RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Men In Black
Men In Black

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Men In Black (1997)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
91 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:65

Fresh:59

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: MIB has plenty of spectacle, but its clever script and charismatic leads are what carry the film. Its mixture of comedy and cool makes for a whole lot of fun.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: In the 1950s a super-secret government agency was formed to monitor and police the activities of extraterrestrial aliens on the planet Earth. Some 40 years later a founding father of the agency,... In the 1950s a super-secret government agency was formed to monitor and police the activities of extraterrestrial aliens on the planet Earth. Some 40 years later a founding father of the agency, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), finds himself with a new smart-mouthed partner fresh from the NYPD who is soon dubbed Agent Jay (Will Smith). Their first mission is to save the Earth from destruction by a giant insectlike alien (Vincent D'Onfrio) that, incidentally, drives an exterminator's truck. Armed with their matching Ray-Bans, skinny ties, and space-age weapons that Jay barely understands--he calls the Neuralyzer the "flashy thing"--the new duo begin another average day of fighting intergalactic terrorists. An amazingly hip and terribly clever movie that riffs on everything from E.T.--THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL to CASABLANCA, this Barry Sonnenfeld film is based on the equally savvy comic book by Lowell Cunningham. [More]

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, Siobhan Fallon, Mike Nussbaum, Sergio Calderon, Carel Struycken, Michael Willis, Richard Hamilton, David Cross, Kent Faulcon, Bernard Gilkey, Jonathan Gries, Fredric Lane, Sean Whalen, John Alexander

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Screenwriter: Ed Solomon
Story: Lowell Cunningham
Composer: Danny Elfman
Producer: Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Steven Spielberg

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Men In Black

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: In Film Australia | comment Comment
01/01/00
Luke Buckmaster
Luke Buckmaster
In Film Australia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Most of the humour is a clever and sometimes neo-black blend of situation, character and fantasy.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What is it about the black suit/black tie/white shirt get-up in movies?

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
09/01/09
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
10/18/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
10/18/08
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Ultimately, this film isn't quite as screamingly funny as its coming attractions trailer suggested, but it is an amiable enough piece of entertainment.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
09/16/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

Combines the talents of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld to hilarious, endearing effect.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/23/08
Channel 4 Film

A wild knuckleball of a movie that keeps dancing in and out of the strike zone.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/07/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Just a collection of sketches in which Jones and Smith run into farcical E.T.s.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/11/08
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

The smartest, funniest, and best-looking sci-fi comedy since the movies learned to morph.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment 5 Comments
06/05/07
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

It’s just the best yuk of the week.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
04/17/07
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cool hot-weather fun -- this will be the one to beat right through the dog days of summer.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/17/07
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Will Smith, the only spark of life in Independence Day, now is allowed to shine in brighter, smarter material.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

It's so much fun, in fact, that it's almost over before you realise that you've been watching a great idea for a movie in desperate search of a plot.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

A solid, entertaining, intelligent, and funny entry into the annals of this summer's moviegoing selection.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A fun movie.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/27/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The plot is paper-thin, characters are one-dimensional and even the protagonists' one-liners are forgettable.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
09/04/03
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Fortunately, the cast's one-dimensional performances and deadpan delivery of funny dialogue actually enhance the humor.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

As ragged as the humor is, there still are more hits than misses.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Though the story is pure cartoon, the movie is exceptionally smart and exceptionally well-paced.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for Men In Black

October 30, 2009: Columbia Wants More Men in Black Opens in new window
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones haven't signed yet, but Columbia is moving forward with another "Men in Black," hiring Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder") to write a script. More...

April 03, 2009: Weekly Ketchup: Sony announces Men in Black III
Right smack in the middle of this week was April Fool's Day, so some stories this week had to be always be viewed with a grain of salt, but there was indeed real movie news. ... More...

April 01, 2009: Sony Announces Men in Black 3 at ShoWest Opens in new window
Not to be outdone by Disney and Warner Bros.' action-packed ShoWest presentations, Sony used its showing to announce the impending arrival of a third "Men in Black." More...

July 16, 2008: Exclusive: The World of WALL-E
The artists behind this year's freshest film share their story with RT, with exclusive contributions from Andrew Stanton, Ben Burtt, Jim Morris, Lindsay Collins, Angus MacLane,... More...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

70% 70% Where the Wild Things Are 03/12
83% 83% Paranormal Activity 03/12
89% 89% Zombieland 03/12
76% 76% The Informant! 03/12
— The Strength of Water 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Shock! Horror?

Shock! Horror?

Lars von Trier talks Antichrist

Zombieland

Zombieland

Director Ruben Fleischer's favourites

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Kids' Book Films

Kids' Book Films

We fly through 10 of the best

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
21
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
44
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
118
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
178
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
79
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
59
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
41
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
21
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Total Recall: Children's Book Adaptations
3
  • Win A Signed Where the Wild Things Are Poster
2
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Men In Black at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Men In Black at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Win Glee DVDs
Win Glee DVDs External Link

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Win tickets to Cold Souls
Win tickets to Cold Souls External Link

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Win Star Wars prizes External Link

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Win the entire 007 collection
Win the entire 007 collection External Link

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more External Link

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.