Waiting ten years between sequels usually doesn’t pan out well (Toy Story 3 notwithstanding), and the passage of time shows in the third installment of the “Men In Black” franchise.
As MIB2 showed, it’s difficult to recapture that initial excitement in MIB1; of Will Smith’s “Agent J” learning how New York City is Ellis Island for galactic wanderers, how Earth is home to other-worldly aliens, and his newfound role in it all. I loved MIB1 just as much as anyone else, and for that reason I was just as disappointed as you were in its lackluster sequel. MIB3 is not as good as MIB1, but is better than MIB2; although that’s not saying much.
Danny Elfman’s score kicking off this third offering recalls the wonder and fun of the original, and much of the production harkens back to the campy sci-fi look of the 1950’s and `60s. The 3D is effective in giving much needed depth to certain high-rise scenes, and is playfully added to the most obvious of props. Rick Baker may win yet another Oscar for his work on the creature effects in the film, although there aren’t as many of them in MIB3. But his effects on the main alien “Boris The Animal” (Jemaine Clement) will make you squirm for the whole movie. The story is focused more on the relationship between Agents J and K (once again played by professional sourpuss Tommy Lee Jones), and the time travel storyline. Josh Brolin as a younger Agent K nearly steals the show, as does alien “Griffin” played by Michael Stuhlbarg. But not much more works with the production, which was notoriously dogged by problems even before shooting. It shows onscreen, with much of the humor relying on Smith’s standard jibber-jabber sass, although this late in the game, much of it seems dated. In fact, most of MIB3 has a been-there, seen-this feel. It only picks up after Smith goes back to 1969, and it becomes a bit of a period-piece complete with a teeny tiny bit of social commentary. That’s a shame, since much of MIB1 was social commentary masked under quite a bit of Baker’s trademark goo.
Although the script has a hard time recalling the discovery of MIB1, it does try. Agent J is on a bit of a quest to discover just what makes Agent K the way he is, and there’s some purposeful misdirection and foreshadowing to set up the third act. The Big Reveal near the end will most likely irk critics and please regular moviegoers, as almost any kind of sentiment normally does. Barry Sonnenfeld has directed some notable stinkers in his day (“Wild Wild West” and “RV” among them), but he manages to outdo his MIB2 outing here. He’s also notorious for last minute sentiment, such as in the aforementioned “RV.” MIB3 has more heart than mush though, which helps it in eclipsing MIB2. But I don’t think MIB3 goes further in re-establishing the franchise for a fourth outing in a new decade. It’s a decent day at the movies, but not overly so. And although it might take tops at the the box-office this weekend, it will probably do so only because “The Avengers” is in its fourth week.
Overall Score for “Men In Black 3” from Rich Bonaduce: B-
“Men In Black 3” is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, brief suggestive content, and some ill-placed language.
103 Minutes
Written by: Etan Cohen (based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham)
