Review: "Men in Black 3"

A dangerous criminal named Boris "The Animal" (Jermaine Clement) escapes a top-secret lunar prison forty years after Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) put him there. He's come back to Earth to seek vengeance on K for shooting his arm off, putting him in prison, and causing the extinction of his race. His intention is not just to kill K, but to travel back in time to 1969, the year K put him behind bars, in order to reverse those events completely. 

Boris' plan is successful, and Agent J (Will Smith) wakes up one morning to a world where K has been dead for forty years. Just as soon as J can piece things together, an invasion by Boris' now non-extinct race threatens to destroy Earth. In order to save his partner and stop the invasion, Agent J must also travel back to 1969 to help the younger Agent K (Josh Brolin) defeat Boris and restore the timeline.

There's a lot that works in the film. The whole sixties setting is rich with period detail; from the props, cars, and costumes to the sweet retro designs used for alien visitors at MIB headquarters; and the film's finale takes place at Cape Kennedy for the launch of Apollo 11, which is a nice touch. Boris is easily the best villain in the series, and Brolin is having a lot of fun being less of a stick-in-the-mud than Tommy Lee. His younger K is able to retain the curtness of Jones' manner without the stuffiness.

What doesn't work as well is the dumb movie-logic that the filmmakers employ to keep this train on the rails. There are at least two major (MAJOR) plot points that stick out like a sore thumb with a few little leaps of faith thrown in for good measure. Not to mention an ending that slathers on an emotional payoff that isn't fully earned, using one minor throwaway character to give deeper understanding to another main character, that provides emotional closure for a different character. Are you following? No? Well, now you know how I felt watching the film. 

Ultimately, MIB3 doesn't make the case for a MIB4, but it is better than MIB2, although not as good as the original MIB. If you're a Men in Black fan, go see it. If you're a die-hard Will Smith fan, go see it. If you are debating between this film and Battleship, see MIB3. If you're just looking for the best two hours at your local cineplex this summer . . . go see The Avengers.

"Setting the Frame" Film Grade = C