Movie Info
Movie Name: Men in Black III
Studio: Amblin Entertainment
Genre(s): Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action/Adventure/Comedy
Release Date(s): May 23, 2012 (France)/May 25, 2012 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) continue to protect Earth from alien invaders. When Agent K’s old enemy Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) escapes his prison, a trip to the past eliminates Agent K and leaves the Earth unprotected. The help of Agent O (Emma Thompson), Agent J must travel into the past and stop Boris the Animal from killing Agent K. Agent J finds himself teamed with a young version of Agent K (Josh Brolin), Agent O (Alice Eve), and an inter-dimensional being named Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg) must reach the Apollo 11 launch and save the world.
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Men in Black III (or sometimes MIB3) followed Men in Black II in 2002. The film was relatively well received and liked better than the previous entry in the series.
I found this Men in Black film a bit better than previous entry and better than a lot of Will Smith’s films. The reason is a relatively tight story. I am a fan of time travel stories and if they are done well, it can lead to some interesting questions.
The time travel story presented in this movie goes for the whole idea that history can be rewritten. I always believed if time travel is possible, that it has always been happening, and nothing can really be changed. The trip to the past however is fun.
With the past and the sci-fi aspect, I wish that the movie had somehow been set in the ’50s. It would have gone into the whole ’50s sci-fi and there would have been a lot of room for exploration and looking at some of the classic science fiction. The ’60s is ok, but I feel the late ’60s stuff has been done a lot.
Will Smith tries to dominate the picture but fails. What really sells this movie isn’t Will Smith or Flight of the Conchords member Jermaine Clement as Boris the Animal, but Josh Brolin as the young Tommy Lee Jones. He is quite amazing and the movie is almost worth watching simply for him. His movements, mannerisms and voice all match Jones. It is perfect…and hypnotic at the same time.
The Men in Black series is ok…I don’t find it fantastic, nor do I find it groundbreaking or extremely humorous. I see a lot of Ghostbusters in Men in Black, and Men in Black III follows the tradition of the previous entries with a bit of an upswing from Men in Black II. I know a sequel is planned but there were some creative difficulties between Will Smith and Barry Sonnenfeld so I don’t know if he’ll be returning. Will Smith wanted his son Jaden to play the younger version of himself…fortunately Sonnefeld said no-go…I wish others would.
Related Links: