Time Travel can be Funny Too

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2012)

While watching Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprising their roles as agents J and K, respectively, one maniac and fast-talking and the other with a face of I'm-doing-this-only-for-the-paycheck, I was thinking about a family that is invited to stay in for a couple of days with some friends but after 1 month they have overstayed their welcome. But then, Agent J travels to the past and somehow everything was better in the world, much better.
The plot: There is a secret government organization that monitors extraterrestrial life on earth on a daily basis, protecting humans so they can go on with their normal lives. When one extraterrestrial named Boris "the Animal" escapes from the Lunar Prison, he uses and invention from one inmate to travel to the past, kill agent K and several years later conquer Earth. As Agent J is the only one aware of this (explained with a sweet scene that comes until the end), it's his mission to travel back in time and save agent K and the Earth.
The Actors: Will Smith continues using all his charisma and bravura to make this a funny character, although his incessant complaint to agent K about not being open with his feelings is too much and boarding on the stupid and needy. Tommy Lee Jones thankfully has few scenes cause is clear that he is getting tired of the role. But the real revelation is Josh Brolin, who as Agent K from 1969, makes a great Tommy Lee Jones impersonation and gives the character a much needed light heart. He carries the past part and thanks to him the movie doesn't feel like a rehash of the previous two movies.
The Good: As I wrote before, once the movie takes the leap to the past, everything begins to fall into place and moves at a greater pace. We learn that Agent K is investigating several alien killings (done by Boris) and meets an Arcadian that gives him an Arcnet to stop Boris's race from conquering earth. Although the past could have been used more to enhance the difference in the society (you know, Agent J is black and is walking around like he owns the place) there are several jokes that have a good use, like meeting agent W as Andy Warhol and he begging to be "killed" because he can't stand the frivolous life: "filming this man eating a hamburger. It's transcendent". The Arcadian is also an interesting character, he can see all the possible futures of a situation and shows his powers in some key moments. The special effects are OK, Boris is threatening and funny in occasions and the launch of the first mission that set foot on the moon is used as the climax.
If you like the humor in the Men in Black movies, you will like this one, there is nothing new, surprising or profound, but the movie is really entertaining once we get to 1969. At the beginning I wasn't expecting very much but by the end I was laughing and was interested on how all would take place so I think the movie did a great job of redeeming itself.