MEN IN BLACK

 

TWO STARS – Shallow

 

 

        “Men In Black” is based on a fascinating premise:  that human beings can’t handle the truth.

        Beneath the special effects and humor of this entertaining film is the assumption that for human beings to live contented lives they must live in ignorance, unaware of the dangers surrounding them.

        Although in this instance the dangers are intergalactic warfare and the destruction of the entire planet, the theme raises the question of whether life is better lived in denial.  This film answers a resounding “YES!” as it weaves a tale replete with memory inhibitors and a secret agency protecting the public from the truth.

        But the question we ask is at what price does such ignorance and denial cost us?   What are we saying about ourselves if we need to be shielded from the truth in order to face life?  And who has the right to decide who should be deceived “for their own good?”

        Although these questions are inherent in the story line, “Men in Black” is content to remain a science fiction comedy, itself blatantly exagerating the ignorance it espouses.

        The tale begins in an obvious tongue-in-cheek of the U.S. border patrol stopping a van-load of illegal aliens infiltrating from Mexico.   Surrealistically, two men dressed in black take over the incident and quickly unmask a very different kind of alien, one who is from outer space.

        Acting with deadpan nonchalance, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) is a very special type of policeman.  His responsibility is to monitor the activities of a resident alien population.

        Weaving fact with fiction, he explains to his young new partner Agent J (Will Smith) that during the New York World’s Fair, a special delegation of intergalactic political refugees sought asylum on earth.  In a secret arrangement, the United States government agrees to allow them clandestine residence.

        The Men in Black, is a secret force who not only takes over the policing of these aliens but also frees itself from governmental control and uses the alien technology to not only create products (like velcro) to finance their endeavors, but they develop the ability to alter the memory of people who have alien encounters.

        This is one of the more humorous aspects of the film.  The unexplained phenomenon reported in so many of the supermarket rags causes even the most skeptical person to wonder why so many people seem to honestly claim to have alien encounters.

        From the earliest sightings in Seattle by a reputable pilot to the claim of an alien crash in New Mexico with inadequate governmental explanations, the common theme claimed is that of a cover-up.  But who is covering up what and why?

        The answer in this film is  the “Men in Black.”  They watch over a resident alien population whose political asylum on our planet puts us repeatedly in danger of galaxy-controlling alien races of whom our small planet is only a speck within the marble-games of their superiority.

        This responsibility to both protect our planet and keep our race contentedly in the dark is difficult for this cadre of special forces.   Their abilities in detecting and stopping the threatening aliens provide the entertaining action of the film, and their characters are believable and likable enough for the audience to wish there was more when the credits roll.

        However, the bigger issue of humanity’s need for avoidance of the truth of our own mortality would have created an even richer context for a true science fiction film and not just a comedy.

        Would purposeful activities, humanitarian acts,  creative pursuits, and social contributions continue if we knew we were a day or an hour away from annihilation?  Or would we, like the artist formerly known as Prince, “party like it’s 1999?”

        Though some claim it is a blessing to not know what lies ahead, whether war, earthquakes, natural disasters, or personal tragedies, claiming that simple trust in God is all we need, others wonder why God seems to continually reveal glimpses of what lies ahead so we can make emotional and spiritual preparation.

        From déja vu experiences to Biblical revelation, God expresses a respect toward us which implies that we can in fact handle the truth because it is the truth that empowers us and not denial. 

 

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