Not the sequel I was expecting, but it is a worthy one, for the most part

Rating: 9/10 (26 May 2012)

Let me get this out of the way:I love Men in Black. I think the first movie is perfect. Very few movies can combine a gripping plot,strong performances,great special effects and makeup,a fun score,creative aliens,and some of the funniest movie moments in any film ever like the first film did. And this all this was accomplished in less than two hours.
The second film was not as strong. I actually thought it was had more good than bad parts in it. I mean, it still had some funny moments,some good effects,the chemistry between the leads was still present,and I like the twist at the end. But let's not kid ourselves:it was pretty repetitive,was not as funny as the first,and had a weak villain to follow up the great villain of the first. Still, I think it is better than is reputation,especially after watching it again recently.
So,when I heard there was a third movie coming,ten years after the second,I was more excited than worried.Come on,they had ten years to make a proper sequel;they wouldn't make an equally entertaining but disappointing sequel like MIB II again. And with each new trailer,I got more and more excited,and after seeing it last night,it was worth the wait,but it was not as good as the first. Why? Read on.
The film picks up ten years after the last film. We open with the introduction of our villain,Boris "The Animal",an alien who is escaping a prison on the moon. The last of his kind,and missing his arm due to a previous MIB encounter,Boris is coming to Earth to get revenge on the MIB agent who took said arm:K. Meanwhile,J is at a crossroads at his life,feeling like even after fifteen years,he still doesn't have much of a idea of who his partner really is. After a brief,but brutal encounter with Boris at a Chinese restaurant,K puts him partner on probation to keep him safe from Boris.The next day,when J is coming up to work,he finds himself facing a horrible truth:K is now dead,and apparently has been for forty years!
After discovering why he has not been erased from the time-line(why is kinda clever and funny,so I won't spoil it here)J learns that Boris has gotten hold of a hand-held time travel device and has traveled back to July 16,1969 to kill K, which means K never prevented the invasion of Boris's species by entering a shield into Earth's gravitational field which will protect the entire planet from an alien invasion.Now J must go back in time to July 15,save K,and along with K and an alien named Griffin,who can see pretty much every possible future at once, find a way to get the shield into space so Earth can be saved.
This movie would fail without the chemistry of its three leads,and Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones both still have terrific chemistry as J and K,respectively.Hard to believe,ten years later,they still click wonderfully and both are as fun to watch as they were in the first two.Michael Staulburg is a great addition to the cast as Griffin,having some really funny moments with his powers, and his dry delivery. Jemaine Clement is a great villain as Boris,menacing and fun to watch,and his character brings a real sense of darkness this time out.The supporting cast,including Emma Thompson,Alice Eve,Will Arnett,and Bill Hader,are give good performances,with Emma being a real standout.
However,the best performance belongs to Josh Brolin,who nails Tommy Lee Jones' mannerisms and delivers a worthy compliment to Jones's K.It is worth seeing just for him. Very special mention goes to his final scene,which really touched my heart as a fan of this trilogy.You will know what I mean when you see it.
Men in Black has always had cool tech,both from the gadgets and technical achievements from the production design and the makeup,and the standard continues here.The MIB headquarters looks different than the proceeding films,and there are actually are two different variations of it:2012 and 1969.Both are impressive,as is the makeup and computer effects for the aliens. Boris's makeup and computer effects are particularly noteworthy and very impressive. There are new gadgets as well,such as these one wheel bikes that J and K use in a great chase scene,the hand-held time travel device(which was a great effect when utilized)and even jet packs! How awesome! The writing here is much better than two. Scenes lead logically to the next scene and the lead characters' souls remain intact. And the final revelation is a very nice way to further tie the bond between our heroes together even closer than before.
And don't worry:the film is still quite funny.Griffin gets some very funny moments,you get to see the worms sing amazing grace,and Brolin captures Jones's deadpan delivery very well.I particularly like the scene where K is delivering "SPOILER ALERT" Zed's(the original MIB chief) eulogy.In typical K fashion,it is very deadpan and very funny.
My problems with the film are these,however:the film does lack the pace and humor of the first.It is the longest of the three,and it felt like it around the beginning of the third act.Also, it lacks the heart of the first,and some scenes don't hit like they should. I hate to bring it up. I have nothing but love for this trilogy,but why is it so hard to outdo the first? It was so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still,I did enjoy it,and my disappointment mostly just comes out of this writer's love for the first. But with some great humor,a smart script,great performances,some fun tech,some wonderful feelings of nostalgia,and a great scene near the end tying the entire trilogy together,MIB 3 is what we should had gotten ten years ago,and this writer is very pleased that the franchise has been redeemed! Check it out!