06.20.08 5:00 AM CDT
• TV & DVDs
• Robert DeSalvo
Ever since he mouthed off to alien invaders in 1996’s Independence Day, Will Smith has been Hollywood’s go-to guy for blockbuster-begging summer entertainment. To coincide with the release of this summer’s Hancock in theaters, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment just released Smith’s 1997 favorite Men in Black on Blu-ray Disc. CGI is like the Claymation of our times—movies that rely heavily on computer effects don’t tend to age particularly well since the technology improves by leaps and bounds every year. But since Men in Black is played for laughs and not realism, the cartoonish aliens that agents Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones police on earth still deliver while looking fantastic in high definition. The BD also includes some nifty next-gen features like a multi-player trivia game where up to eight players can connect via BD-Live technology to test their Men in Black knowledge in a fast-paced environment. There is also an Ask Frank the Pug interactive game where the movie’s talking pooch shares his wisdom on topics of career, health, money and romance. Frank was unable to tell us if Will Smith’s drunken, distressed superhero in Hancock will sell as many tickets as Men in Black did back in the day. Still, the extra features and superb picture and sound make this Blu-ray a welcome upgrade over the standard DVD for MIB fans.
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