The MiB are Back and Almost as Fun as Before

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2013)

The original MEN IN BLACK was awesome. I remember watching it and hoping it became a continuing franchise. Then MEN IN BLACK II came out and I took it all back. What a bomb. I can't say I was all that disappointed when it looked like the second movie might've killed the franchise. If that was the sort of movies they were going to put out, let the franchise die before it got any worse. Surprised doesn't even begin to describe my reaction when I found out they were making a third movie. It had been ten years since the second movie. It seemed a little late to go diving back into that well, but whatever. Ten years should be enough time to get a story right. I guess it wasn't though, because I'd read that the script wasn't even complete when they started shooting MEN IN BLACK 3. It wasn't a good sign. I guess there were a lot of problems during production, so I didn't get my hopes up. Regardless, I was hoping this movie might reinvigorate the series. The third film returns to Agents J and K doing their MiB routine. When K fails to show any form of emotion at Agent Zed's funeral, J begins to question just what happened to turn K into the cold man his is now. He'll get his chance when a criminal from K's past, Boris the Animal, breaks out of prison and travels to 1969 to kill K and negate Earth's orbital protection system. To save K's life and prevent an Earth invasion, J must travel back in time to save the future.
I'm hesitant to label MEN IN BLACK 3 a total disappointment because there are some really good elements to it. I loved the time travel element, and 1969 was a great time to incorporate. The birth of America's space exploration and a time ripe with it's own brand of cheesy sci-fi movies. When J arrives in MiB HQ in 1969, all of the flashy, sleek aliens we're accustomed to are gone and replaced with rubber suits and glass bowl helmets. It was a great touch. I loved the early versions of popular MiB gear (e.g. K's corded neurolyzer with it's dial-up modem connection), and Bill Hader's got a great cameo as Andy Warhol. I wish more had been done with the 1969 environment but I guess the filmmakers could only fit so much into the movie while keeping the plot on track. Josh Brolin was a perfect choice as a young Tommy Lee Jones/Agent K. He totally nails every little nuance of Jones's character, adding some new life of his own. This movie wouldn't have worked half as well without Brolin's performance. The first half of MEN IN BLACK 3 was a lot of fun and hearkened back to the best elements of the first movie. I was ready and willing to forget the misstep that was MEN IN BLACK II. For the most part, I would call MEN IN BLACK 3 a surprising success but it wasn't perfect.
The second half of the move starts to drag, right about the time a fifth-dimensional alien named Griffin arrives in the movie. The character isn't so much a drag; in fact, I thought he was a pretty unique creation for the movie and done well with a performance by Michael Stuhlbarg. It's just that his arrival signifies the start of the less exciting, more emotional parts of the movie. If I'm watching one of these movies, I want crazy sci-fi action and bizarre aliens with end-of-the-world intentions. I don't watch them for an emotional core. It slows down the fun. I can get drama from other movies. There's a big element in this movie about the relationship between J and K and it dominates the second half of the film. Then there's Boris the Animal. He's not a bad villain. He's not on the level of Serleena and her Johnny Knoxville henchman of the second movie, but he's nowhere near as cool or threatening as Edgar the bug. I think Jermaine Clement is a funny dude. He was the best part of DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS. But his Boris is just a snarling, over-loud mess. He's roars most of his lines and fires bone quills from his hands. Not bad, but there's been better alien baddies. With a little more effort into the script, this might've been as good as the first but, even with its flaws, it turned out surprisingly well. It's got me interested again in the chance of continuing the franchise.