Men in Black - Still great after all this time

The men in black have been part of ‘UFO-lore’ almost as confused people have noticed lights in the sky and claimed that little grey men gave them a damn good probing on board the Starship Enterprise.  The stories go that they’re shadowy figures who cover up all traces of UFO and alien activity on planet Earth.  Now, whether or not any of that is true, at the height of the nineties the X-files ruled the airwaves, therefore someone was going to transpose the men in black legend to the big screen.

While die-hard UFOlogists claimed that the tone of the film was too light, it was a damn good family romp.  Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith play the titular Men in Black – Jones is the hardened pro and Smith is the wise-cracking new kid on the job.  When a rogue alien decides he wants to help himself to a device that will give him great power (etc) it’s a race against time to prevent the planet from getting destroyed in the process.  That’s about all you need to know.  The plot is kind of by the way when you compare it to the general fun-feeling of the film.

It doesn’t matter where Smith and Jones are they play off each other perfectly.  That’s why it shouldn’t matter whether you’re into sci-fi or not, you should enjoy this.  It’s the sort of movie that’s in the same league as Indiana Jones, Star Wars and (the old) James Bond films.  The whole family could sit down on a Saturday afternoon and enjoy this.

It’s a short and simple film (not just simple and fun to follow, but weighing in at a mere ninety minutes – quite short for a summer blockbuster).  But you’ll enjoy it as primarily a comedy with the science fiction part later.  Give it a go.  Just don’t expect too much from the ‘so-so’ sequels!

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather