Men in Black
It has been a long time since my first and only previous viewing of Men in Black. I only remembered the very broadest strokes of the plot, but I recall finding it relatively enjoyable, which is easy to do when Will Smith is involved. However, in my adulthood, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. My taste in my single-digit years wasn’t perfect, and certain movies that I adored back then haven't necessarily held up today. In revisiting Men in Black, I found it to not only align with my pleasant memories but to exceed them in this long-overdue second viewing.
The movie's tone was as I remembered: humorous, exciting, and faced-paced – ideal for appealing to a wide range of ages. What I didn’t remember were the more specific aspects of the tone: how genuinely witty it is, its heart, and its surprisingly political, pleasantly pro-immigration message, which is (to its credit) addressed very directly early on but is more subtly commented upon in the overall narrative. Frankly, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen an action flick with such a blatantly progressive theme. My memory also gave Tommy Lee Jones no credit. Agent K is in not the dark to Agent J’s light. He’s not a by-the-book agent who J shakes up with his youth and ultra-‘90s aesthetic. On the contrary, he is a sci-fi Willy Wonka, casually introducing J to one reality-defying revelation after another and revelling as J attempts to wrap his head around his new world. There’s nothing for K to learn or evolve into because he begins the film as the fully-formed, most perfect version of himself that he seems to have always been. He’s both lawful good and chaotic good because his world is ruled by laws of chaos, but the essential term here is “good.”
Another pleasant surprise was the treatment of the female characters in the film. Admittedly, they are few and far between, but they are allowed to be interesting and even, dare I say it, funny. The oft-abused wife of Edgar (Siobhan Fallon Hogan) takes her husband’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) new look and demeanor as he is possessed by an alien in hilarious stride. Though the character is sparingly seen in the film, she is a wonderfully understated character for whom to root. The most pleasant surprise in the film was the character of Dr. Weaver (Linda Fiorentino), the medical examiner, who has unwittingly been frequently visited by Agent K and his neuralyzer. While this character could easily have become the damsel in distress turned love interest on Agent J, she actively defies the role, as she is frustrated by Agent J’s presumption that she is flirting with him when in fact signaling for assistance. And while Agent J insists on her well-being being his concern throughout the film, in the final act she not only fights for herself, and not only saves both agents in the end, but she also becomes a “Man in Black” herself, replacing Agent K when he decides to retire. By the end of the film, there has been no kiss, not even a hint of a romantic relationship between J and L. For the ‘90s, this is extremely rare and lovely in such a film.
Finally, we come to that award-winning makeup and the impressive special effects. I would like to give Vincent D’Onofrio all of the credit for his virtually unrecognizable transition into the alien, but I am sure that a lot of it was thanks to the makeup. I’m still not 100% sure that it is D’Onofrio acting after farmer Edgar meets his demise... In addition to the makeup, all of the special effects that brought the aliens to life were nothing short of incredible. I will always take practical effects over CGI, and seeing the prosthetics and animatronics made me feel both incredibly impressed and deeply nostalgic. Even the moments of computer generation held up reasonably well over the decades (which is certainly saying something, compared to similar efforts in the ‘90s), and were integrated well with the rest of the effects.
I went into Men in Black with vague, nostalgic interest, and ended up genuinely loving this movie. The characters, the pace, the vibe, the message… I couldn’t have asked for more from this film. I’ve never watched any of the sequel films, but I am certainly interested to see where the series goes from here. If you haven’t revisited the film as an adult, I urge you to do so. There’s more than meets the eye in this movie. If you have kids, I recommend a family viewing even more heartily, as I would go so far as to deem this film morally educational, while being extremely fun at the same time. — Bailey 🕶🥛
It had been rather a long time since I (too) watched the first Men in Black (1997) film, and even the recent 2019 re-boot, Men in Black: International, didn’t tempt me into revisiting this franchise by re-watching the Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones “MIB” film trilogy. Needless to say, I did not really have any expectations going into the film, other than I expected to be mildly entertained (as my younger self had found these films to be quite humorous and enjoyable). Nevertheless, while I still think Men in Black is an enjoyable action flick, I actually found the film to be far less ‘funny’ than I remembered. Perhaps part of the problem in revisiting a film like MIB is that I have changed, and times have changed. Some of those changes are more noticeable and drastic, and yet there are still some things that have changed so little over the past 20 odd years that I am not really sure whether this film has aged all that well…
For one thing, Will Smith as “J” is annoying. There, I said it. I realize that the character is meant to be a brash, young, go-getting NYPD officer who must prove himself at every opportunity, but there were times when I found myself rolling my eyes, and checking the time to see just how long Smith would drag out a scene. Moreover, the ‘buddy cop’ style dynamic between Smith and Jones just felt too forced. Jones does a great job at playing the no-nonsense ‘straight-man,’ but the chemistry between the two was just not as dynamic as I remembered.
On a deeper level, I did not remember that Men in Black really played with the concepts of “illegal aliens” as a sub-textual commentary about immigration. From the opening sequence, with Agents K and D on the Mexican border and hunting down a fleeing criminal, to the asylum seekers from other planets and galaxies choosing Earth as a ‘neutral’ zone, the film managed to feel just as relevant now, as I’m sure it did in the late ‘90s. (How does that Bon Jovi song go? “The more things change, the more they stay the same…”)
Given the event that followed the release of this film, and with this September marking the 20th anniversary of the events of 9/11/2001, the backdrop of MIB became a never-ending reminder of what has been lost in the wake of those attacks. In some respects, the films felt like a ‘love letter’ (as much as a sci-fi action flick can be like a love letter) to New York City. From the chase through the Guggenheim Museum, to the race through the tunnel, the city’s many bridges featuring prominently in the background, the final showdown at the remnants of the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens, and, of course, to the iconic NYC skyline and presence of the twin, World Trade Center towers. It is hard not to be hyper-aware of just how drastically things have changed since the time this film was released.
Yet, even with so many noticeable changes, it was just as blatant what hasn’t progressed. One scene, in particular, stood out in light of the recent Black Lives Matter movement, and that is the target shooting test, as part of J’s ‘interview’ for his new position working alongside Agent K. When all of the ‘decorated’ military men proceeded to gun down and shoot every single ‘alien’ target on the range, assuming that they would be the threat, I couldn’t help but make comparisons to all of the recent headlines and unnecessary shootings happening throughout the country. Where I once thought of Smith’s long-winded explanation of why he shot the book-toting ‘child’ as a hilarious piece of comedy, I now have to look at this scene and many throughout the film in a new, and much more depressing light. So much of the film’s comedy centers around racial stereotypes, prejudice, and fear of the ‘unknown,’ all topics that show how far we have come, and yet still have so far left to go…
Even with the far more serious undertones in Men in Black, there are still elements of the film that I truly adore. For one thing, I completely forgot that the score was written by none other than Danny Elfman. The opening credits, with the bug flying around, and overly cinematic score was so distinctively ‘Elfman’ that it gave me Beetlejuice (1988) or The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) vibes. I enjoyed the noticeable moments throughout the film where Elfman’s score really helped with the pace and tone of the scenes, enlivening some of the stiltedness of the dialogue.
Finally, the best part of the film, and (in my mind) deserving of its Academy Award for Best Makeup, was much of the ‘alien’ makeup and special effects. The ‘creatures’ and technical elements of the film really helped sell the story and bring each and every alien to life onscreen. I was equally repulsed and impressed by “the bug” (portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio) donning the skin of a farmer named Edgar, and attempting to make his face ‘look right’ by pulling the skin around (and making Edgar’s ‘widow’ Beatrice faint). Men in Black really stands out for its mix of surprising elements and visual sci-fi tropes. You can’t help but love Frank the Pug (voiced by Tim Blaney) and even the pawn shop arms dealer, Jack Jeebs (Tony Shalhoub), with his re-growing head… The aliens truly steal every scene.
All in all, Men in Black isn’t just the entertaining action flick that I remember. When you look past the surface elements (particularly those pertaining to the genre) what you really have is a film pleading for inclusivity and civility in our ever shrinking and globalized society. If we are all simply minor specks scurrying around in a galaxy housed inside of a marble, and agents J and K can get along, then I think we can all learn to be a little more tolerant and accepting of one another. – Sarah 🌎👽🌌
What did you think of Men in Black? How many of the films have you seen from this franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and check back soon for our spooktacular October Film Club selection!
Copyright © 2021 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte
