Not bad... But disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (28 May 2012)

Although MIB3 wasn't necessarily a 'bad' movie, it certainly wasn't as good as it could have been. It seemed, while watching the marketing plugs, like they were going to bring the big guns and bring back all the funny stuff and cool special effects, but they just fell short. The original was quite good -- Funny, a little scary, cool characters, good stunts, very original. Part II was just bad. So, if you are going to wait 10 years to do a three-quel that nobody really was dying to see because part 2 was so bad, then you better make part 3 REALLY good -- Right?
Well -- It wasn't REALLY good. It was OK. I wanted to love it, but I honestly only barely liked it. It was lacking the things that made the franchise 'cool.' There was no talking pug, no funny pawn shop guy, no real interesting or funny aliens at all. The lead bad-guy alien was a somewhat interesting character, but no real personality. Nothing that made you want more of him. And other than him, there was hardly any other aliens in it. One little stint in a Chinese restaurant, but nothing rememorable. No funny ones. I just don't understand not making more characters like the ones that made the first such a hit. And even Wil Smith wasn't funny. He was funnier during his promotions on talk shows than in his movie. He just seemed to walk through the whole thing.
ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to see it in 3D. None.
I hate to say it -- But the special effects were awful. With technology today, most special effects are seamless. As an audience, we now 'expect' good effects. Half the time, it was very obvious when they were using backdrops and green screens and had super-imposed stuff. That's just a deal-breaker in today's movie-going world.
The one truly redeeming quality it had -- and it was good -- was Josh Brolin playing the younger K (Tommy Lee Jones). He was spot on and did a great job. But even that isn't enough to carry a movie that wants to be a summer Blockbuster.
Bottome Line -- Rent it. It's worth seeing if you have it lying around the house and have nothing to do, but not if you have to pay full price, and nothing you have to run right out and see.
And this is from a fan of Wil Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin.