Men in Black

Better than I thought it would be! I’m pretty sure I watched at least some of this when I was younger, but honestly I don’t remember a single thing about it, so I’m not counting this as a rewatch. 😭

Let’s start with the good. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones work SO well together because young, talented, funny, and completely unserious paired with older, experienced, pessimistic, and completely serious is a tried-and-true combo for a reason. As long as the actors and script are good, that dynamic is almost impossible not to enjoy. Will Smith brings so much personality and comedy to J, while Tommy Lee Jones plays K so straight-faced and serious that watching them interact is half the fun. They balance each other really well without either character completely overshadowing the other.

I also really liked the concept of aliens living among humans rather than simply invading Earth. It gives the movie so much room for genuinely funny and unique situations because the aliens aren’t necessarily here to destroy humanity—they’re just…living here. 😭 The idea that there are all these completely normal-looking people walking around who could secretly be aliens is such a fun premise, and the movie actually takes advantage of it.

And honestly, I appreciated how committed this movie is to NOT taking itself seriously. It never tries to convince you that its aliens or technology are realistic, and it doesn’t randomly pull back from the ridiculousness to force some super deep narrative. It knows exactly what kind of movie it is. It’s a sci-fi comedy, and it just lets itself be funny and entertaining. There’s something refreshing about a movie that isn’t desperately trying to convince you that it’s more serious or meaningful than it actually is.

I also really liked Dr. Weaver. I was expecting her to just be the obligatory love interest, but she actually felt like her own character and had a legitimate role in the story. Which is why I was genuinely excited to see her become a Man in Black, only for her to basically be removed from the franchise off-screen in the next movie. 🌝 Like HELLO??? Why couldn’t they just bring Tommy Lee Jones back AND keep Linda Fiorentino???

I heard somewhere on TikTok that the reason she didn’t return was because Tommy Lee Jones supposedly didn’t want her back, but I’m not gonna lie to you, for the sake of continuity, they should’ve just not brought him back. 😭 I KNOW that sounds crazy because he’s literally one of the biggest reasons the first movie works, but if you’re trying to build a successful franchise, why would you spend the entire first movie establishing this character just to completely brush her aside in the sequel? Not to mention just sidestepping his character’s whole arc, like damn he did all that just for her to leave him? 💀

And yes, I’m watching the second one as I’m writing this, so maybe that’s why it’s bothering me even more, but it’s genuinely weird watching it without her. They spent so much time establishing her relationship with J and her place in this world, and then suddenly she’s just…gone. And then they replace her with another love interest like women are interchangeable characters. 🌝 Like HELLOOOO??? You had an established female character right there!!!

Now onto the bad, which I’ve kind of already started. 🤗 Obviously, the CGI is…interesting, but this movie came out 29 years ago, so I can’t exactly hold that against it. Which is actually insane to think about. 29 YEARS AGO??? 😭 I genuinely cannot process that. Some of the jokes are definitely a little corny, and there are a few moments where you can really feel the age of the movie, but honestly, nothing bothered me enough to ruin the experience. ✌️🥹

Overall, I enjoyed it! I’m sure I probably don’t love it as much as someone who grew up watching it and has all the nostalgia attached to it, but even coming into it basically blind, I thought it was genuinely funny and entertaining. The concept is fun, the chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones carries a lot of the movie, and I appreciate that it knows exactly what it wants to be. Definitely a fun little sci-fi comedy, and I’m glad I finally watched the whole thing.