Fun sci-fi action film.

Rating: 7/10 (31 July 2007)

Men in Black starts as NYPD cop James Edwards (Will Smith) has an encounter with an alien disguised as a human, he is contacted by the mysterious Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) who tells him about a secret organisation that monitor & control alien activity on Earth & if he wants a job he's in. Meanwhile a huge cockroach like alien has landed nearby & is in search of an Arquillian disguised as an antiques dealer (Mike Nussbaum) who has something he needs, a Galaxy in a marble. Edwards accepts the job & he becomes Agent J, he soon finds himself in the thick of the action as an Arquillian battle cruiser threatens to blow up Earth unless the Galaxy is returned to them...
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld who replaced Les Mayfield shortly before production began this is a pretty fun sci-fi with some neat special effects but when all said & done doesn't add up to much. Producer Steven Spielberg hired David Koepp to do a rewrite on the script by Ed Solomon which in all fairness ended up pretty good, it doesn't take itself too seriously & was based on character's from a comic book that only ran for 6 issues in 1990 & it's no co-incidence that the film feels like a comic book itself, it's very over-the-top, it's quite funny at times & it's even occasionally witty as well. There's a touch of satire here as the whole alien cover up issue is played for laughs as it's a commonly accepted theory. The cheeky & jokey Will Smith plays nicely of the deadpan Tommy Lee Jones, there are some funny one-liners, some neat aliens & it moves along at a nice pace. There are some good set-pieces as well although overall the story is average fair & while it's undoubtedly fun to watch there's not much substance beyond flashy CGI computer effects & once the whole Men in Black idea has worn off by the 30 minute mark it doesn't really have anywhere else to go & becomes a bit repetitive.
Director Sonnenfeld does a fine job, the special effects scenes are impressive & the film has visual flair & style. The alien creatures are very imaginative like the little guy in a mans face controlling him or the baby squid like alien or the worm guy's & all the other's that are dotted throughout the film. The special effects & CGI computer effects are superb as one would expect from a film with this sort of mega budget. That totally out of the blue ending that comes from nowhere is a bit odd though, don't you think? The violence is tame although there are maybe a few scary scenes that might not be suitable for younger children & there is a fair amount of bad language. Apparently Quentin Tarantino was offered the chance to direct Men in Black but turned it down, wow just imagine how the film might of turned out if he had accepted!
With a budget of about $90,000,000 Men in Black is well made with excellent production values as one would expect, it has that big budget Hollywood look & feel. Danny Elfman provides his usual recycled score that sounds the same as his other's. The acting is OK, the two leads play off each other well & are an amusing contrast at times, rumour has it after reading the script Will Smith didn't want to do the film but his wife convinced him otherwise. Apparently Clint Eastwood was offered the role of K but turned it down while Chris O'Donnell & David Schwimmer were both offered the part of J but foolishly, considering their's & Will Smith's subsequent careers, said no.
Men in Black is a good light hearted sci-fi film that can be witty, funny, clever & exciting but maybe not quite on a consistent level. It's still a very good film though & definitely one worth checking out if you haven't already. Followed by a sequel Men in Black II (2002) a cartoon series Men in Black: The Series (1997 - 2001).