1997 comedic sci-fi
Rating: 14/20
Plot: The Fresh Prince teams up with a surly veteran of the titular organization which specializes in extraterrestrial shenanigans and immediately is thrown into a situation where he has to save the earth from being blown to pieces by irate aliens.
I'm surprised at how clever this very well-dressed B-movie is, especially since it starts with an almost inexcusable alien pun. But "Looks like you've got some entrails on you, pal" hooks you before a great swoop toward Tommy Lee who is cooler than cool in this. I'm not sure that I like Will Smith here or if I ever like him at all. He's full of personality, of course, but that really only goes so far. A lot of the humor in this is predictable, but there are enough surprises in this to make you forget about all of those. The funniest stuff is with Vincent D'Onofrio's Edgar, from a country over-alled prick to a guy who looks like his "flesh was hanging off his bones." Great special effects with D'Onofrio, but a lot of it's the general shape he puts himself in and his movements. It's a great performance even without all the special effects. Rip Torn and David Cross also make appearances, and Verne Troyer is also apparently in this. You know, before he got big. I could probably do without the superfluous subplot featuring Tommy Lee and his former love. Anyway, this movie sometimes stretches things a little too thin but is mostly fun enough to be worth anybody's time.
I agree with a lot of what you say, but I don't think you are giving this nearly enough credit. Smith and Jones are great individually, and they work perfectly together. The film has great originality, humor, good effects in the many action scenes, and terrific chemistry between all of the actors(big and small roles that are very memorable). I liked the story and I was very touched by the ending where Jones gets to go back to his girl. There are so many ways this movie could have failed, and instead it is a fun and unique ride. An 18.
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