Review No.87: Men in Black 3

There was a slight sense of trepidation as I entered my local multiplex for the latest Cheap Tuesday bargains that was because I spotted a bunch of primary school kids about to enter one of the screens. My suspicions were heightened as the film I was about to watch, Men in Black 3, was the only PG film playing in the cinema however luckily when I entered my screen they were nowhere to be seen in a way this was good as I've already decided not to go to any cinemas next week as it's half term. I find it very odd that a third Men in Black film has been made in the first place as it's been ten years since the awful Men in Black 2 and a whopping fifteen years since the great first film came out in 1997. In this film Agents J and K are still trying to save the world from the scum of the universe however when one of K's old enemies escapes from a maximum security prison, thanks to an opening scene involving Nicole Scherzinger and a cake, it seems that his life may take a turn for the worst. This villain is none other than Boris the Animal, played by Jermaine Clement stealing the show from the more established acors, who decides to travel back in time in order to kill off K. J then discovers that K has been dead for over 40 years, as Boris was successful in his time jump to 1969, so in order to save him J must do the same landing back in the past and coming face to face with a younger version of his partner played by Josh Brolin. Though this could've allowed Barry Sonnenfeld to explore how an African American like J would be treated in the late 1960s this is barely mentioned instead the period setting is used to reference things like pop art and the moon landing. As the agents must try to stop both versions of Boris J discovers that K wasn't always as belligerent as he has been while he also finds out why he was recruited to join Men in Black in the first place.

There were parts of Men in Black 3 that I really liked with Will Smith being on form as ever being joined by a game Josh Brolin who did a fantastic Tommy Lee Jones impression. The inclusion of Clement was a stroke of genius while a parade of modern comedians making cameos, which saw both Bill Hader and Will Arnett pop up, was another good idea as it made the franchise feel a bit fresher especially Hader's turn as Andy Warhol which for me was possibly the funniest scene in the film. Talking of comedy moments some of the better gags occurred in the background of scenes as various celebrities, like Richard Branson and Tim Burton, were revealed or at least suspected of being aliens. The opening scene at a Chinese restaurant provided a great set piece plus the revelations at the end of the film explained some of the unanswered questions about the franchise as well as hopefully ensuring that there isn't a Men in Black 4. On a more negative note it seemed that Tommy Lee Jones really didn't want to be in the film, and to be fair he wasn't in it much, looking tired and annoyed for the majority of his time on screen. As I previously mentioned there were some good set pieces however as a whole the film didn't mould together very well and at times I was just bored plus there was a really annoying character in the form of Michael Stulhbarg's Griffin who was able to see different realities. I feel that while this film bettered what Men in Blck 2 this still wasn't a brilliant film as it suffered from a lack of cohesion and a co-star who was on auto-pilot in the brief periods where he was actually on screen.

Verdict: Some good set-pieces and likeable performances can't hide the fact that this franchise is as tired as the look on Tommy Lee Jones' face so for that reason it gets 6/10