Fun but totally unmemorable

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2002)

When NYPD cop Edwards pursues a subject that he believes was some form of alien he finds a mysterious agent believes him and offers him an interview. When Agent K offers him a position as a man in black he discovers an underworld of aliens that is regulated and hidden. When a bug comes to earth in search of the universe agents K and J find themselves in a race against time to stop the bug and prevent the destruction of the earth.
This film was well hyped when it first came out and got plenty of good publicity through Smith's song of the same name. However it always felt like a film that was gearing itself up for a sequel rather than a film in itself. The story is in two strands - the first is J's fish out of water act and the second is the search for the universe. These two interlink as the main body is the attempt to stop the bug, but the funniest moments involve J being overwhelmed by the tings around him - in this setting he is the most accessible character to the audience as we are experiencing the same as him. The plot is a little daft but it's all delivered with tongue in cheek and has enough laughs to keep us amused.
Smith delivers yet another popcorn blockbuster and does his usual cocky performance that we've seen so many times - the only thing that stops him getting irritating is that he is clearly out of his depth in K's world. Tommy Lee Jones is very good and in my mind, a lot cooler than Smith, he does get some good deadpan lines but mainly is Smith's straight man. It's hard to imagine anyone else doing the role as he does it so well and I hope they manage to twist the sequel to bring his character back in - I can't image Smith can carry MIB2. Fiorentino, D'Onofrio, Shalhoub and Rip Torn all add class in support but this is mainly Smith and Jones's show.
The special effects are good and the action is cool in a comic book style. However the length of the film and the focus on K and J's interaction rather than a straight up plot does make it feel like it was made with an eye on a franchise rather than the film as a complete package itself.
Overall a funny stylish comedy that will amuse throughout.