Space Cadets Get Uneven Ride Out of ‘Men in Black’

In “Men in Black,” a young, quick-witted New York policeman (Will Smith) is recruited by an older, jaded government agent (Tommy Lee Jones) into a secret unit that licenses and monitors the aliens that routinely travel incognito to Earth. (Rated PG-13)

For those who always knew there were aliens among us, “Men in Black” explains how it all works. They come from their various planets and galaxies, see, disguise themselves as humans or animals, get work permits from MiB headquarters in New York and mostly just try to make a living.

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There aren’t as many cab drivers as you might think, but, yes, the disguised aliens do include Sylvester Stallone, Newt Gingrich, Elvis and certain third-grade teachers. And, yes, underneath their disguises, they do look like squids, giant insects and alligators with multiple arms and eyes and, occasionally, they do want to destroy our planet.

The droll comedy is playing to decidedly mixed reviews from young connoisseurs of creatures from outer space.

“Some of my friends like it. Some of my friends hate it. It’s like a split opinion,” said Sean Fitzgerald, 13, from Lake Forest. Like his friends, he enjoyed some parts but not others. “It was funny,” he said, “but it was kind of phony. Like, some of it didn’t make any sense.”

On the plus side, most kids liked the special effects, the slime and the weird weapons. The critics tended to include kids, such as Sean, who like their aliens realistic-looking and their plots long and solid with meaning they can take home.

Compared with such favorites as “The Terminator” or “Star Wars,” “Men in Black” is definitely sci-fi lite.

All things considered, Diego Dominguez, 12, of Mission Viejo said he’d give the movie “four stars, two thumbs up and a B-plus.”

“They could make it a little bit longer and try to tell the point a little bit more,” he said. Plus, he complained, “the monsters looked like they came out of an 8- or 9-year-old’s mind. They didn’t look real.”

Even 9-year-old Jeremy Collins of Irvine said he could tell the alien creatures were “computer made.” He particularly liked the slimy and gooey ones but still preferred more “realistic” looking creatures like the ones in “Star Wars.”

Parts of the plot, he said, he couldn’t understand, adding that it didn’t really matter. He still laughed at the crowd-pleasing jokes, such as the scene in which the camera is focused on a truck outside a farmhouse. The voice of a bad-tempered farmer is heard complaining to his wife that “the only thing that pulls its own load around here is my truck,” which is thereupon smashed by a spaceship.

Others said they laughed the hardest at the deadpan Tommy Lee Jones shaking down an alien disguised as a bulldog, while passersby watched with mild interest.

Even the critics praised the two actors--especially Will Smith, a favorite TV personality, whose “Men in Black” music video had helped promote the movie. “He can always make you laugh in a movie, and he’s really a good actor,” said Alyssa Krogstad, 14, of Orange. “He’s kind of childish and funny,” said Jackie Tran, 12, of Irvine.

But if they want to hear the title song, Smith fans need to stay until the closing credits.

Young children might be overwhelmed by the shootings and comic-book-type violence, which includes an autopsy, a decapitation and a shootout from the inside of a slimy alien. Older kids complained that the volume was too high.

Even if the aliens make them jump, that’s OK, said Annemarie Ahlefeld, 15, of Orange. “When it’s funny, they get over it,” she said.

Overall, the violence quotient was several points less than that in the 20 minutes of trailers.

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PARENTS’ POINT OF VIEW: “I had seen the trailers, and I still enjoyed it immensely,” said Don Krogstad of Orange. “I don’t think I’d take little kids to it. There’s nothing really gory, but it might scare some smaller kids.”