In 1997, the blockbuster film Men in Black hit screens and suddenly became the âGhostbusters of the 90âsâ (just ignore that whole Extreme Ghostbusters thing). Being the huge Ghostbusters fan that I am, I was immediately drawn to Men in Black. Though it carried a similar concept in passing, Men in Black was quite different from my childhood obsession. While the Ghostbusters were a small, four-man operation that was more like a pest control service, the Men in Black were a huge, interplanetary organization with countless members and an extensive history.
That year, Sony debuted Men in Black: the Series (letâs start using âMIBâ for short). The Series picked up pretty much where the first movie left off (save for omitting the part where Kay retires) and reintroduces us to several members of the filmâs cast, as well as a plethora of new faces. Much like the Real Ghostbusters, the tone of MIB: the Series was borderline bi-polar. One day the episode would be deadly serious, with the MIB battling a monster thatâs mutilating other aliens and stealing their organs, and the next day the episode would be goofy and out there, with the MIB rescuing Santa Claus from an alien kidnapper. Some thought this was inconsistent, and I suppose thatâs a fair term for it. However, I thought it was rather refreshing. Too many serious episodes and you get burned out, too many funny episodes and you just get sick of the wackiness. MIB: the Series managed to balance out their serious arcs with comedy relief episodes rather smoothly. They also managed to get away with some heavy duty violence. They were constantly dismembering and exploding aliens left and right, but never came under any scrutiny, because the blood was colored blue, green or whateverâŠjust not red.
For the full article with video links, Click Here!
