| | | Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
Men in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith), members of a top secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth. The two Men in Black find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio), who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. In order to prevent worlds from colliding, the MIB must track down the terrorist and prevent the destruction of Earth. It's just another typical day for the Men in Black.
"...playfully hip and hilarious..." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Charm, wit and some outrageous insect-type aliens make a winning cosmic combination." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
"Wised-up and...funny." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"The snappy sci-fi hoot "Men in Black"...is a kind of "Independence Day" for smart people." Susan Wloszczynal, USA Today
"The special effects are amazing...[and] there are endless unexpected and clever moments throughout..." Christine James, Box Office Magazine
"The smartest, funniest, and best-looking sci-fi comedy since the movies learned to morph." David Edelstein, Slate
"A smart, funny and hip adventure..." Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune
"...a bountiful supply of both fanciful beasties and ingenious visuals." Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Editor's Note
In the 1950s a super-secret government agency was formed to monitor and police the activities of extraterrestrial aliens on the planet Earth. Some 40 years later a founding father of the agency, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), finds himself with a new smart-mouthed partner fresh from the NYPD who is soon dubbed Agent Jay (Will Smith). Their first mission is to save the Earth from destruction by a giant insectlike alien (Vincent D'Onfrio) that, incidentally, drives an exterminator's truck. Armed with their matching Ray-Bans, skinny ties, and space-age weapons that Jay barely understands--he calls the Neuralyzer the "flashy thing"--the new duo begin another average day of fighting intergalactic terrorists. An amazingly hip and terribly clever movie that riffs on everything from E.T.--THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL to CASABLANCA, this Barry Sonnenfeld film is based on the equally savvy comic book by Lowell Cunningham.
Plot Summary
A hilariously stoic top-secret federal agent (Tommy Lee Jones) and his wisecracking partner (Will Smith) don their matching Ray-Bans and skinny black ties and proceed to use all their considerable weaponry and wit to save the world from an undocumented and extremely unfriendly mantislike alien. MEN IN BLACK is a successful, tongue-in-cheek spoof of summer blockbuster alien invasion flicks, based on the comic book by Lowell Cunningham.
| Features | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Thai | | Scene Selection | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), English DTS |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 5/13/2003 |
| Running Time: 98 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1997 | | Catalog ID: 09154 | | UPC: 00043396091542 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Chinese | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1997) |  | Winner, Best Makeup | | | Nominee, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration | | | Nominee, Best Original Musical/Comedy Score | |
MTV Award (1998) | | Will Smith, Winner, Best Fight | | Winner, Best Song "Men In Black" | |
Nominee (1998) | | | British Academy Awards, Eric Brevig, et. al., Best Special Effects | | | Golden Globe, Men in Black, Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical | | | Grammy, Danny Elfman, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | |
Winner (1998) | | | MTV Award, Will Smith, Best Fight | | | MTV Award, Will Smith ("Men In Black"), Best Movie Song | |
Nominee (1998) | | | MTV Award, Will Smith, Best Comedic Performance | | | MTV Award, Men in Black, Best Movie | | | MTV Award, Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Best On-Screen Duo | |
Winner (1998) | | | Oscar, Rick Baker, et. al., Best Makeup | |
Nominee (1998) | | | Oscar, Bo Welch, Cheryl Carasik, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | | | Oscar, Danny Elfman, Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score | |
Oscar (1998) | | | Bo Welch, Cheryl Carasik, Nominee, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | | | Danny Elfman, Nominee, Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score | |
Grammy (1998) | | | Danny Elfman, Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | |
British Academy Awards (1998) | | | Eric Brevig, et. al., Nominee, Best Special Effects | |
MTV Award (1998) | | | Men in Black, Nominee, Best Movie | |
Golden Globe (1998) | | | Men in Black, Nominee, Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical | |
Oscar (1998) | | Rick Baker, et. al., Winner, Best Makeup | |
MTV Award (1998) | | | Will Smith, Nominee, Best Comedic Performance | | Will Smith ("Men In Black"), Winner, Best Movie Song | | | Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Nominee, Best On-Screen Duo |
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"...The out-there premise is irresistible.... Effects master Rick Baker whips up a swell array of oddball creatures great, small and just plain strange..." -- 4 out of 4 stars 07/01/1997 p.1DNew York Times
"...Dryly clever....Extraordinarily ambitious, with all-star design and special-effects talent and a genuinely artful visual style..." 07/01/1997 p.C9 Los Angeles Times
"...Wised-up and offhandedly funny....Barry Sonnenfeld is an excellent director for this point of view, and MEN IN BLACK is a blend of the strengths of his previous films..." 07/01/1997 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...The movie makes good use of a lot of New York landmarks....[The film] deflates one sci-fi pomposity after another..." 07/01/1997 p.25 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
This is a snappy, clever, often-funny motion picture that provides the perfect blend of science fiction-style action with comic dialogue...the chief pleasure of Men In Black...is enjoying the deadpan performance of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. - James Berardinelli
Boxoffice Magazine 8 of 10
The special effects are amazing...Jones is dryly hilarious and Smith comically exuberant as the elite duo who are out to save the world...there are endless unexpected and clever moments throughout the film in the writing and the visuals, keeping the levity high. - Christine James
ReelViews 8 of 10
Have you ever seen a tabloid headline like this: "Woman gives birth to son of six-headed alien"? Men in Black, the new science fiction comedy from cinematographer-turned-director Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty), postulates that such stories are not the result of fertile imaginations, but accurate representations of the truth. You see, ever since the 1960s, Earth has become an intergalactic hideout for aliens in need of a place to lie low for a while. Currently, there are over 1500 visitors, most in New York City (based on personal experience, that number may be low), and their ranks include such high-profile names as Sylvester Stallone...In many ways, Men in Black is the movie that Mars Attacks! wanted to be, but wasn't. This is a snappy, clever, often-funny motion picture that provides the perfect blend of science fiction-style action with comic dialogue...The chief pleasure of Men in Black isn't being dazzled by the special effects, but enjoying the deadpan performances of Tommy Lee Jones (whose offhand attitude towards the most bizarre events would make Jack Webb proud) and Will Smith. This is a rare case when the multi-million dollar, computer-generated creatures don't upstage their real-life co-stars. Smith and Jones are a fine pair, and the film's focus on them never wavers. - James Berardinelli
Reel.com 10 of 10
Following on the heels of the 1996 alien-invasion blockbuster Independence Day, Men in Black cemented Will Smith's hold on Fourth of July weekend -- until Wild Wild West tossed that holiday up for grabs. Like the previous year's money-mill, MiB pairs Smith with misbehaving extraterrestrials -- this time in a more overtly comedic format, opposite straight-man Tommy Lee Jones, as the mysterious "Agent K"...Based on the comic book by Lowell Cunningham, MiB retains the hip, irreverent tone of the original while clearly serving as a showcase for Smith and Jones (as generically named as their on-screen counterparts), both of whom rewrote scenes and sections of dialogue during production. Jones is perfect as the old-school-but-cool instructor to Smith's can't-teach-me-nuthin' novice...Matching the snappy humor in entertainment impact are the special effects, which are a combination of Oscar-winning makeup, helmed by Rick Baker, imaginative puppetry, and stunning computer graphics from the team at Industrial Light and Magic. Most of this edition's extra features illuminate the astonishing amount of work and creativity behind the array of creatures on display throughout the film. - Mary Kalin-Casey
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