For decades, Americans have been obsessed with the possibility of extraterrestrial life. For the same decades, Hollywood has been entertaining those fantasies with everything from “E.T.” to “Independence Day. With “Men In Black,” though, Hollywood has turned over a new leaf in the endless stream of creature features.
Believe it or not, “Men in Black” is truly creative. Adding original special effects and plot ideas, the same type of over-the-top humor that earned “Mars Attacks” the worst reviews of any film since “Ishtar” was actually funny.
“MiB” is about two secret agents, J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) who work for an ultra-secret government agency that controls and polices alien life on the planet earth. They are armed with the more technology than the makers of “Jurassic Park” and unlimited power.
The outrageousness of the plot is really just part of the fun; “MiB” is no more unbelievable than “ID4” was, but with twice the humor. Apparently residents of warring galaxies have brought their troubles to earth, and it’s up to J and K to stop one of the groups from blowing up earth in the process.
The best part, though, is K’s “neuralizer,” which J refers to as a “memory zapper thingy.” It allows the agents to erase the memory of any witnesses to alien encounters on earth. Such a thing is the perfect answer to the people out there who fear government conspiricies like Roswell really exist.
As I’ve said, “MiB” goes gleefully over the top, and never looks back. Tommy Lee Jones is hilarious, although he almost never laughs himself. While known for his dramatic roles, Jones is a funny guy.
Of course, as “Fresh Prince” viewers can attest to, so is Smith. He gets to laugh at Jones, laugh at himself, and make constant cracks about his sci-fi surroundings.
Also delightfully silly are Linda Fiorentino as a morbid coronor and Vincent D’Onofrio as an out-of-control alien. Not to give anything away, but the movie cries “sequel” loud and clear with the typically distinctive Fiorentino in a leading role.
“MiB” is the third in a series of hits for director Barry Sonnenfeld (“Addams Family Values,” “Get Shorty”). The humor in “Men in Black” is more like that in “Values,” but the overall mood of the film is exactly like that of the sidesplitting “Get Shorty.”
While I admittedly have been “event movied” to death (needless to say, I’m skipping “Speed 3”) “Men in Black” is a charming departure from the norm. Not very much, but just enough to save a few bucks on the action and funnel it into a screenwriter with a sense of humor.
Grade: B