"Men in Black III" is a film that is a little light on the comedy side but a valiant piece of entertainment.

Rating: 7/10 (1 June 2012)

One of the few things that I love more than movies are movie franchises. That is, the handful of times where a sequel or set of sequels is not only acceptable but almost a requirement. Now I seldom like every single entry in a movie franchise, but I can settle for liking the majority. The first "Men in Black" film, released in 1997, was one of my childhood favorites. "Men in Black II", despite some redeeming features that unsuccessfully prompted me to give it a pass, was a disappointment. The third and possibly concluding installment in the franchise, titled – what else? – "Men in Black III," dragged Will Smith out of a three-and-a-half-long year hiatus, and I'm glad it has. For the end result is a film that is a little light on the comedy side, but a valiant piece of entertainment.
The movie is also a testament to the versatility and outstanding talents of Josh Brolin, playing the younger version of Agent K. Tommy Lee Jones does reprise his role (quite well) as the sarcastic, deadpan agent with whom Will Smith bickers again and again. However, he's just sandwiching Mr. Brolin, whose performance really is the meat of the movie. The screenplay obviously supplied all of the quipping one-liners and the makeup department clearly took care of the physical appearance, but Mr. Brolin was on his own in setting down on the Tommy Lee Jones personality: the firm dialogue delivery, the Texan accent, the squint eerily akin to George W. Bush, and most remarkable of all, the ability to win an audience over by consciously underplaying the role. Mr. Jones made an instantly memorable character in the first Men in Black by keeping his character's emotions contained and Mr. Brolin imitates it immaculately. Now I'm sure there are some acting professors and critics who would claim this is more of a case of mimicking than acting, but as far as I am concerned, this is a winner of a performance. Acting, to me, is about manufacturing a character that the audience can, on some level, come to associate with and understand. Mr. Smith still has the charming personality that made him a star in the 1990s. He is also owed a great deal of credit for the success of this picture. In recent years, and movies such as "I Am Legend," "The Pursuit of Happiness," and "I, Robot," Will Smith has developed a deeper delivery tone and a drive to pursue deeper, more solemn performances. It's been 11 years since he last attempted a performance of quite this nature, but it's a valiant return. He recaptures his lighter voice, quirkier mannerisms, and joyful qualities that made audiences fall in love with him when he was throwing out one-liners in a Bel-Air mansion.
I liked "Men in Black III" more than the second one, but it still is not quite the success that was the original film. The reason, I think, is that this new picture is a little top-heavy with the gross-out elements that were only half of what made the original movie successful. What made the original so special was its genuinely effective sense of humor. This new ones has jokes, but I would be lying if I told you that most of my reactions to them were not just token-laughs. Actually, my biggest grin was when I got another look at the Men in Black headquarters screen. In the previous two entries, we learned that folks such as Sylvester Stallone and Dennis Rodman were in fact visitors from outer space; but when I saw Lady Gaga displayed upon that monitor, I wanted to bust a gut.
I was a little skeptical at the beginning of the picture and not really enjoying it. Not only were the laughs a little sagging, but the violent parts were a tad overproduced for a part-comedy. Early on, we see Will Smith rip out an alien fish's heart. Imagine if we had actually seen the alien cockroach of the first picture devour all of Vincent D'Onofrio's insides instead of just seeing the results; it would have been harder to laugh when he started asking his wife for sugar water. The new villain, a bearded scumbag whose flesh is composed of crablike joints, is played by Jemaine Clement. It's a really good performance; a moment where his character travels to the past and starts bickering with his younger self is absolutely priceless! However, the digital tweaking done on him goes overboard. Our first clue of his disgusting capacities is when we see a crab-like critter crawl inside of a hole in his hand and we get a close-up view of the process and see all the red insides of the hole. If director Barry Sonnenfeld had shot this from below, and allowed us to use our imagination (as we did in that cockroach scene I mentioned above) the effect would have been for the better.
Nitpicks can go a long way, but not when you look at the big picture. Yes, "Men in Black III" is uneven, it takes about a half-hour for the movie to clarify its plot and intentions, Will Smith's acceptance of what he has to do in the movie seems rushed, and two of our favorite characters from before do not make a return, but the movie overall is very clever. The way time-travel is explained here is a little hazy—and not very funny—but the way it is utilized and played with his a lot of punches and a lot of heart. I don't want to spoil anything, but we do get a huge emotional payoff after the climax. I would have preferred to have laughed more than I did, but "Men in Black III" does deliver as a summer sequel. And two out of threethat's not bad for a franchise. History is full of bigger duds that followed a smashing success. Do you remember the three sequels to "Jaws"?