Adventure; Comedy; Science Fiction

Science Fiction

Men in Black has extraterrestrials living on Earth in disguise, a hi-tech secretive government organization, and an intergalactic war between two alien species with Earth caught in the middle. Yep, it's got all the prerequisite science fiction boxes checked.

Most science fiction films use their speculative elements, like technology, space travel, or extraterrestrial life, to consider how these could influence a future society or alter our present day one. For example, Star Trek considers potential advances in technology and knowledge and argues these will enlighten humanity for the better. In the other direction, something like Independence Day creates a much darker encounter with extraterrestrials in its parallel universe.

But Men in Black isn't using its science fiction concepts to consider these social and political questions—at least not too deeply. That doesn't make for great comedy. Instead, it uses its science fiction elements as a giant love letter to the science fiction movies. It's celebrating the genre for the sake of celebration.

The result is a hodgepodge of science fiction props and elements from yesteryear. There are body-snatching alien invaders, different from but an obvious nod to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The alien space ships sport that classic flying-saucer look. The guns are designed like they came right out of a 1950s flick, and they fire lasers, of course. And the evil bug monster even kidnaps a damsel for good measure—true, she's a strong woman and ends up rescuing herself, but we're counting it as a playful shout-out all the same.

Comedy

When you think about it, science fiction can be pretty silly. Alien plants that replace you with a chlorophyll clone? Space vampires? Intergalactic hunters using Earth as a safari? Without suspension of disbelief, it would be impossible to seriously consider these concepts or their deeper meanings.

Enter comedy. In its celebration of science fiction, Men in Black also pokes a fun at the genre's various conventions and popular elements. The examples are numerous, so here are a few of our favorites:

When you think about it, the Bug stealing Edgar's skin is pure body horror. But the film plays it humorously by having a Looney Tunes face-stretching gag followed by a fainting Beatrice. And Vincent D'Onofrio's spastic acting as Edgar Bug is an homage to Peter Seller's performance as the titular character in the atomic-bomb satire (yes, there is such a thing) Dr. Strangelove.

Most science fiction films treat alien birth as a horrific or foreboding affair (see Alien for a nausea-inducing example). Men in Black plays it for laughs as Jay's swung around the station wagon by a giant tentacle and is subsequently puked on by the baby Cthulhu. It's not even acid puke.

In the gadget room, Kay shows Jay a universal translator and tells him,

KAY: We're not even supposed to have it, and I'll tell you why. Human thought is so primitive, it's looked upon as an infectious disease is some of the better parts of the galaxy. That kinda makes you proud, doesn't it?

No deep analysis here, we just like that joke.

The film is self-aware that its concept is inherently silly if you dissect it with critical eyes. Rather than try to hide that fact under grim faces, gritty plots, or massive amounts of technobabble, it just has fun with that baked-in silliness.

Adventure

Finally, Men in Black is an adventure. In the "Metamorphosis of Men in Black" feature, Director Barry Sonnenfeld said that "comedy likes momentum and speed," so in the same way that the comedy elements support the science fiction ones, the film's adventure elements support its comedy.

The adventure genre's strength are stories involving danger and physical risk. These elements are introduced pretty early with Kay engaging Mikey and Jay having to rundown the alien perp. The Galaxy also serves as the treasure at the end of the journey in the same way, say, the Ark of the Covenant served as the MacGuffin in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The danger reaches its peak when Jay has to keep the Bug on Earth while Kay wades around in its gut trying to find his gun. Since the Bug's so much more powerful than Jay, it's a difficult task, and the size difference reminds you of classic adventure foes like dragons. Like a true adventuring hero, Jay ultimately has to rely on his intelligence over his strength to win the day. And win the day he does as an explosion of bug guts showers him in triumph.