Men in Black Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
The adventures of J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones), two federal agents aka, The Men in Black, who are assigned to investigate all alien related phenomena. The agents uncover an intergalactic plot to assasinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies who happen to reside in New York City. Jay and Kay's mission is to foil the plot by tracking down the terrorist, thereby preventing the earth from being destroyed.
1500 years ago, everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago,
everybody knew the Earth was flat, and 15 minutes ago you knew we were alone on this planet.
Can you imagine what you'll know tomorrow?
In the great tradition of the alien/monster/comedy sub-genre that features such films as
Mars
Attacks! and Eight Legged Freaks, Men in Black is likely the most popular
offering the genre has ever seen due to its exciting visuals, over-the-top characters, and the
dynamic duo that is Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Released in 1997, the film features a
young Will
Smith who, at the time, was just finding his cinematic stride with the hits Independence Day
and
Bad Boys under his belt. In contrast, Tommy Lee Jones
brings a commanding, veteran
screen presence to his role with an Oscar nomination (Best Actor in a Supporting Role,
JFK)
and an Oscar win (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, The Fugitive) as well
as
a plethora of standout performances, including his roles in Under Siege, Natural Born Killers,
and Cobb on his resumé. Before you begin to think this information is worthless filler,
there is a point
to
it: both actor's careers, at the time Sony released Men in Black, seem to parallel their
on-screen characters almost precisely. Smith, with a short but impressive resumé, plays the
brash, up-and-coming, still wet-behind-the-ears, energetic, new kid on the block; Jones portrays
the grizzled veteran who's been in the trenches, knows the business (both acting in his "real life"
job
as well as the MiB in the movie) inside and out. As such, Jones commands a great deal of
attention and
respect the
moment he steps on-set or dons the black MiB suit when director Barry Sonnenfeld (RV) yells "action".
The film is expertly casted; both Jones
and Smith are the perfect choices for their respective roles, and that, above all else, is the primary
reason
why Men in Black works as well as it does.
What do you mean "Fire at Will!"?...I'm Will!
Agent K (Jones) is a member of an organization that deals with extraterrestrial activities on
Earth, an
organization so secretive that even the U.S. Government doesn't know of its existence. It's
funded
through the holding of patents on several inventions provided to us by aliens, such as velcro
(although I could have sworn that Vulcansintroduced
that technology to us). When his partner retires after his last bust of an "illegal alien," K quickly
discovers a suitable replacement in the form of NYPD officer James Edwards (Smith), a
fast-talking, quick-witted, physically gifted individual whose recent run-in with an alien leads K to
believe that he'd make an excellent addition to the MiB team. Almost immediately, Edwards, now
code-named agent "J", receives his first assignment alongside agent K. They find themselves
quickly thrown into the fire when they are called upon to save the planet from imminent
destruction by a group of aliens who want their "galaxy" back. Up against a tough opponent in
the form of a former farmer named Edgar (Vincent D'Onofrio, Full Metal Jacket)
whose skin is turned into a disguise for an alien who seeks possession of the the same galaxy, J
and K find themselves in
a deadly (and slimy!) race against time to save the world, involving along the way humanoids
controlled remotely by tiny aliens, a talking dog named Frank, and a coroner named Laurel
Weaver (Linda Fiorentino, Dogma).
Men in Black feels like a live-action cartoon, which I think is the intent. In that regard,
the movie is a complete success. Like the best of cartoons, it's over-the-top in nearly every
scene where something always looks, sounds, or feels slightly off-kilter. Perhaps the best
example is Edgar's wife, Beatrice (Siobhan Fallon, Forrest Gump). Although a seemingly
"normal" individual, her fast-talking, slightly slurred speech places her squarely in the realm of
"weird," although being married to Edgar, that's understandable. Nary a scene goes by where
the abnormal to you and I is not presented as the norm in the world of Men in Black, be
it
the awkward seating arrangement where the newest MiB recruits take their written exam, the
nonchalance of the humans in the command center to an out-of-control super bouncy ball and to
the presence of aliens in the break room serving coffee, illegal aliens who really are
aliens, or a man meandering around town with his skin hanging off the bone. Men in
Black does a fantastic job of creating a world all its own, a world we recognize as being our
own, but almost always with an oddity or out-of-place person, place, or thing.
Will Smith has clearly matured as an actor. The brash, young, "hip" character he portrays here
plays in stark contrast to some of his more recent roles as seen in I Am Legend and The Pursuit of
Happyness. Different style movies these are, yes, but his range as an actor has come
quite a long way since the days of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-air" and Independence Day
where Smith's shtick seemed to rely completely on one-liners, a hip attitude, and good looks over
a dramatic acting ability. That's not to belittle his his early work; his portrayal of the characters
he played in his younger years are spot-on perfect for the attitude and feel of those films, as is his
more developed dramatic flair better suited to his recent roles. His comedic touch here is solid
gold, much like his more serious and dramatic acting is Oscar-worthy in those more recent Smith
projects (a fact recognized by the Academy as well; Smith was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar
for his portrayal of Chris Gardner in the aforementioned The Pursuit of Happyness).
Tommy Lee Jones and Vincent D'Onforio are great as well in Men in Black. D'Onforio's
uniquely odd character is portrayed on-screen well, aided as much by the mannerisms he emotes
as the makeup he wears. As I noted above, Men in Black is one of the
finest examples of a film aided by its excellent casting, perhaps even more so than its story line,
direction, or special effects.
Men in Black looks as sharp on Blu-ray as its characters do in their trademark black suits.
This 1.85:1, 1080p high definition transfer is a very good one; this film clearly benefits from the
high definition treatment, but it's not quite up to par with the absolute best transfers, though
there are times it comes remarkably close considering the film itself is over 10 years old. Every
single aspect of the transfer is best described as remarkably "solid." Colors, definition, detail,
sharpness, clarity, blacks, and flesh tones are all very good to excellent but not top-tier great.
Will Smith's various brightly-colored clothing stands out as vibrant and rich, arguably the
best-looking objects seen in the movie. The red jacket that he wears in the training facility has a
wonderful presence insofar as standing out from the dull, gray locale he is in. His
flamboyant wardrobe speaks of his personality, and the new blood he injects into the MiB is
reflected in
his attire worn early in the film. The film's outdoor scenes hold up the best. During the scene
following Agents K and J's questioning Edgar's wife, they are seen taking soil samples outside, and
the image has a bright, vivid, lifelike appearance that is easily one of the sharpest, best-looking
scenes in the film. Another fine looking scene is found in chapter 12 when Agent K interrogates
Frank
the Pug. The visible detail of the storefront and the street in general is breathtaking in its clarity
and definition. Men in Black on Blu-ray also offers a solid theatrical feel to the picture.
This is a wonderful, pleasing transfer, one that is markedly superior to any previous home video
edition, and Blu-ray enthusiasts, as well as fans of the film, should find the upgrade in video
quality worth Sony's reasonable asking price for the disc.
Men in Black crashes down on Blu-ray with a high-octane, sci-fi extravaganza Dolby
TrueHD
5.1 lossless soundtrack. This soundtrack offers a wide array of sound to bombard your senses
and utilizes every millimeter of every speaker in your home theater. When Mikey is killed at the
beginning, the sound crescendos to a nearly impossibly loud ensemble of sound, involving highs,
lows, and everything in between. Another fascinating sonic sequence comes when Edwards
arrives at MiB training grounds and listeners are treated to a wide array of interesting sounds,
including the fans blowing as he enters the facility, the screech of the table he drags, and the
ringing of the gunshots during a "trial by fire." There is generally a surround presence heard
throughout the movie, be it the film's score, the bustle of the MiB command center (including the
chaos that is the ball that caused the 1977 New York blackout), or ambient city noise. Dialogue
is precise and clean, always played at a perfect volume in relation to the film and its soundtrack.
The film's action scenes are sure to give the best home theater systems a harsh workout. The
first time Agent J fires the "Noisy Cricket" outside of the jewelry store and the action scene that
follows is a brief exercise in action done right, sonically. Pushing the "little red button" results in
the second-finest example of chest-rattling bass in the movie (keep watching for the best), not to
mention some fantastic directionality as a "car" speeds through a tunnel from the back of our
screening room to the front. Like its video quality, Men in Black's audio track isn't the
best, but you'll be hard-pressed to find ten+ year-old catalogue titles that sound
much better, and this is easily the best this film has sounded on home video.
Men in Black invades Blu-ray as a fully-featured special edition. Two 1/2 commentary
tracks being the festivities. The first is a "telestrator commentary" with director Barry
Sonnenfeld
and actor Tommy Lee Jones. This track is straight out of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
We see a silhouette of the two participants sitting at the bottom of the screen and on occasion
they
will
circle something they are discussing on-screen á la John Madden during a football game. As for
the commentary itself,
it's
a good one. Both Sonnenfeld and Jones are engaging with Jones oftentimes playing the role of
"us"
as he casually discusses how the film was made with the director, asking simple, straightforward
questions as well as offering basic yet interesting and pertinent information pertaining to the
rigors
of shooting and the magic of special effects. The approach these participants take, mixing a
lighthearted feel with fascinating information works fantastically, and the end result is an A+
commentary track that may very well be one of the top few I've heard yet. The "1/2"
commentary
track follows the telestrator track. It is simply the same one as heard and described above, but
without the telestrator and Sonnenfeld and Jones silhouettes.
The other commentary is billed as a "technical" commentary. Once again , director Barry
Sonnenfeld leads the charge, this time accompanied by alien makeup effects artist Rick Baker and
the Industrial Light and Magic team, including second unit director and visual effects supervisor
Eric Brevig, Rob Coleman, the animation effects supervisor, and John Burton, the computer
graphics supervisor. This hodgepodge of participants are not all together (Baker sounds like he's
in a closet) and the track doesn't have a flow to it. There is still some fantastic information here,
but it is not a very engaging listen, especially compared to the first track with Sonnenfeld and
Jones. This one is still worth a listen for budding effects artists and hardcore fans of the film.
Intergalactic Pursuit: The MIB Multi-Player Trivia Game allows players to answer
questions pertaining to the movie and its stars. Questions are timed, and respondents earn more
points the faster they answer the questions. Players can play in a single-player mode or online
against other players. There are some video clip-based questions thrown in as well, making this
game feel vaguely similar to Scene it?. As an oddity, Sony misspelled the title of one of
their own films, The Pursuit of
Happyness, in one of their questions, replacing the "y" in "Happyness" with an "i."
Ask Frank the Pug! is next. The feature feels like a souped-up version of those magic
8-ball toys. You choose a question to ask, and select from one of five categories (career, health,
money, romance, and everything else) that best fits the question you had in mind. Frank then
provides a completely random response.
Five extended and alternate scenes (480p, 4:21) are available next. Metamorphosis of 'Men
in Black' (480p, 23:12) features a solid overview of the origins of the idea and some
behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the film, with an emphasis on some of the special
effects. Yet
again, we are beat over the head with more "Mikey" information, 95% of which we learned in the
commentary tracks. There is other repetitive material here, but some new takes on ideas
presented before as well, so it's worth watching for fans. Original Featurette (480p,
6:38) is a most basic overview of the film that provides no information we cannot find elsewhere
in the movie or the other supplements. Visual Effects Scene Deconstruction
begins with a director's introduction and offers two scenes: "Tunnel Scene" and "Edgar Bug Fight
Scene." With optional technical commentary, viewers can see these two scenes evolve through
various stages, including storyboards, blue screen shot, blue screen composite, lighting and
animation, and the final cut of the scene as seen in the film.
Character Animation Studies is similar to the previous feature. Viewers can select a
character (Mikey, Jeebs, or Worm Guys) and see them in various stages of development,
including preliminary, adding skin & texture, animation with lighting, and the final character
composite into scene. Once again, a brief introduction with director Barry Sonnenfeld is available.
Creatures: Concept to Completion allows viewers to select one of five creatures: Edgar
Bug, Jeebs, Mikey, Mr. Gentle, and Farmer Edgar, and witness the metamorphosis of each one in
differing stages of concept and completion. A series of still galleries is next, broken into three
categories: "Storyboard Gallery," "Conceptual Art," and "Production Photos." Storyboard
Comparisons showcases the storyboards played next to the final cut from the film for three
scenes: "Edgar Becomes a Bug," "Saucer Crashes in Queens," and "Birthing the Baby Alien."
Unfortunately, both the scene and the storyboards appear in a very tiny box which lessens the
visual
impact of the comparison.
Next up is a Scene Editing Workshop. I've always enjoyed features of this nature since
discovering the first one on my Criterion Collection LaserDisc version of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Viewers can cut their own scene for the movie by viewing various takes and editing them
together as they see fit. Your end product can then be compared to the director's final vision of
the scene. Viewers have the option of editing together scenes entitled "The Farmhouse," "Jay's
Tryout for the MIB," and "The Morgue." Music Video: 'Men in Black' (480p, 4:19) is next.
The film's original teaser (1080p, 1:43) and theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:30) are available. 1080p
trailers for other Sony titles, including 21, The Water Horse: Legend of
the Deep, Vantage Point, First Sunday and
Sony's Blu-ray promotional montage are available for your viewing pleasure. Finally, this disc is
BD Live (Blu-ray
profile 2.0) enabled. Once loaded, viewers can watch previews for various Sony titles, view a
FAQ, and see the latest Blu-ray information from Sony, including a list of new releases.
Men in Black is a film that works well thanks in large part to its ensemble cast. Along with
a fantastic concept, an interesting cast of alien characters, and plenty of humor, Men in
Black's popularity as a sci-fi/comedy favorite is easily justifiable. Equally so is the place
this Blu-ray disc deserves in your budding collection. It offers a wonderful video transfer, an
equally wonderful lossless soundtrack, and enough supplements to keep the most ardent Men in
Black fans busy for the better part of a day. Men in Black on Blu-ray comes highly
recommended!
Sony will produce another Men in Black film, though it is unknown at the moment whether Will Smith will be back as Agent J. Early reports indicate that writer Oren Uziel will pen the script for the upcoming film. Uziel will also be working on a script for a sequel ...
In the fall, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring Men in Black III to Blu-ray. This installment in the successful science-fiction-comedy franchise finds MIB Agents J (Will Smith, Independence Day) and K (Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive) investigating a series ...
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring Men in Black II to Blu-ray in May. The first sequel to the 1997 blockbuster sci-fi-comedy, the film follows MiB agents K (Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men) and J (Will Smith, Bad Boys) as they fight a renegade ...
