Men in Black (1997 film)

Men in Black
Men in Black movie poster
Directed by	Barry Sonnenfeld
Written by	Comic Book: Lowell Cunningham Screenplay & Story: Ed Solomon
Produced by	Steven Spielberg Laurie MacDonald Walter F. Parkes
Starring	Tommy Lee Jones Will Smith Linda Fiorentino Vincent D'Onofrio Rip Torn
Cinematography	Donald Peterman
Edited by	Jim Miller
Music by	Danny Elfman
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	July 2, 1997
Running time	98 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$90 million (estimated)
Box office	Domestic: $250,690,539 Worldwide: $589,390,539

Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy action film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film was based on the comic book series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Aircel Comics. The film featured the creature effects and makeup of Rick Baker. The movie was a hit, grossing over USD $250 million in the United States and over $589 million worldwide. It was followed by a sequel, Men in Black II, in 2002.

Plot

The MIB, a top-secret agency that polices, monitors and directs alien activity on Earth, has established the Earth as an apolitical "neutral zone". MIB agents have no identity or any public record of existence, and the MIB agency answers to no government. The funding for their agency comes from the patents they own on technology confiscated from aliens, such as velcro, microwave ovens, and liposuction. Any memory of MIB activity upon "mustering out" of the MIB is erased and a new identity is created for the departing agent. Into this strange world is ushered the initially skeptical Det/Sgt James Edwards (Will Smith), an NYPD officer, as he becomes Agent J, one of the newest MIB personnel. Tommy Lee Jones plays K, a senior MIB agent who recruits and guides J as he learns the ropes.

MIB agents wear sunglasses and dark suits, and appear at UFO landing sites, similar to paranormal reports of real-world Men in Black. Instead of intimidating or threatening witnesses, the MIB use devices known as "Neuralizers" to wipe witnesses' memories of what they have seen, and replace the memories with more mundane explanations, such as swamp gas or weather balloons. Neuralizers are also used on agents who leave the organization for any reason. The MIB's sunglasses protect them from the effects of the Neuralizer.

The main plot of the movie revolves around a "Bug" (code word for a member of an alien species that is similar in many ways to a very large cockroach) searching for a miniature galaxy which is a source of "sub-atomic power". In the search, the "Bug" kills a member of the Arquillian royal family masquerading as a diamond merchant, who had concealed the Galaxy on his cat's collar. The government of the planet Arquil is willing to have the Earth destroyed rather than let this galaxy fall into the hands of the Bugs. During their mission, the agents investigate a morgue where they meet Dr. Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino), a cynical deputy medical examiner. Eventually, the Galaxy is recovered and the Bug killed. Later, K asks J to erase his memory so that he can retire. Dr. Weaver then becomes J's new partner, Agent L.

In the final scene of the film, the camera pulls back into the sky through space past our solar system, past millions of stars, ultimately revealing that our galaxy is contained within a circular container resembling a marble. The container is then picked up by an alien hand which throws it, hitting another 'marble' which also contains a galaxy. Both marbles are then picked up by the hand and placed into a bag full of galaxy-containing marbles.

Cast

• Tommy Lee Jones as Kevin Brown/Agent K: Jay's grizzled and humorless mentor. Clint Eastwood turned down the part, while Jones only accepted the role after Steven Spielberg promised the script would improve. He had been disappointed with the first draft, which he felt did not capture the tone of the comic.
• Will Smith as James Darrell Edwards /Agent J: A former NYPD officer, newly recruited to the MIB. Smith was cast because Barry Sonnenfeld's wife was a The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan. Sonnenfeld also liked his performance in Six Degrees of Separation. Chris O'Donnell turned down the role because he found the role of a new recruit too similar to Dick Grayson, whom he played in Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. David Schwimmer also turned down the part.

• Linda Fiorentino as Dr. Laurel Weaver / Agent L
• Vincent D'Onofrio as Edgar / The Bug: A giant alien insect who eats a farmer and uses his skin as a disguise. John Turturro was offered the role.
• Rip Torn as Chief Zed
• Tony Shalhoub as Jack Jeebs
• Siobhan Fallon as Beatrice
• Mike Nussbaum as Gentle Rosenburg, Arquillian Jeweler
• Jon Gries as Van driver
• Sergio Calderón as Jose
• Carel Struycken as Arquillian
• Fredric Lehne as INS agent Janus
• Richard Hamilton as Agent D
• Kent Faulcon as 2nd Lt. Jake Jensen
• John Alexander as Mikey
• Keith Campbell as Perp
• Ken Thorley as Zap-Em Exterminator
• Patrick Breen as "Reggie" Redgick
• Becky Ann Baker as Mrs. Redgick
• Sean Whalen as Passport Officer
• Harsh Nayyar as Manny
• Michael Willis as Cop in Morgue
• Willie C. Carpenter as Police Inspector
• Peter Linari as Tow Truck Driver
• David Cross as Newton the Morgue Attendant
• Charles C. Stevenson, Jr. as Agent B
• Bernard Gilkey as Baseball Player

Production

The film is based upon the comic book The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. Producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald optioned the rights to The Men in Black in 1992 and hired Ed Solomon to write a very faithful script. Parkes and MacDonald wanted Barry Sonnenfeld as director because he had helmed the darkly humorous The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values. Sonnenfeld was attached to Get Shorty (1995), so they approached Les Mayfield to direct, as they had heard about the positive reception to his remake of Miracle on 34th Street. They actually saw the film later and decided he was inappropriate. Men in Black was delayed so as to allow Sonnenfeld to make it his next project after Get Shorty.

Much of the initial script drafts were set underground, with locations ranging from Kansas to Washington DC and Nevada. Sonnenfeld decided to change the location to New York City, because the director felt New Yorkers would be tolerant of aliens who behaved oddly while disguised. He also felt much of the city's structures resembled flying saucers and rocket ships. Production designer Bo Welch designed the MIB headquarters with a 1960s tone in mind, because that was when their organization is formed. He cited influences from Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, who designed a terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Being the arrival point of aliens on Earth, Welch felt MIB HQ had to resemble an airport.

Rick Baker led the special effects of the film, which was the most complex in his career to date. He had to have approval from both director Barry Sonnenfeld and executive producer Steven Spielberg: "It was like, 'Steven likes the head on this one and Barry really likes the body on this one, so why don't you do a mix and match?' And I'd say, because it wouldn't make any sense." Sonnenfeld also changed a lot of the film's aesthetic during pre-production: "I started out saying aliens shouldn't be what humans perceive them to be. Why do they need eyes? So Rick did these great designs, and I'd say, 'That's great — but how do we know where he's looking?' I ended up where everyone else did, only I took three months."

Filming began in March 1996. Five months into the shoot, the crew realized their ending was unexciting. It was originally meant to be a humorous existential debate between Agent J and the Bug, and five potential replacements were discussed. One of these had Laurel Weaver being neuralized and K remaining an agent. The change to a fight sequence annoyed Rick Baker, as their animatronic Bug had to be replaced with computer-generated imagery. Now this is the story all about how My life got flipped, turned upside down And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called bel-air.

In west philadelfia born and raised On the playground where I spent most of my days Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school When a couple of guys who were up in no good, Started making trouble in my neighbourhood I got in one little fight and my mom got scared And said "you’re moving with your aunte and uncle in bel-air".

I whistled for a cab and when it came near the license plate said "fresh" and had a dice in the mirror If anything I could say that this cab was rare But I thought now forget it, yo home to bel-air

I pulled up to a house about seven or eight And I yelled to the cabby "yo, home smell you later" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there To settle my throne as the prince of bel-air.