Men In Black (1997/Sony Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B+     Sound: B+     Extras: C-     Film: C-

 

 

Will Smith’s trajectory into A-list status was furthered by this feature film adaptation of Lowell Cunningham’s graphic novel comic book series Men In Black (1997) as a more comic take produced by Steven Spielberg, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones (getting top billing) and directed by former cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld.  The film was a huge hit and I give Columbia Pictures credit for going all out in the budget and effects departments.  I never liked the film, but one can understand its success.

 

Unfortunately, by lightening up the original material (by often-comedy writer Ed Solomon, who is better than average a writer) the film becomes a one-note comedy about memory and hidden aliens with jokes that only work if you leave your brain at the door and though the stars have the comic talents to definitely pull it off, it is too broad and if you are not in on the overall joke, it wears thin quickly.  That extends to the supporting cast including Linda Fiorentino, Rip Torn, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub, Siobhan Fallon and Jon Gries.

 

Of course, that problem (and 9/11, among other things) came back to haunt the franchise in the mixed sequel, but more on that when the Blu-ray arrives.

 

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image looks good for its age, but like The Shadow (made three years before) you can tell when a digital effect is coming as the whole frame is overdigitized in a dead giveaway.  Maybe redoing those moments would have helped, but otherwise, this looks good for its age and that is thanks to Director of Photography Donald Peterman, who has been making TV and feature films look great for decades.  His work on the first episode (The Ripper) of Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974, reviewed elsewhere on this site) is still imitated in shows like Millennium and the same applies to work in the hit film Flashdance.  His other memorable work includes Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Get Shorty and How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

 

The Dolby True HD 5.1 mix is good and a fold-down of the Sony Dynamic Digital Sound 8-channel sound mix featured on the best playbacks of the film, but some of the sound hits limits and maybe the bits should be higher.  Nevertheless, it is a good soundtrack with some character and Dany Elfman’s score is not bad.

 

Extras include brand new alien subtitles and two games, plus original teasers & trailers, that Music Video sampling Forget Me Nots, an original featurette, a scene editing workshop, character animation studies, storyboard comparisons, making-of documentary, extended/deleted scenes, two audio commentaries (one with Sonnenfeld and Jones, the other with Sonnenfeld, make-up master Rick Baker and the Industrial Light & Magic team) and still galleries.  That is a bunch of goodies, but only interesting if you like the film.

 

Sonnenfeld recently complained about computers and police states, saying the current generation will live in one if they do not get away from the computer, yet it is films like this that glorify surrender to technology and that everything is a joke.  Memory is not disposable and has an ugly downside, as recent history has taught us.  If he is unhappy about his dark vision of the future, then he should start making mature films or if he has to direct a third film in this installment, stick closer to the books next time.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo