"It's Gotta Have Heart"

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2012)

This phrase is a cliché refrain a producer says when someone is pitching a screenplay. All those explosions and special effects mean nothing if we don't care about the main characters. Another issue, a very skeptical moviegoer is not interested in yet another space alien invasion movie unless it has something new to offer. One thing most people agree is that MIB3 should not look like the previous sequels. Reminiscent of another dormant franchise - Indiana Jones - were Agent J & K going to put their suits back on and fight another monster? It kind of starts that way, introducing a fairly engaging villain, but then surprises the summer movie-going audience by turning all touchy-feely. Will Smith, having honed his chops on the sitcom stage, is excellent with body language and cutesy reactions. So pleasantly enough we are taken down a different path, a path that still delivers the actions and effects. But thankfully de-emphasises all those side monster characters. The filmmakers were smart enough (especially the editor) to not fill it full of monster gags at the main MIB terminal like previous films. Not once do you feel "Been there, done that". Instead we meet one new fresh alien that has the ability to predict the future. This character almost feels like "Rain Man" and practically steals the show. So kudos to the filmmakers for steering their way into a script "with heart". This includes an engaging Emma Thompson as the next head of MIB, who oddly only appears briefly in this film.
But Tommy Lee Jones should start thinking about retirement. Frankly it was hard to look at his aged face, and felt that even if agent K was a real career man he would've retired by now (wait didn't he?). My enthusiasm before going to see this movie was lukewarm, who was asking for another MIB sequel? And where the heck has Will Smith been anyway? The primary motivation was to see Josh Brolin, who worked with Jones in "No Country For Old Men". Brolin personifies Jones with lethal accuracy. Little did I know that the filmmakers had us the audience in mind and kept the story clicking along, while stopping along the way to have some pie. Good dialogue (rare), good villain, so is the third act any good? Turns out this film has the opposite problem that most weak stories have, it has a strong 3rd act, while starting with a relatively weak 1st act. One thing I am sick and tired of is a tentpole film that feels obligated to go into extra innings, and go over-the-top with the final action setpiece, where a series of objectives need to be accomplished in order to get to "The End" and we can all go home. MIB3, a comedy of sorts, follows the golden rule of comedy movies - keep the running time around 90 minutes. Any comedy that runs closer to 2 hours loses it's punch. MIB3 runs around 100 minutes, sparing us the obligatory drawn out finale action set piece. Although there is a prescribed resolution at the Apollo launch, it focuses on the character arcs, and provides a heart tug at the end in an unexpected way. Something that no tentpole film has done in a long time.
With that successful examination of characters, this can be accepted as a worthy entry in the MIB franchise, and puts to shame other older franchises that have recently been dusted off. Let's hope that MIB franchise retires with dignity as well.