The Men in Black(based on a comic I've never read, spawning a TV series I haven't watched, so I can make no comparisons to either) are an agency that protect Earth from not only what the aliens, some of whom are already here, might do to it, but also the common man's ignorance of this situation. It opens a doorway into a fantastic world(whilst playing it straight since most of these guys are used to this stuff) that would be overwhelming were it not for rookie agent J(Will Smith, who brings both his sass and undeniable charm) posing as a proxy for the audience, asking the questions we want to, and being given the exposition and explanations that we need. He is likable in his naiveté and his efforts to help the people affected by the outer-space stuff, and the odd couple dynamic between him and K(Tommy Lee Jones, awesome and enjoyable as the old grump who's blasé about what they experience) is great, as are the various other character aspects. Linda Fiorentino is perfectly cast as a somewhat cold coroner, and she has a nice, strong female role. As the villain, we have Vincent D'Onofrio giving an unforgettable and unique performance as the large cockroach(!) wearing the skin of farmer Edgar. It's a size or two too small, leading to it/him making some rather inelegant movements and
possessing poor motor skills. And don't worry, at the same time, he's seriously scary. He's immensely physically powerful, and he can't *stand* humans. This really gets into perspective, and that the importance of something is not defined by its size. This is primarily a comedy, as well as a fun sci-fi action adventure with some very unexpected situations and outcomes. It's exciting, engaging and a cool universe that we want to see more of, with this being a brief(and well-paced) peek at roughly 90 minutes. There are creatively designed creatures and big, shiny guns. Danny Elfman supplies this with a bombastic and playful score. There is a bit of moderate to strong language and a little violence and gore(little of it involving people, and just about none of that graphic) in this. I recommend this to fans of the stars and the concept. 7/10
