by Kroze Kresky, Media Editor

Back in the mid-nineties, comic book adaptations-to-movies were still in their infancy. Hollywood was looking towards comics closely for inspiration, as several movies were vaguely adapted from comics around this time. Such titles as Mystery Men, Tank Girl and Men In Black are examples of such. The latter of the aforementioned films changed up several things from its original comic-concept. For instance, instead of hunting supernatural and paranormal beings, the movie opted to go towards the extraterrestrial side of things. In the original comic, in order to keep their secret safe, the Men In Black had to kill whomever happened to stumble across their secrets… in the movies to be more PG-13 friendly, they only had to erase people’s memories. But no matter the changes, Men In Black became a huge hit that went on to inspire many spinoffs and sequels to the original movie (including an animated tv show), thrusting Will Smith into serious summer action movie stardom. Now, on the eve of the third Men In Black movie’s release, Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment have seen fit to re-release the original film, as well as its sequel onto Blu-Ray. The question is: Do these two films still hold up today after being made almost over a decade ago?

Men In Black:

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones star in this off-beat sci-fi classic, as Tommy Lee Jones’ Senior character, known only as the letter K, introduces rookie NYC cop, Will Smith (now to be known as ‘Agent J’) into the hush-hush and high-tech organization known only as the ‘Men in Black’. The mismatched partners are tasked with preventing the worst scum of the universe from wreaking havoc on the little marble of a home  that we call Planet Earth. Agent J (Smith) plays the perfect fish-out-of-water  character, where everything that he thought he knew about the world has been turned onto its head. He is brought into the group by Agent K (Jones), who has been around the block more than a few times when it comes to aliens trying to invade the planet. As K tries to show J the ropes, they stumble onto a problem that threatens the entire well being of the planet when a “Bug” appears and proceeds to assassinate an alien diplomat to earth… who has something very special with him. The diplomat’s alien race quickly learns of this and threatens to blow up the entire world if they do not get “the galaxy” back. And so, Agents J and K must overcome their differences and work together as a brand new team in order to save the world… and possibly the entire universe from being doomed.

The film’s comedy and quick paced wit is still very highly enjoyable and Will Smith pulls off the jackass rookie role with grace and ease. The chemistry between Smith and Jones is something that is very much unparallelled which makes watching the both of them interact always highly entertaining. The best thing about this film is that it tries to shy away from the normal sci-fi tropes of yesteryear, and its jokes are actually legitimately funny and intelligent.

Special features:

Seeing as how most of this Blu-ray is just a rerelease of the first MIB Blu-ray put out a few years back, it contains most of the same features contained on that disc (which some are carry overs from the original DVD release causing varying quality from feature to feature.).

Men In Black II:

“Every time I get out they pull me back in…”

That line is the perfect way to describe both the plot of  Men In Black II and how both stars were pulled into this lackluster sequel of a film. It has been 6 years since the events of the first film, and Agent J has been swapping through various partners after K’s departure in the previous film. When a shapeshifting alien appears, seeking something called the “Light of Zartha”, Agent J must track down his old mentor, who has since had his memories erased and contently lives a quiet life  as a small-town postmaster, since the events of the first movie. J must interrupt the quiet little world of his former-partner in order to find out what exactly the Light of Zarthan IS, so as to save the world. This movie represents a change from the past film’s events, because this time it is J who is the one calling the shots, with K having to keep up with everything. While the premise is cute and showed potential, everything here fell flat on its face. The jokes in this film are far less entertaining, and forego any of the tact that the first film’s humor contained. Granted, the chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones is still there, but without the killer dialogue of the first movie, their relationship lacks the punch it previously had.

Seeing as this film debuted post Star Wars Episode I, everything in this film is plastered with CGI. None of the “Cool” aliens really feel like they have any actual presence like they did in the original, now making them feel like they are just there to be there. This follow up is more of a miss than a hit. It doesn’t help that the plot was pretty generic and very much a retread of the first film’s structure, complete with the giant alien battle at a famous landmark that isn’t exactly what it seems. Where as the first film felt very quirky and original, this is very sterile and mostly having a feeling of having been there and done that, throughout the entire film. There still are some great sequences, such as the taking back of MIB HQ with the Worms, as well as he audience getting a glimpse of K’s life without the agency. Still, none of them make up for the fact that it feels like a quick-cash sequel.

Special Features:

• Director’s Commentary
• Alternate Ending
• Blooper Reel
• 5 Behind the Scenes Featurettes
• Creature Featurettes
• Scene Deconstructions
• Music Video: “Back Suits Comin (Nod Ya Head)”
• Exclusive Demo for PS3 of Men In Black 3 video game.
• Downloadable Ultra Violet digital copy of the film

Video and Audio for MIB II:

Both films transferred over to Blu-ray very well, keeping all the visual quality, but most importantly, the sound. It sounds great coming out of a 5.1 system with hearing all the extraterrestrial madness that ensues in the films. The CGI looks a bit odd when combined with the live action footage in blended scenes, since the CG was not meant to be viewed at this quality. This is the first time MIB II has gotten a Blu-Ray release, and while it looks and sounds great, it still is a mediocre film overall.

Overall:

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are iconic in their roles in these films, and if you are any type of sci-fi or comedy fan and haven’t seen these movies, you at least need to give them a look. The first film is still one of the best comedic sci-fi movies out there, and this re-release is a must-have – especially if you are wanting to revisit the film prior to seeing Men In Black III this summer. The second film is not exactly the greatest, but for the die-hard MIB fan craving more black-suited-goodness after seeing the first film, it is perfect. Especially at a discount price!

ComicsOnline gives Men in Black Blu-ray 5 neuralyzers out of 5

ComicsOnline gives Men In Black II Blu-ray 3 deneuralyzers out of 5

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