Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones/Josh Brolin) and Agent J (Will Smith) are back for the third installment of the sci-fi action buddy-copish series, Men in Black III, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.
When Agent K’s high profile prisoner Boris the animal (Jermaine Clement) escapes a maximum security lunar prison, the alien decides to travel back in time to 1969 to kill Agent K before he has a chance to blow his arm off and imprison him. When agent J realizes that the present day has been warped and K has been dead for 40 years, he goes back in time to July 15, 1969 in order to stop Boris from killing K, discover what made K such a disgruntled old fart in the first place, and to make sure that an alien invasion of Earth never happens. In the process, he accidentally runs into the younger version of K and the two team up to try and defeat this very evil looking villain.
Let me premise the rest of this review by giving a little background on the film. While shooting MIB 3, production was halted five weeks into filming and there was word the second and third act of the film wasn’t even completely written. Not a good thing for a film that’s following up a disappointing predecessor (MIB II). For these problems, it’s surprising that the film turned out to be moderately fun even if it has plenty of issues.
I’m not going to lie, I was interested in seeing MIB 3 because the thought of Josh Brolin playing a young Tommy Lee Jones made me extremely happy. Up until the first instance of time travel the movie is pretty slow and kind of boring, particularly because Will Smith tries way too hard to be funny (and gets almost no laughs) as he and K go about their daily routine. Jones, in his very stern manner, is funny in an unintentional but actually intentional way. He’s the only reason you can make it through the first 30 minutes without yawning and its such a bummer when he disappears, that is until Brolin shows up.
Once we jump back to 1969 and officially get the retro vibe in place, the movie turns into a much more fun buddy space cop film where we see Brolin steal every scene he is in and show a side of K that we’ve never seen. Hell, the guy cracks a smile and has a love interest. Crazy! I know. Don’t let that fool you though because he is still the hard ass that we know and love in the present day.
The movie’s alien looks are provided by the legendary make-up artist and seven time Oscar winner, Rick Baker. On
ce again he has done a fantastic job of creating visually compelling and authentic looking creatures that’ll have you in awe. The make-up, along with the Brolin/Jones combo, are the strongest parts of the film and what keeps it elevated from falling into the crapper. The third act of the film is the best as there are some fun action sequences , really cool visuals, and a safe but touching ending.
As for the downsides, the movie didn’t need 3D. It wasn’t very effective but it had its moments particularly because of how often people were standing or falling off of buildings or because there was some sort of chase going on. Also, there were plot holes associated with time travelling which, now that I think about it, would cause mass confusion for anyone who looks too deep into it (like me as I’m typing this). It particularly has to do with the ending of the film, which I won’t spoil, but I’m sure some of you will figure out what I’m talking about.
Men in Black 3 is better than the second film but not as good as the first. It has a handful of issues and it’s not what you had hoped for, but it is safe and generic enough that it will leave most people entertained and moderately satisfied as long as they don’t shell out the extra coin for the 3D gimmick. Plus, Boris the animal is actually a pretty badass villain who is awesome to watch.
Rating: Iffy from the get-go but gets better as it goes on-it’s your average and fun summer movie (5.8/10)
Recent Comments