Men in Black

'Men in Black' comes to Blu-ray in a new, much-anticipated 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode (1.85:1). It's a fine upgrade over the previous standard DVD (which in the early 00's was widely considered reference-quality). There are still a couple of problem areas, but 'MIB' has certainly never looked better.

The previous DVD had a nice, clean source, but this Blu-ray offers a slight improvement. Grain is lighter (though still present), and blacks in particular have a deeper, inkier appearance. Colors are also more prominent, with much cleaner primaries. Fleshtones, too, look a bit more natural. As I always hope for with a high-def catalog remaster, detail is noticeably superior to the DVD, particularly close-ups which now boast razor-sharp textures, while wider shots also enjoy greater depth.

I didn't find 'MIB' perfect, however. Whites can be too bright, which lends a softness and "digital" appearance to the transfer. I also noticed slight edge enhancement, though its quite minimal. There are also moments of noise mixed in with the film grain, particularly on intense colors. None of these drawbacks are that troublesome, however, and 'MIB' remains a very impressive catalog effort from Sony.

Back when 'Men in Black' first hit standard DVD, it was cutting-edge stuff. Now, most of this material is pretty dated (archaic, even, in terms of interactivity). Sony has not upgraded the video for the high-def era, as all are 480p/i/MPEG-2 only, so expect a very nostalgic experience watching these extras. (Subtitles on the video-based material are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.)

• Commentaries - The first of two tracks is a "Telestrater Commentary" with director Barry Sonnenfeld and star Tommy Lee Jones. An interesting artifact of early DVD technology, Sonnenfeld narrates while using a sort of light pen to "draw" simple shapes live on the screen. It's kind of a fun little gimmick for a while, as Sonnenfeld points out various actors and objects he's discussing (Jones is largely silent through the track). Unfortunately, the Telestrater aspect ultimately doesn't add much to the overall track, though on its own terms, at least this is still a fine enough audio commentary.
  
  A second "Technical Commentary" is also included, with Sonnenfeld, effects guru Rick Baker, and ILM team members Eric Brevig, John Andrew Berton and Rob Coleman. It's exactly as its name specifies, and oddly, given the effects-heavy nature of the track, here is when the Telestrater might have actually come in more handy. In any case, this is geek-heaven, so if you're at all into effects and CGI, this is an interesting look at the technology just as it was hitting its stride in the late '90s.
  
• Featurette: "Metamorphosis Of MIB" (SD, 23 minutes) - Created for the previous DVD, this straight forward mini-doc includes interviews with Sonnenfeld, Jones, Will Smith and Baker, amongst a few other crew. It's a fairly decent overview of the basics of the shoot, with a particularly emphasis on the special effects. It's far too slim to really count as a great, thorough making-of.
  
• Original EPK (SD, 6 minutes) - This short fluff piece is just an extended commercial. Skippable.
  
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes (SD, 6 minutes) - Five scenes are included, and some are in rough form, particularly one called "Bouncing Ball" that is sans any CGI or effects. As most of the other scenes are just extensions, it's not all that substantial.
  
• Visual Effects Scene Deconstructions (SD) - Three scenes are included. Each deconstruction gives a look at the blue screen version of the scene (it's particularly funny seeing Smith reacting to nothing), then the final composite.
  
• Scene Editing Workshop (SD) - Here, you can be your own 'MIB' editor and reconstruct three different scenes from the film. Sonnenfeld is our tour guide, and you can perfect each scene from three shots, which you can arrange in any order you like. Response time during playback of your finished scene is fine, but this is really basic and obviously created for the DVD.
  
• Still Galleries (SD) - Two are included, for "Art and Animation" and "Production Photo Gallery." The "Art and Animation" section is largely storyboards, while the "Production Photo Gallery" is further broken down into three mini-sections, "Visual Effects Team: ILM," "On The Set With Talent" and "Make-Up & Puppet Team: Cinovation."
  
• Music Video (SD) - A clip for the Will Smith title tune is included. He's a better actor than a songwriter.
  
• Trailers (HD) - Wrapping it up are two high-def spots for 'Men in Black,' including the film's original theatrical teaser and full theatrical trailer.