25 Years Later: Men in Black

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Fiorentino
Running time: 98 minutes

Released 25 years ago, at a time when the Pentagon reported that aliens do not in fact exist, Men in Black countered this discourse - and, regardless of which side of the debate you were on, it injected the conspiracies of the time with some much-needed irony and light-hearted humour. In case you somehow haven’t seen this action-packed, Barry Sonnenfeld-directed summer blockbuster, which is based on the comic series written by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, it follows an NYPD detective (Will Smith) who is roped into fighting aliens that are roaming our planet when he is recruited by a government agent known only as K (Tommy Lee Jones). They become partners, working for a secret organisation called the Men in Black, who take care of the extra-terrestrial lifeforms who live on Earth and hide their existence from ordinary humans. 

The entertaining pair who take the lead roles of the film showcase their opposing approaches to comedy while battling these creatures, and it is the dynamic between the two, despite their differences, that makes Men in Black so enjoyable. Viewers in the late nineties will have already been very familiar with Smith from his role in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and he brings his renowned playful and sassy attitude to his role as an NYPD cop. His iconic phrases and one-liners become some of the most memorable and hilarious parts of the film, but Jones takes a more deadpan and unmoving approach, seeming as tough he feels the same on the inside as he appears on the outside.

Unlike other sci-fi films, Men in Black doesn’t take itself too seriously. Scriptwriter Ed Solomon focuses on making the film as enjoyable as possible, which perfectly suits the actors involved. The short and breezy 98-minute runtime makes the film fast-paced and easy to watch without risking the viewers losing their focus, resulting in it being just long enough to tell the story but not so excessive that the comedy style grows repetitive or dry.

If you're one of the more traditional sci-fi fans out there, though, don't worry – it has all the aliens and gadgets that you could ever ask for, plus special effects that were years ahead of their time, so you’ll be satisfied by the end of the film too. And after watching it, you’ll probably have the theme song stuck in your head for weeks… or years.

Did you know? Will Smith didn't believe it was really Steven Spielberg on the other end of the line when the executive producer first called to talk to him about Men in Black.