"Men In Black" was on the cover of Newsweek before it opened. The Will Smith single from the film had already been in heavy rotation on MTV for weeks. Next to the new Batman, MiB has been the most heavily advertised and talked about of the big summer movies.
What wasn't clear during this huge ad campaign was what exactly the movie was. Could it be a comedy? A thriller, full of action and adventure? Maybe a smattering of both?
The advertising did highlight the fact that the movie would star Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Certainly an interesting combination. Smith was excellent in "Six Degrees of Separation." Jones was fantastic in "The Fugitive."
OK, we have two talented actors. However, their last movies, "Independence Day" and "Batman Forever," respectively, were not that good. So would this be another shoddy script concocted to reap big bucks off of the names of two well-known actors?
Surprisingly, it wasn't. MiB is a well-written movie that is absolutely hilarious. Though the initial reports tapped Will Smith as the comedy tour de force of this movie, it was in fact his co-star, Jones, who stole the show.
Jones plays one of the original members of the MiB, a secret group that is funded by a government that is not even aware the organization exists.
Smith is a New York cop who has an "alien encounter." The two main charactersmeet as Smith is being debriefed by his disbelieving superiors.
Jones invites Smith to the MiB headquarters, where he is given an exam with the other "best of the best of the best," including SEALS, Army Rangers and other highly trained government operatives. He is given the choice of joining the team or returning to his life.
Smith decides to join up, leaving behind all known traces of himself. He quickly learns the facts about the government's knowledge of aliens. In fact, his entire notion of humanity is turned on its head.
The movie makes jokes at just about everyone's expense, but humankind gets the brunt of the comedic attention. It turns out that our planet is nothing more than a quaint village in a vast galaxy.
And where does the alien fighting duo look for reports of what is breaking in the alien world? Why, that bastion of journalistic integrity, the National Inquirer.
"Sometimes the New York Times gets it a little right," Jones says in the movie.
The film has a brilliant display of physical comedy to go with its verbal barbs. It also contains many fantastic visual effects.
But the movie isn't about slapstick or alien effects. It is just plain entertaining. You will simply forget about what is going on around you and revel in what is happening and what is going to happen next.
Worth the wait and all of the hype that came with it? Yes. MiB delivers on all the publicity. No one can claim it was made for the sake of being made. It was packaged as a blockbuster. But it is a movie that deserves to be a blockbuster.
MiB is playing locally at the Sony Theaters in West Lebanon. If you don't have a car, have a friend drive. And be prepared to laugh. Of course, you didn't hear this from me. I was never here.
