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| Men in Black |
| Rated: | PG-13 |
| Stars: | Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones |
| Score: |   |
Movies are rarely this enjoyable. There are a few classics out there
that blend humor, action, and plot beautifully; Bad Boys and
the Lethal Weapon movies come to mind. Well, Men in Black
is destined to become a another classic in the same vein, but instead
of busting criminals, they're busting aliens (and blowing them into little
bite-size morsels). In fact, the only problem I have with MiB
is that it's too short! A mere 90 minutes, while it contains the entire story,
leaves you thirsty for more. We can only hope for a sequel.
You wouldn't think a movie containing a couple dozen different alien
species would be realistic, and you'd be right. MiB requires a
slight departure from reality, but not as much as other movies. Batman
is a great example. As I said, the departure from reality is slight, and
that's partly what makes it so fun. Also, the atmosphere generated by
the continuous humor contributes greatly to the whole effect.
How about the special effects? Virtually all the aliens are computer-
generated, but they were done all done pretty well, sometimes bordering
on "really cool." I've seen far weaker efforts, to be sure. The aliens
themselves come in a wide variety shapes and sizes, but I think they're
pretty much all slimy. Quite a departure from Star Trek, where
even on the other side of the galaxy, the aliens are just humans
with bumps on their heads or noses (and all speak English with an American
accent and have the same names for elements that we do: Potassium here is
also called Potassium on the planet Telax).
The acting is great here, too. Will Smith works very well with Tommy
Lee Jones, although the pairing of a wild, young rebel with a world-weary
realist is becoming a bit cliche. Still, they're an undeniably great
combination. I can't really convey how funny this movie is. There
have been countless comedies that seem bland by comparison and, unlike those
comedies, Men in Black will still be funny after a dozen or more
viewings. I'm not speaking from experience, of course, but I trust my
instincts.
If you haven't seen Men in Black yet, see it. When it comes out
on video, buy it. You can get a pair of those $100 sunglasses, but I won't
hold you to that. I'm actually pretty ashamed I waited so long to see
this movie. I mean, it's been almost two weeks since it opened!
And while I didn't face the long lines that would have been present on
opening day, but the theater was still screwed up, and the audience was
full on inconsiderate schlebs. First of all, most of the sound in the
theater was off. You could barely hear out of the speakers in the very
front (under the screen or something) and that was it. A couple of guys
in the front of the theater yelled out, "Turn it up!" and there was this
old couple behind me (you know the kind- they complain about everything
and compare it to the "good ol' days" like my backward relatives)
said, "Why should they turn it up? It's too loud already. It's hurting
my ears." A couple minutes into the movie, the volume was fixed because
one of those guys in the front ran back to tell someone. You know, this
kind of crap happens with too great a frequency. Would it be too much
to have some representative of the theater there for the start
of the movie to make sure it's actually working?
But, as I said, MiB is too short, and that's why it didn't get
a full four stars. Everything else is flawless (there isn't a Macintosh
to be seen! :) You just can't go wrong by picking up a couple tickets
for this film (see it with a friend because only losers go to movies alone).
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