Men in Black (1997)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers (WGA):

Lowell Cunningham (comic)
Ed Solomon (screen story)

Release Date:

2 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

Plot:

Two men who keep an eye on aliens in New York City must try to save the world after the aliens threaten to blow it up.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Men In Black | New York City | Bug | Technology

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 28 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 16	10:00 PM	TBS
Fri. July 17	10:00 AM	TBS

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Kay
Will Smith	...	Ofcr. James Darrel Edwards III
Linda Fiorentino	...	Laurel
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Edgar
Rip Torn	...	Chief Zed
Tony Shalhoub	...	Jack Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon	...	Beatrice
Mike Nussbaum	...	Gentle Rosenburg the Arquillian Jeweler
Jon Gries	...	Nick the Van Driver
Sergio Calderón	...	Jose
Carel Struycken	...	Arquillian
Fredric Lehne	...	INS Agent Janus (as Fredric Lane)
Richard Hamilton	...	D
Kent Faulcon	...	1st Lt. Jake Jensen
John Alexander	...	Mikey

Also Known As:

MIB (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Люди в Чёрном (Russia) [ru]
Adamianebi shavebshi (Georgia) [ka]
Barbati în negru (Romania) [ro]
Faceci w czerni (Poland) [pl]
Gvarim B'Shahor (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Hombres de negro (Argentina) [es]
Homens de Negro (Portugal) [pt]
Homens de Preto (Brazil) [pt]
Homes de negre (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Hommes en noir (Canada: French title) [fr]
Ljudi u crnom (Croatia) [hr]
MIB - Miehet mustissa (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
MIB - Svartklädda män (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Men in Black (France) [fr]
Men in Black (Germany) [de]
Men in Black (Sweden) [sv]
Men in Black (Italy) [it]
Men in Black (Norway) [no]
Men in Black - Sötét zsaruk (Hungary) [hu]
Men in Black: hombres de negro (Spain) [es]
Men in black - miehet mustissa (Finland) [fi]
Mozje v crnem (Slovenia) [sl]
Oi andres me ta mavra (Greece) [el]
Siyah giyen adamlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Vishwa-Rakshak (India: Hindi title) (dubbed version) [hi]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | DTS | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Denmark:11 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:AL (1999 video rating) | Australia:PG (re-rating on appeal) (rejected) | UK:PG (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Africa:10V | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

54 Macdougal Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

To make them into credible flying saucers, the CG renditions of the towers at Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, where the finale takes place, are substantially different from the actual buildings. Primarily, there are actually three structures of varying height, not two as shown in the film. Additionally, the saucer dish of the shortest tower intersects with the poles of the taller ones, and the dish of the mid-sized tower intersects with the pole of the largest one. Therefore, there is really only one complete saucer - on top of the tallest building. Moreover, the dish atop the highest tower is double the thickness of the shorter tower, not equal as depicted in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Edgar kills the Arquillians in the restaurant and rushes outside, we follow in a through-the-window shot as Edgar tosses a bystander off the sidewalk and then menaces a second in a close pass. But in the immediate exterior shot on Edgar from the sidewalk, the second bystander has vanished.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nick the Van Driver: Goddamn bugs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Kidnappers (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Men In Black

Funny Sci-Fi. As Good As Ghostbusters.

As I stated above, Men In Black is just as good as the sci-fi comedies Ghostbusters I and II. But instead of chasing ghost's we're chasing after rogue aliens.

James (Will Smith) is an officer in the NYPD and one of the top officers. After a hard night, James is questioned by his own police force for allegedly killing a suspect who fell off a building. As James insists that the person was acting strangely, Agent K (Tommmy Lee Jones) comes in and takes him out.

James is welcomed to a secret agency which keeps aliens in check. After a brief examination of his life, James (now Agent J) joins the agency. On his first day, suddenly K and J are on a mission to stop a massive cockroach from destroying Earth and starting a galactic war.

The chemistry between Smith and Jones is hilarious. Smith has some great comedy scenes especially when he is using his new weapon, the Noisy Crickett and him trying to deliver a baby squid type creature. The aliens are smart, their inventive, and their just plain fun when seeing how they identify themselves and hide their identities. The story is funny and will keep you laughing at almost every scene.

The presentation of aliens as everyday people trying to live normal lives in Manhattan is a lot more fun than the presentation of murderous aliens (Independence Day). Another great part is that the film isn't overblown with special effects of alien explosions and massive battles. Instead comedy and chemistry keeps this top comedy flowing.

Men In Black. Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Fiorentino, and Rip Torn.

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars.