Here come the Men in Black!
Galaxy defenders Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are now streaming on Netflix, marking 25 years since the duo first tooled up to save the world.
Also available are its two sequels, 2002's Men in Black II and 2012's Men in Black 3.
Until this month the trilogy was only available to rent or buy through the likes of Apple TV, Amazon or Google Play.
The original 1997 movie, boasting a very catchy theme tune, saw our Hollywood A-listers Smith and Jones star as MIB Agents J and K, regulators of all things alien on Earth.
While investigating run-of-the-mill close encounters, the team stumble across a deadly plot involving an intergalactic terrorist on a mission to assassinate ambassadors from opposing galaxies.
Mostly set in New York, Men in Black is a colourful, crazy romp that is sky high on entertainment and imagination.
It enjoys a sizeable 7.3 rating on IMDB, with many users praising its stellar special effects, funny dialogue and madcap story.
User mjw2305 gave it 8/10 saying: “Fine special effects help to bring the aliens in MIB to life, and they have just as much character as the duo in black - and get just as many laughs.
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'Makes you yearn for some more'
“The film carries a good plot and is entertaining from the opening scene; which sets the tone of the movie nicely, and makes you yearn for some more.”
With a budget of £74m, Men in Black went on to gross a staggering £487m worldwide, so a sequel was always on the cards.
And sure enough, five years later in 2002, Men In Black II arrived with Agents J and K reuniting to save the planet.
Re-heating the same formula as the original, reactions were rather mixed to this second instalment that saw the duo again stumble across a potentially Earth-shattering plot.
Only this time the villain is a Kylothian monster who disguises herself as a lingerie model.
Once she ill-advisedly decides to hold the MIB building hostage, there is only one person Agent J (Smith) can turn to – and that’s his former MIB partner.
'A hasty smash 'n' grab ... undisciplined nonsense'
Widely regarded as a rather hasty ‘smash ’n’ grab’ off the back of the original’s success, Men in Black II still did (inter) stellar trade at the box office, raking in £365m worldwide against a budget of £115m.
With an IMDB rating of 6.1, many users agreed this instalment merely clung to the coat tails of the first film, without really bringing anything new to the table
User Buddy-51 said: “Although the special effects in this film are, as one would expect in this day and age, astonishing and virtually seamless, the same can definitely NOT be said for the film's screenplay.
“The story moves along at a fairly fast clip, but it rarely makes us laugh. In fact, the script comes across as undisciplined nonsense, lacking both logic and coherence.”
Yet it performed well at the box office, thus paving the way for – you guessed it – Men in Black 3.
The producers possibly took note of the criticism levelled at MIB2, and really pushed the boat out for something new for the third part.
This time, the story revolves around an alien criminal called Boris the Animal who manages to go back in time to 1969 where he kills Agent K (Jones).
The fate of the planet is again at stake, spurring Agent J (Smith) to take a trip into the past where he teams up with K’s younger self to make things right. Kind of like Back to the Future but with aliens and liberal doses of insanity.
The most expensive comedy film ever made
With a budget of more than £177m, Men in Black 3 became the most expensive comedy film ever made at the time in 2012.
Fortunately it proved a smash hit, raking in £516m worldwide.
Widely regarded as much better than its predecessor, the movie has an IMDB rating of 6.8.
Rotten Tomatoes gave it an approval rating of 68 per cent, based on 251 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10.
The site's critical consensus states: "It isn't exactly a persuasive argument for the continuation of the franchise – but Men in Black 3 is better than its predecessor and manages to exceed expectations."
IMDB user 3xHCCH said the film was a rip-roaring ride and praised its ingenuity.
They posted: “I must say that this film was a really most entertaining one. Well, maybe more for me than for my kids.
“Younger audiences may find the jokes about 1969 cultural references, such as the hippies, the racial tension, etc, to be a bit difficult to grasp. Director Barry Sonnenfeld got it right this time, and this segment certainly gave perfect closure to the story arc of the whole series.”
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