Today’s quick review: Men in Black III. Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement), an alien serial killer, escapes from his lunar prison, travels back in time, and kills Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) of the Men in Black, triggering off a change in the timeline that will result in the destruction of Earth in the present. To save his partner and the Earth, Agent J (Will Smith) must follow Boris back to 1969 and stop the killer with the help of Agent K’s (Josh Brolin) past self.
Men in Black 3 is a sci-fi action comedy and the third installment in the Men in Black franchise. The movie sees the return of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as two of the Men in Black’s top agents, J and K, whose job is to keep the Earth safe from alien threats. They are joined by Josh Brolin, who plays a younger and less weary incarnation of K. As usual, the movie’s main draws are its world of goofy aliens and its strong comedic leads.
Men in Black 3 departs from the tone and formula of the first two films. Taking a more serious tack, the plot of Men in Black 3 delves into the relationship between J and K, K’s jaded outlook on life, and his secretive history. Most of the familiar faces from the first two films are missing, and the Men in Black feels more like a police department than it did before. The movie also has more action, higher stakes, and a somewhat deadlier villain.
The result of these changes is a movie that’s free to experiment with richer plot and character development at the expense of some of the heart and humor of the first two films. Though not all that elaborate by hard sci-fi standards, the story does have some interesting ideas, such as a five-dimensional alien who sees probabilities, and the time travel plot is still loose and simple enough for a comedy.
The focus on character development also has good results. J’s trip to the past gives him the chance to be a part of a pivotal event in his partner’s life. The drawback is a strained relationship between J and K and a somewhat more serious tone, both good decisions from a dramatic perspective but changes to the usual comedy formula. Men in Black 3 retains enough of the original films’ humor and sense of adventure to be a fun watch.
Check out Men in Black 3 if you enjoyed the first two films and would like a change in formula. The third movie delivers a blend of comedy, action, and sci-fi drama, making it the most balanced of the lot. Though it lacks some of the quality of the original, Men in Black 3 remains a relatively good pick when you are in the mood to dip into the wild side of sci-fi. Skip it if you are looking for a pure comedy or you are tired of the franchise.
6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a decent blend of comedy and plot.