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MOVIES / ON DVD / MEN IN BLACK
Men In Black

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Men In Black (1997)

90%
86%
89%
N/A
N/A
N/A
90 %
Reviews Counted: 61 Fresh: 55  Rotten:6 Average Rating: 7.5/10
 
Consensus: MIB has plenty of spectacle, but its clever script and charismatic leads are what carry the film. Its mixture of comedy and cool makes for a whole lot of fun.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Screenwriter: Ed Solomon
Story: Lowell Cunningham
Composer: Danny Elfman
Producer: Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Steven Spielberg

DVD Info

Release:

May 6, 2009

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
  • Full Frame 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French
  • Subtitles - Chinese, English, French, Spanish - Optional

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Ratings Image
N/A

It's so much fun, in fact, that it's almost over before you realise that you've been watching a great idea for a movie in desperate search of a plot.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

...while every big movie has its gasp-inducing moments, this film concentrates on inventive and quirky.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/01/00
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

The guns and gadgets threaten but never succeed in eclipsing the human talent, and for that, we must praise director Sonnenfeld.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew Collins
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

Sonnenfeld keeps it all bubbling along with a vibrant, comic book buzz.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/07/08
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
05/22/08
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
03/31/08
David Ansen
Newsweek
Ratings Image
3/5

Just a collection of sketches in which Jones and Smith run into farcical E.T.s.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/11/08
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
N/A

The smartest, funniest, and best-looking sci-fi comedy since the movies learned to morph.

Full Review | comment 2 Comments
06/05/07
David Edelstein
Slate
Ratings Image
N/A

It’s just the best yuk of the week.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/17/07
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Ratings Image
3/4

Cool hot-weather fun -- this will be the one to beat right through the dog days of summer.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/17/07
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image
3.5/4

Will Smith, the only spark of life in Independence Day, now is allowed to shine in brighter, smarter material.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
B+

A solid, entertaining, intelligent, and funny entry into the annals of this summer's moviegoing selection.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
Ratings Image
B

A fun movie.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/27/04
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
5/10

The plot is paper-thin, characters are one-dimensional and even the protagonists' one-liners are forgettable.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/04/03
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Ratings Image
3/4

Fortunately, the cast's one-dimensional performances and deadpan delivery of funny dialogue actually enhance the humor.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly
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3.5/5

As ragged as the humor is, there still are more hits than misses.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Ratings Image
4/4

Though the story is pure cartoon, the movie is exceptionally smart and exceptionally well-paced.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
Ratings Image
B

This movie is a lot of fun, except that it has a little too much slime.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/07/02
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Ratings Image
3/4

Good old alien fun

Full Review | comment Comment
08/02/02
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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