemes. It's like looking into one of those freaky classic movies. Special effects can be a mixed bag, but still fun to watch. You get some really good animatronic effects with a few aliens as well as computer animation, but I tend to give more kudos to the animatronic side of things here. While the CG stuff looks good at a distance it starts to lack on closer shots with that very noticeable shine you get from making a too glossy surface.

Another plus on style is the Jones/Smith interaction. It's a lot like a buddy cop film where the two partners are very different from each other. Tommy Lee's straight and serious Agent Friday style of professionalism is perfectly juxtaposed by Will's irreverent wisecracking style. My favorite performance is from Vincent D'Onofrio, who made an enormously entertaining performance as the bug in an Edgar suit. I don't think you could have gotten a better cast.

While Men in Black is a definite plus it does have a few limitations. For one the pacing of the movie feels rushed in a certain way, although it's hard to put my finger on. I suppose Will's indoctrination into MIB worked well, but after he became an agent, things moved more mechanically than dynamically. Might be more of a time constraint issue than anything else. Also this movie is slimy. You will find lots of gooey and icky stuff splattering all over the place. Some of you might get into it. I just feel like I need a shower.

Men in Black is ultimately light entertainment that pokes fun at the genre while at the same time being true to it. The only people I can't recommend this movie to are the ones who are looking for a whole lot of depth in the story, or can't get around the slimy stuff.

You'll get a kick out of this sci-fi comedy/adventure starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Since I'm a little late on reviewing this film(it's been out for awhile now), I won't delve too deep into the premise of the film. Just know that Jones' "Kay" character handpicks Smith's "Jay" character to replace him and they form a hilarious odd couple with Jones playing the straight man and Smith being the goof-off.

"Men In Black" provides plenty of laughs and action for even the toughest sci-fi critic. Smith does an excellent job without coming across as smarmy as he did in "Independence Day." Jones' no-nonsense character is the perfect foil to Jay. Rip Torn does a good job as Zed and Linda Fiorentino is good as the coroner in the wrong place at the wrong time. Vincent D'Onofrio also does a good job as the big, bad bug. Some of the biggest laughs come from Kay's encounter with an alien informer who hides out as a dog and Tony Shaloub's performance as an alien peddler with a pawn shop.

The action is spread throughout the film at perfect intervals, often with great comedic sidelines such as the "noisy cricket" and Kay and Jay's drive through the tunnel in what Jay refers to as a "Ford POS."

Overall, a really fun movie to watch multiple times. The language is mild for the most part, although a few words slip here and there. Some of the alien action might scare younger viewers, especially the big bug conflict at the climax, but there isn't anything here that would scare children over ten. I'll leave that up to the parents.

Check it out for some good sci-fi fun.