Men in Black 25th Anniversary Steelbook UHD Review

For its 25^th anniversary, Sony has released Men in Black as a stand-alone UHD Blu-ray steelbook.

The Production: 4.5/5

When a hostile alien, Edgar (Vincent D’Onofrio), crash lands on planet Earth in search of a miniature galaxy, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) of the secret agency known as Men in Black recruits one of the NYPD’s finest, who is given the moniker of Agent Jay (Will Smith). Jay has unknowingly had a run-in with one of Edgar’s minions, leading them to pawn broker/arms dealer Jeebs (Tony Shaloub, in a hilarious cameo) and coroner Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino) who begins to get a bit suspicious about the two latest bodies that have arrived for autopsy. Seasoned veteran Kay and rookie Jay are in hot pursuit of Edgar and must retrieve the galaxy before an orbiting Arquillian battle cruiser destroys the planet to prevent Edgar from escaping.

Based on the short-series comic by Lowell Cunningham, Men in Black was a hit with critics and audiences alike, mixing quirky and off-beat humor with science fiction, something that director Barry Sonnenfeld had been known for with films like The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, and Get Shorty. Will Smith was a rising star with his television series Fresh Prince of Bel Air and roles in movies Six Degrees of Separation, Bad Boys, and Independence Day, and Men in Black solidified his status as a movie star. Tommy Lee Jones is perfectly cast as the straight man to Will Smith with his deadpan delivery and often stone-cold face. Bringing it all together are the screenplay by Ed Solomon (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure), the visual effects by Industrial Light and Magic, makeup effects and creature design by Rick Baker and his studio, and the catchy, jazzy score by Danny Elfman.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

Men in Black was released on UHD Blu-ray previously as part of a trilogy collection in December of 2017, and that release looked spectacular. For this 25^th anniversary release, Sony has re-authored the UHD disc (although still a BD66), which now includes Dolby Vision in addition to HDR10. Viewing in HDR10, the transfer looks nearly identical to what was included on the Trilogy set, although this could be a new transfer, as this release now includes the burned-in subtitles that the previous release lacked. With Dolby Vision engaged, the image does appear slightly darker, with deeper blacks and strong shadow detail. Colors are more natural and vibrant, particularly Jay’s red jacket that he wears to his interview at MiB headquarters in the first film. Fine detail is also improved, with more defined textures. Film grain is noticeable and organic, but can appear more like noise when viewing in HDR10 compared to Dolby Vision. The disc was viewed on a 2021 LG C1 55” OLED from a Sony UBP-X800M2 UHD Blu-ray player.

Audio: 5/5

Men in Black contains the same Dolby Atmos mix found on the 2017 trilogy collection. It is a much more expansive and immersive aural experience. The sphere that escapes and wreaks havoc on MiB headquarters during Jay’s tour will have your head spinning trying to follow it around your viewing area. LFE is much stronger than on the Blu-ray counterpart without being overly boomy. Dialogue is clear and understandable, never getting lost in the insane mix. Sony has included, on this release, the original 5.1 mix in DTS-HD MA.

Special Features: 4/5

Two new featurettes have been included on the UHD disc, the rest of the special features can be found on the included 2008 Blu-ray release.

UHD Disc:
Notes from the Director’s Chair (1080p; 11:55): Barry Sonnenfeld reflects on making Men in Black and its long development process.

Designing “Men in Black” (1080p; 20:09): Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Production Designer Bo Welch discuss how they developed the “look” for the film.

Blu-ray Disc:
Audio Commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Actor Tommy Lee Jones (with Telestrator option)

Audio Commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld, Rick Baker, and the ILM Team

Intergalactic Pursuit: The MIB Multi-Player Trivia Game: Actually, this is now only a single player game, as multi-player requires BD-Live.

Ask Frank the Pug!: A game similar to the Magic Eight Ball.

Extended and Alternate Scenes (480i; 4:21)

Metamorphosis of “Men in Black” (480i; 23:12)

Original Featurette (480i; 6:38)

Visual Effects Scene Deconstruction

Character Animation Studies

Creatures: Concept to Completion

Galleries

Storyboard Comparisons

Scene Editing Workshop

Music Video: Men In Black (480i; 4:19)

Original Trailer (1080p; 2:30)

Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:43)

Digital Copy An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy in UHD on Movies Anywhere.

Overall: 4.5/5

Sony’s new stand-alone steelbook UHD release of Men in Black is a modest improvement over the already excellent UHD release that was included in the 2017 trilogy set.

Men in Black – 25th Anniversary SteelBook [4K UHD]

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Todd Erwin

Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.