The unforgettable opening to a sci-fi franchise that never recaptured the magic saves the streaming universe

It wouldn’t be hyperbolic in the slightest to say that Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black is comfortably one of the most accomplished, entertaining, and complete blockbusters of the last 25 years.

An instant classic of both the sci-fi and buddy cop genres, the sparkling chemistry between leads Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones lends itself perfectly to a riotous romp that deftly straddles the line between old-fashioned practical effects and cutting-edge CGI, with several standout action sequences, eminently quotable lines, and a propulsive sense of sheer joy carrying a fast-paced and frantic adventure that’s over and done with in a breezy 98 minutes.

Obviously, earning $589 million at the box office, winning rave reviews from critics and audiences, and securing an Academy Award win for Best Makeup ensured that a franchise was immediately born, but Men in Black never came anywhere close to entering the same stratosphere as its glorious original ever again.

The second installment was an undercooked disappointment, the threequel was solid-if-unspectacular, and the less said about dismal spin-off International the better. Rumors of a fifth film reuniting Smith and Jones continue to bubble away on the back burner of speculation, but until then, it’s best to revisit the OG on streaming.

That’s exactly what’s been happening, too, with FlixPatrol outing Men in Black as one of the Top 10 most-watched features among HBO Max subscribers in the United States, while it’s also cracked the Prime Video worldwide charts for good measure. Simply put; you can’t beat greatness, no matter how many times you try and stuff that lightning in another bottle.