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Analysis Of The Film 'Men In Black'

847 Words4 Pages

In science fiction films many different races are represented: African Americans, Italians, Asians, Aboriginals, etc. For this essay, I am going to observe how this movie genre portrays African Americans by analyzing the film series Men in Black. Furthermore, I believe these films view this race negatively which indicates a racial divide in society. But first I am going to identify how this movie genre depicts the race and culture of African Americans.
In “Some Things We Know About Aliens,” by Istvan Csicsrey, Jr, discusses how science fiction movies depict the other as being an alien, monster, or creature who seems familiar . Furthermore, Istvan Csicsrey states how the “other” refers to people who “belong... to another family, race, nation, …show more content…

For this section of the paper, I am going to analyze how the film depicts African Americans negatively by observing the characters Agent K, Jones, and Agent J, Smith. Furthermore, Jones character is strong, stoic, serious, authoritative and intellectual. Moreover, he is also responsible and is a hero. In the scene, where Smith lets a pulsing ball of chaos lose at MIB headquarters, Jones puts on a glove, a prop, and catches the ball . Furthermore, the prop is a symbol of chaos, and when Jones captures the ball with the glove, this symbolizes his ability to end and stabilize any threats . As a result, Jones is viewed as being a responsible, intellectual hero. However, Smith, is the opposite of Jones’s character as he is perceived to be comical, a sidekick, and he rejects authority. When Jones sends the car into hyperdrive, Smith does not put on his seatbelt: rejecting authority and safety . As a result, Smith’s body is sent towards the front window . The camera then zooms in on his facial expressions which are both weird and comical. Consequently, this scene illustrates that when Smith is in a crisis, he is not ready which brings him into danger: body and face are smushed up against a window. Therefore, by analyzing the different characters, this movie portrays a negative view of African Americans as Jones portrays a stern and well respected white character, but Smith represents a comical black character. As a result, the movie views African Americans poorly. The author Heather J. Hicks agrees with my

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