For the next few weeks, we will be counting down our 25 favorite blockbusters! Read all of the entries here.

16. Men in Black (dir. Barry Sonnenfeld, 1997)

by Matt McCafferty, Staff Writer

I was twelve years old when Men in Black was released in the summer of 1997. I remember leaving the theater thinking what I just saw was a complete masterpiece. Not only was it a perfect film, but Will Smith was also the greatest actor who ever lived. Twelve-year old me hadn’t seen many movies at that point, so those reactions made sense. Reactions that I’m not ashamed I had. Today, I don’t consider MIB to be a complete masterpiece, and no, I don’t think Will Smith is the greatest actor who ever lived. However, it’s 24 years later and I still consider MIB to be one of my favorite movies. 

I’ll quickly start out with the most obvious talking point of the movie. That of course being the star power of Will Smith. Going from Independence Day to MIB pretty much made him the biggest star on the planet at that time. He was actually hesitant to take on the role of J for fear of being known as the “Alien Guy.” A quick call from Steven Spielberg changed his mind (as it turned out, James West was the role he should have reconsidered). For all the big roles of his career, J is by far his most iconic. Even though the character was pretty well written with plenty of material for Smith to work with, it’s one of those roles where he made it so much his own that it’s hard to picture anyone else in it. So many one-liners that only he could make work. “I make this look good” would probably be pretty cringe-worthy with almost any other actor. Along with Smith, Tommy Lee Jones also deserves credit for the success of the film. His deadpan performance set up so many of the jokes that helped make the two of them such a surprisingly great duo.  

Maybe the reason I love this movie so much is because at its core, it’s a buddy cop comedy. Like many people, I’m a sucker for a good buddy cop movie. Even at twelve years old, I loved the Lethal Weapon movies (especially the third one). J and K are basically Riggs and Murtaugh in some form. The conflicting personalities that turn out to work so well together. The way their relationship evolves into something meaningful as time goes on. It’s a mostly predictable formula, but it’s also a big part of what makes this movie so great. The sequels with J and K aren't as strong as this one, but they are decent enough thanks to the way their friendship remains at the center of all the plots. MIB: International is clearly missing this kind of connection between its main characters. It relied way too much on special effects and the slick aesthetics of the MIB world to do all its heavy lifting. 

Director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Ed Solomon pressed all the right buttons when it came to setting the tone of the film. They built a weird, yet surprisingly accessible world that never felt overly complicated with its explanations. Everything was built around having fun. The aliens, the gadgets, the special effects (a little dated but still good), the one-liners, and of course, Danny Elfman’s bouncy little score. It was all about creating a purely entertaining summer blockbuster. The original comic book that the film was based on was much darker in its tone. I haven’t read it, but I can easily imagine this story being told in a more serious fashion. So again, you have to give some credit to Sonnenfeld and Solomon for going all in on making this a comedy.

For me, a great summer blockbuster is easily rewatchable. Something I can put on and enjoy no matter what my mood. It’s often about turning off my brain for a couple hours to enjoy a movie that isn’t trying to dive deep into heavy subject matter. I may not view MIB as a masterpiece like I did when I was twelve years old, but it’s still just as entertaining as ever.