Men In Black #1
Men In Black was released in the summer of 1997, and is the first installment of the cinematic Men In Black series. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and scripted by Ed Solomon, the film stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the lead roles. The film was studio Columbia Pucture’s big summer release, and garnered acclaim from audience’s and critics alike. Rick Baker took home the Academy Award for Best Makeup for his work on the film.
James Edwards is recruited into the Men In Black, a secret alien-monitoring organization, as the Earth is threatened.
I cannot give director Sonnenfeld enough credit for the direction of Men In Black. Having helmed two Addams Family films, the director has a great penchant when it comes to humor, be it subtly refined or gruesomely gallows.
The screenplay is like a playground for the VFX artists. With makeup and prosthetic effects, we get a full baby alien with puking power. Through the digital wizardry done at Industrial Light & Magic, we get a flying car speeding through the Lincoln(?) Tunnel in New York City. Through Sonnenfeld ‘s keen direction, the situational comedy comes out of the FX in a great way, through straightforward comedy or disgusting (somewhat family-friendly) gallows humor.
Marrying gross practical and digital effects, we get Edgar the giant villainous cockroach. Vincent D’onofrio portrays the bug’s skin suit in one of his career-defining portrayals, the character having a gruesome presence throughout the film. As a giant alien cockroach, ILM brings the bug to life for the film”s finale. Through D’Onofrio and the special effects, Edgar the Bug is made to be on of the villains of the 90‘s
The film clocks in under one-hundred minutes but I think we get everything we want in a blockbuster in that timeframe. As Agent J is the audience we go through the rigors of being a Man In Black with him in the tight runtime. Solomon’s script, Sonnenfeld ‘s directing and Jim Miller‘s editing fit everything tightly and the film doesn’t overstay its welcome. We get comedy through the situations the agents are put in, whether it be meeting Jeebs (Tony Shalhoub) or delivering an alien baby. Notable is the noisy cricket gag.
Some effects are wonky for today’s standards. Speeding up footage to depict a speeding Crown Victoria took me out of the picture a bit. Some CGI has not stood the test of time. In the bigger scheme of things, however, Men In Black holds up well in the pantheon of summer movie blockbusters.
Danny Elfman composed the film’s score, his work on the music netting an Oscar nomination. Elfman would return for the subsequent films in the series.
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