Men in Black (1997)

During the '80s and '90s, numerous comic book publishers cropped up as the industry's speculator market grew. One of them was Aircel Comics, a Canadian publisher that became a subsidiary of Malibu Comics before ceasing to exist altogether when Marvel bought Malibu in 1994. Before Aircel closed their doors for good, they did make a memorable contribution to pop culture in 1990 when they published a three-issue miniseries titled The Men in Black.

Created and written by Lowell Cunningham with artwork by Sandy Carruthers, the comic still remains pretty obscure to this day. But the reason I call it Aircel's memorable contribution to pop culture is because of the movie it inspired. Columbia Pictures acquired the film rights and in 1997 turned the comic into one of the biggest movies of the year. And with the third Men in Black movie hitting theaters today, I figure now's as good a time as any to review the original movie.

James Edwards (Will Smith) was an ordinary New York City detective until he nabs a suspect blinking two sets of eyelids and brandishing what he could only describe as a "ray gun." His report of the incident is met with extreme skepticism by his fellow cops, so James is surprised when he's approached by a mysterious man who takes it seriously. Answering to the name "K," the man (Tommy Lee Jones) reveals that the suspect James collared was actually an alien, going on to reveal that he himself is actually an agent for a secretive organization known as the Men in Black. This organization monitors and patrols extraterrestrial activity on Earth while using advanced alien technology to prevent ordinary humans from discovering that they aren't alone in the universe.

Impressed by both James's ingenuity and determination, K offers him a spot amongst the Men in Black's ranks. He accepts the job, having all traces his identity — right down to his fingerprints — erased from existence and given the new name "J." But it's soon discovered that J has joined the Men in Black at a rather bad time. Disguising himself as a farmer named Edgar (Vincent D'Onofrio), a monstrous alien bug has arrived on Earth to search for an object that, if he obtains it, will spark a war between two alien races that will leave our planet in ruins. So as you may have surmised, it's up to J and K to stop the Edgar bug and prevent the end of the world.

Men in Black was huge when it was released fifteen years ago. The movie was a money-making juggernaut, its theme song playing all over the radio and in heavy rotation on MTV. Only Titanic managed to have a bigger 1997. But a decade and a half later in 2012, the movie strikes me as being something of a relic of the '90s. A lot of the jokes still do work, but I remember the movie being a lot funnier when I was a teenager. But Men in Black is still a really good flick that is worth seeing.

At the helm is Barry Sonnenfeld, a veteran cinematographer who made his directorial debut earlier in the decade with the cinematic adaptation of The Addams Family. Sonnenfeld's direction is good, though his style doesn't exactly scream "effects-based summer blockbusters with a $90 million budget" to me. He handles the movie as if it were your run-of-the-mill modestly-budgeted comedy. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sonnenfeld still crafts a heck of a movie regardless, keeping things lighthearted and fun.

However, the special effects at Sonnenfeld's disposal are something of a mixed bag. The practical effects created by Oscar winner Rick Baker are impressive, very well done and a real treat to see. Unfortunately, the occasional instance of CGI effects leaves something to be desired. You would think that even by 1997 standards, the CGI would have been a little more sophisticated. While it worked well in the scene where J and K interrogate an alien disguised as a dog (though making the dog's mouth move was all that was necessary), the rest of the CGI is give or take. Though it doesn't take away from the movie as a whole, it's just one of those little things that will bug you once in a while.

While Sonnenfeld's direction is serviceable and the practical effects are good, part of what makes Men in Black really work is its writing. Written by Bill & Ted co-creator Ed Solomon, the script is very good and very funny practically from start to finish. Solomon does stray away from Lowell Cunningham's original comic book in many spots, such as having the Men in Black monitor only extraterrestrials as opposed to a wide variety of paranormal entities like in the comic, but he does pull some stuff straight out of the source material and makes it work within the more comedic tone of the movie. The gags are constantly funny, even when it's the goofiest of puns, and the plot is always moving along at an engaging pace. Solomon knocks it out of the park, but there's one element that makes the movie even better.

That element: the cast. All of the actors in the movie are fantastic regardless of how big or small their role is. Tommy Lee Jones provides my favorite performance, playing the seen-it-all veteran and straight man. His responses to all the wackiness going on around him make for some of the movie's funniest moments. Knowing that he supposedly ad-libbed much of his dialogue makes it even better.

Will Smith is also really funny, but my only real problem is that he's still stuck in "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" mode. Smith had just begun his transition from TV star to movie star, with Bad Boys and Independence Day under his belt when Men in Black was released. He's still playing the cocky, wisecracking smart-ass that he played on Fresh Prince, a role he played in pretty much all of his movies during the '90s and early '00s. I will say that Smith does play that character well, which is probably why Smith's performance is so good.

There's also a good bit of acting from Vincent D'Onofrio as "the Edgar bug." D'Onofrio is perfectly slimy, playing his character as if he actually were a six-foot cockroach wearing human skin as a costume. He makes for a fun villain even if the lion's share of the movie's focus is elsewhere. And because Jones and Smith take up much of the movie, certain players go underutilized. I'm actually specifically referring to Linda Fiorentino and Rip Torn, who play a coroner and the head of MIB respectively. Fiorentino is fine despite her limited screen time, and Torn is funny even though he's barely in the movie at all.

Men in Black may be totally '90s, but even a decade and a half later, it's still a great comedy. Some of the jokes may seem a little dated and the effects might not be perfect, but it still holds up well. Fifteen years and a crappy sequel might have lessened a bit of its quality, but Men in Black is an entertaining, engaging, and downright fun movie. It's definitely worth a shot, especially if you're into '90s nostalgia or comic book movies that stray away from the usual superhero stuff. And I'm going to give Men in Black three and a half stars on the scale. It's not a perfect movie, but it's definitely a fun 90-minute ride.

Final Rating: ***½