Subject: REVIEW: MEN IN BLACK (1997)

From: [email-masked] (Ben Hoffman)
Date: 23 Jun 1997 16:35:44 GMT

MEN IN BLACK
                       A film review by Ben Hoffman
                        Copyright 1997 Ben Hoffman

OUT OF THIS WORLD!  EXTRATERRESTRIAL AND EXTRA-HILARIOUS!   The Sci-Fi
genre has never been this funny.  With some witty lines written by
screen story and screenplay writer Ed Solomon, free rein is given to
Tommy Lee Jones in his role of K, the man in black who works for the
unofficial government agency that monitors aliens on Earth.  There
credo is "Protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe." K spouts
some very funny lines despite his tongue never leaving his cheek.
Jones is terrific.  Look for lots of belly-laughs.  Why are these
agents called "MEN IN BLACK?" Because they dress in black, why else?

When  Zed (Rip Torn), the chief of the agency, learns that inhabitants
of another planet are planning on conquering Earth, he assigns J (Will
Smith) to help K save us. It is good to see Smith again on the large
screen after that fine performance in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION of a
few years ago. Casting could not have chosen a better actor for the
role of J.

The evil extraterrestrial, Edgar, (Vincent D'Onofrio) visits a
farmhouse, takes over the farmer's body and for the rest of the movie
grimaces and walks around like a Dr. Frankenstein's monster reject . .
. except that Edgar is a takeoff on monsters and a funny takeoff it
is.

When some strange deaths occur, the bodies are turned over to a medical
examiner, Dr. Laura Weaver (the pretty Linda Fiorentino) who becomes
involved with the monsters and with trying to save the planet.

Special effects include the gelatinous slime that the aliens squirt at
the Earthlings.   There is an alien, Mikey, whose exterior is that of a
Mexican immigrant but he cannot fool our hero, K, who rips off his
false face to expose his hideous, slimy real self while immigration
border patrol police are shocked.  Then there is the High Priest of
Baltia who likewise uses a human disguise.

The visual special effects were supervised by Eric Brevig; (Industrial
Light & Magic) the alien make-up by Rick Baker.   These are all
excellent.   The film is based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell
Cunningham.

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.

4 Bytes

4  bytes  =  Superb
3  bytes  =  Too good to miss
2  bytes  =  Average
1  byte   =  Save your money

Ben Hoffman