Blu-ray Review: Men in Black

Adapted from Lowell Cunningham’s cult Marvel/Malibu comic book series, Men in Black is definitely a comedy sci-fi classic that deserves a place in your Blu-ray collection. This film is action packed and highly entertaining with excellent performances by the inspired pairing of Tommy Lee Jones (Agent Kay) and Will Smith (Agent Jay) who protect the earth from the scum of the universe.

James Edwards (Will Smith), an energetic young NYPD detective is recruited to a top-secret underground government agency known as Division 6 by Agent Kay. The agents from Division 6 are known as the Men In Black on account of the smart black suits they wear as a uniform, and as Agent Jay (Will Smith) says himself, he does make that suite look good. The suit is just the beginning; Kay shows Jay the ropes and introduces him to an incredible array of extra terrestrials that have come to earth for one reason or another. Initially it seems that most of the alien visitors are benevolent or just slightly crooked, but soon through a bizarre chain of events involving a farmer and a small ginger cat, Kay and Jay realise that they are dealing with a deadly intergalactic terrorist plot…

Men In Black is captivating for every one of its 98 minutes. Director Barry Sonnenfeld keeps the film barrelling along with awesome special effects, loads of action, and truly hilarious performances from both lead roles — and as Frank the Pug would say, “If you don’t like it, you can kiss my furry little butt!”

Rated PG 10, this Blu-ray release presents the film re-mastered in High Definition (HD) and comes packed with special features including:

• Commentaries — audio, technical and telestrator (the director uses a light pen to drawn simple shapes on the screen)
• Intergalactic Pursuit: The MIB Trivia Game — the first BD-Live online multiplayer Game to be released. Singe player is also available.
• Ask Frank the Pug — an interactive game where Frank answers your questions. Silly.
• Extended and alternate scenes
• Metamorphosis of MIB — documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew.
• Original featurette — an extended commercial for the film.
• Visual Effects Scene Deconstructions
• Character Animation Studies
• Creatures: Concepts to Creation
• Galleries
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Scene Editing Workshop — the director helps you to create three different scenes from the film.
• MIB Music Video
• Trailers

Men in Black is the first BD-Live enabled Blu-ray title for the international market. BD-Live allows for interactive viewing and enables you to download additional content over the Internet using a BD-Live equipped Blu-ray player or a Sony PlayStation 3. BD-Live is selectable from the MIB Special Features menu and once loaded, you will have access to trailers, a Sony survey, a FAQ, and the MIB Multiplayer Trivia Game.

Men in Black was kindly supplied for review by Nelmari Claassens, SterKinekor Home Entertainment Marketing Manager for Sony Pictures. Go to www.bluraydisc.co.za to view the latest Blu-ray news, reviews and competitions featured on SterKinekor Home Entertainment’s newsletter. Sony Pictures can be found on the Web at www.sonypictures.com.