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Movies / On DVD / Men In Black
Men In Black

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Men In Black (1997)

90%
83%
89%
N/A
N/A
N/A
90 %
Reviews Counted: 63 Fresh: 57  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:

Jun 17, 2008

[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

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image
N/A

Combines the talents of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld to hilarious, endearing effect.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/23/08
Channel 4 Film
Ratings Image
N/A

A wild knuckleball of a movie that keeps dancing in and out of the strike zone.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/07/08
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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 3 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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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
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
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
Ratings Image
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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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
Ratings Image
C+

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/15/02
Marshall Fine
Journal News (Westchester, NY)
Ratings Image
B+

Smarter, leaner, funnier, and more human than most entries in the genre, relying less on spectacle than on the chemistry of the two leads and the wit of the script for its appeal.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/01/02
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide
Ratings Image
2/4

At times, it may succeed at manipulating you, but you won't like it.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/02
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Jones is dryly hilarious and Smith comically exuberant as the elite duo who are out to save the world.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/05/02
Christine James
Boxoffice Magazine
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