Even the Collector's Series is PACKED!
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| Review Date: September 29, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| I see many people have beat me to reviewing the movie, so I'll review the DVD(s). First of all, if you haven't played the DVDs, you don't know what you're missing! Compare the greatest DVD you've seen before with either of these two and you'll see just how many features we have here! The Collectors' Series has features like the two theatrical trailers for MIB, visual (or audio) commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a behind-the-scenes look at the metamorphosis of MIB, the deconstruction of the tunnel scene, and studies of the 3 main CGI creatures: the Jeebs head transformation, the worm guys (carrying the cigarettes), the opening scene revelation of Mikey, extended and alternate scenes, a mess of storyboards, storyboard-to-film comparisons, behind-the-scenes photos, and conceptual art, and the music video. As you can see, this is one CRAMMED single-layer disc. But only buy the so-called "Limited Edition" if you're a DVD fan that will go to ends of the earth to get a ridiculous amount of features (some of which you won't even want) on a DVD (or two) for it. Also, only get it if you're a reluctant DVD owner and you hate having to watch movies in anything but fullscreen. Because all the Limited Edition has more is the fullscreen presentation, the Edgar Bug Fight scene deconstruction, a few extra conceptual art and the so-called "scene-editing workshop". If you're willing to pay so much extra for only those features, feel free, but you can get 3/4 of the features of the Limited Edition on the Collectors' Series and save a lot of money. |
A great movie and an even better and loaded DVD!!!
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| Review Date: October 4, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Timothy Rhodes, WI, United States |
| Wow! This limited edition isn't limited in features. Disc one has the wide and full screen versions, visual commentry with Barry Sonnenfeld and Tommy Lee Jones and a technical audio commentry with Sonnenfeld, Rick Baker & the ILM team; this feature is exclusive to the limited edition version. Throw in the standards like the sound setups: English 5.1, english 2-channel (Dolby Surround) and french (Dolby Surround) and subtitles that include english, french, spanish, cantonese and mandarin, and that wraps up disc one! Disc Two is loaded! I can't list them all or I will use up all my space, so I will list the major ones. There is a 3 scene editing workshop which allows you to become the filmmaker, so to speak. You get to edit 3 chosen scenes that were filmed in a lot of different angles and then watch the final cut. Sonnenfeld will also descibe his own editing process. Next, there is a Edgar bug fight scene deconstruction using different angles. Then you have "concept to creation" creatures feature and art and production photo gallery. There are extended & deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons, a documentary, a music video, DVD & web links, trailers, talent files and more! Whew! I said there was a lot, and as you can see, I wasn't exaggerating. Throw in a booklet and letter from Sonnenfeld and small poster which may be signed by the artists and you have a DVD with enough features to keep you entertained and busy. Quickly, the transfer was beautiful and, of course, the movie is great. This movie was one of my favorite Will Smith roles. Aside from the comedy woven into the script, the special effects were great! This is a must have for any fan of the movie or comic book! Enjoy! |
A sublime, entertaining movie in a great package.
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| Review Date: May 28, 2002 |
| Reviewer: D. Mok, Los Angeles, CA |
| Men in Black was one of my favourite Hollywood blockbusters of the '90s. One of only a handful successful comic-book translations in history, the film retained the irreverence and zany creativity of the best comics while adding the visual grandeur, attention to detail, and narrative focus of the best features. Rewatching this movie now, it's lost none of its charm. The meticulous Bo Welch production design is superb, director Barry Sonnenfeld's sense of pacing and comic timing impeccable, the Danny Elfman score absolutely perfect for its subject, and the cast is uniformly excellent. Nobody else could have played the role of Agent Jay with such pizazz as Will Smith; Tommy Lee Jones delivers hands-down his best comic performance ever, Linda Fiorentino is delightfully weird as coroner Dr. Laurel Weaver, Rip Torn nearly steals the show as perennially grumpy, inscrutable agency head Zed, and Vincent D'Onofrio is fun to watch as Farmer Edgar/Edgar Bug. The bonus materials are also great. The "editing workshop", which allows you to play with alternate footage and put together a new version of one of two scenes, is my personal favourite (although I actually agree with Sonnenfeld's poker-faced quip that, "[The audience] will find out that everything I did was perfect). "The evolution of MiB" gives a hint of the major changes that happen on (to) a big movie as it's being made, and the MIIB (Men in Black 2) teasers definitely suggest that MIIB is a must-see for summer 2002. |
Smart and Fun.
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| Review Date: January 21, 2001 |
| Reviewer: Richard La Fianza, San Bernardino |
| Aliens are alive on Earth! Disguised as normal people, they live normal lives, for the most part. Like any group of people, um, intelligent creatures, most are good but - there are some bad ones out there. M.I.B. tells the story of Earth's unofficial "alien police" who keep the "bad" aliens in line. In particular, M.I.B. tells the story of a new potential agent (Wil Smith) on his first case. An assassin alien has come to Earth to kill the prince of an alien empire and steal a rare jewel. Lead by a veteran agent played by Tommy Lee Jones, both agents try to save the prince and capture the assassin. During the chase, we are treated to the birth of an alien octupus, exposed to amazing technologies, and given "credible" explanation to some of the enduring mysteries of our time. This movie delivers on both the action and comedy fronts. It is funny on many levels, very enjoyable. Usually I like to compare this movie to another because we all have different senses of humor, but it is hard to do here. M.I.B. may not be unique, but I don't know of any films quite like it. Recommended. |
There back in Black!
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| Review Date: May 11, 2002 |
| Reviewer: , Hamilton, NJ US of A |
| This is a excellent DVD loaded with extras including the music video by Will Smith, storyboards, extra footage, and a sneek peek at Men in Black II! Grat movie, Great DVD. |
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