It's not perfect, but Men in Black III is a fun return for the series.

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2012)

In 1997, the first Men in Black came out. It was something no one had ever seen before: a sci-fi movie crossed with the buddy comedy and action genres? To this day it remains one of my personal favorite movies. However, I was disappointed with its sequel, Men in Black II. The film felt like a almost a carbon copy of the original. Ten years later, we have Men in Black III. It's quite a surprise to see this franchise after it was pretty much left for dead. But is it any good? Yes it is. Men in Black III is a fun movie, a cool and nostalgic trip down memory lane. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still a blast.
The film takes place in 2012, 10 years after the second movie. Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are still partners, working for the Men in Black, a secret government organization which monitors all alien life on Earth. But one day, J goes to work and finds out that K was assassinated in 1969. J must then go back in time and team up with a young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to fix the future and stop an alien invasion.
The cast is rock solid as always. Will Smith looks like he's having a blast as the cool, wise ass Agent J. Tommy Lee Jones plays Agent K, the expressionless, relaxed veteran. Jermaine Clement plays the films villain, the vicious Boris the Animal, and Emma Thompson is just alright as the new leader of the MiB, Agent O. But the real star of the show is Josh Brolin as a young Agent K. The whole movie you forget he's just an actor and believe he's really a 29-year-old K. His performance is very believable and well done.
The special effects and makeup, some of the most praised parts of the MiB series, are very good. Danny Elfman's score is also top-notch, sounding very Men-in-Blacky (Is that even a word?). The set pieces too are very cool. You feel like you are in 1969, with not only New York City, but also a scene later in the film with the Apollo 11 mission taking off.
However, the flaws of the film are in the script. The screenplay is very funny, and is well written, for the most part. The problems lie within the plot holes and goof-ups. The relationship between Agent K and O could have been fleshed out more. I was left unsatisfied with that plot line. For the goof-ups, there's one instance where J is talking to Young K, and he mentions "Jedi Knight Mind Tricks". K then looks like he knows exactly what he is talking about. That part of the film takes place in 1969. Star Wars came out in 1977. Whoops.
Another problem with the film was that it was just too long. At some points during the film I was a little bit bored. They probably could have shaved off about 10-15 minutes of the film and it would be fine.
In conclusion, Men in Black III is a surprisingly fun movie. It's very funny, very well acted, and very cool. Unfortunately the script and longer running time prevent it from being a classic like the first movie. Still, if you just want some great fun at the movies, definitely give MiB3 a go.