Men in Black III (2012)

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  May 30, 2012

  monteraiulian

  "Men In Black III while playing it safe, remained honest to the franchise and didn't went over the top nor changed the structure of the universe. It was a gentle approach that was created to reward the people who grew up watching the first movie."
  
  
  Playing it safe is not always ... read morethe resolution to achieve success with your movie. Was playing it safe this time helpful? On one hand it was because the final stage was better set than the previous one. One the other hand it wasn't because they relied too much on Josh Brolin and on the franchise' popularity. It's irritating because I realized that they could have made something more epic if they had given more heart to the project. I'm also satisfied at the same time because they could have gone completely in the wrong direction and create one of the most ridiculous science-fiction movies in the last decade.
  
  Men In Black III keeps it safe with it's storyline and characters. The typical and very basic story of the villain who seeks revenge. The time-travelling piece of the puzzle where one has to go back in time to save the other it's still so futile yet it was necessary to shape up the story to be more interesting than it would have been without it. The characters are still one-dimensional and the villain is plain laughable. I could go on with the rusty look of this film but I will sound too pretentious so I'll say it simply: the movie is flawed, the movie is silly, the movie is typical. I have to go on and say that I wasn't really impressed with the looks of most aliens here. I don't know why but no one was really memorable. However, the movie is also a Man In Black movie and for what it is... let me be honest and say that it did more than I imagined. Though inconsistent with it's pacing, filled with dull moments, karaoke jokes, old-school cheese, and both pasty and crispy visuals... Men In Black III is still entertaining enough to keep you interested in the tiny story we have here. It starts slowly like an old man opening his briefcase showing us all these extra-terrestrials in non-sensical detail. Though there's not much to get from these characters we're still going to cheer for this one fella Josh Brolin who plays the Young Agent K. Surprisingly Will Smith is more like the off-tone of this film. Nothing that he says or does is really at the center of your amusement. What moves you and keeps a smile on your face is Josh Brolin's subtle and colorful performance. He did not only made a terrific rendition of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K but he also played a bit with the audience in the way he approached the role with much more humor and much more soul.
  
  Progressively the movie gets better and after a first slow start the second act will pick up in a minute. You're carried through this journey through the relationship between Agent J (Will Smith) and Young Agent K (Josh Brolin). Few comical situations thrown around, few awkward moments, and some scenes where the good comfortable action is more than enough to please you. They did an extraordinary job setting the 60s look on this film. Really good sense of that era with small homages being paid, the most obvious one being the Apollo mission. Once we reach the third act and we rush through the finale we get to see a pretty good turn which will leave fans of the series with a smile on their faces. The "Hollywoodian" emotional ending fits this sequel and leaves room for hope in the heart of the many fanboys out there.
  
  Suffice it to say, Men In Black III while playing it safe, remained honest to the franchise and didn't went over the top nor changed the structure of the universe. It was a gentle approach that was created to reward the people who grew up watching the first movie. As a result, "MIB" exceeded expectations for what it was designed to be, it felt better than the second film, and it surely delivered enough to please the audience. However, this is still forgettable because of it's dullness, and the lazy and uninspired development outside of Josh Brolin's character.
  
  Storyline/Dialogue: 6.5
  Acting: 7.5
  Technical Execution: 8.1
  Replay Value: 6
  ===================
  Overall: 7.1

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  May 29, 2012

  blacksheepboy

  An enjoyable but forgettable sequel that brings nothing new to the series. This time there is not much of the onscreen chemistry between Smith and Jones (who is absent during most of the film), but Brolin steals the show as a younger version of Jones.

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  May 29, 2012

  fb733768972

  "Men In Black 3" is the type of movie that should not have been made in the first place and should suck all around, but honestly, not only does it just improve on the first sequel, but it upgrades the emotion level and makes you feel like you are watching more than just a men in ... read moreblack film. I love the fact that they took it slow in the beginning, making you feel like you are watching the second film again, only to be framed. Once Agent J travels back to 1969 in order to stop Boris the Animal from killing Agent K, the film goes completely in a different direction and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There is no argument in saying that this film had to be made, but when you are watching it, it is a very fun time. I would definitely recommend "Men In Black 3!"

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  May 29, 2012

  fb100002384654145

  A tad better than the second one but that is not saying much. The basic plot is the same as the second one, except with the addition of two gimmicks. The first gimmick is the time-travel element. This is used to change the film's scenery to the "Mad Men"-like setting of 60's N... read moreew York. Most of the humor is J trying to fit in, which tends to be hit-or-miss. The second gimmick is Josh Brolin's dead-on impression of Tommy Lee Jones. Brolin does steal the show, it is just a shame their wasn't much of a character to go along with his almost unsettling exact impression. Take away the gimmicks, this is just another bland rehash of the first one with a script filled with half-baked ideas and missed opportunities. Rick Baker's alien make-up job still steals the show, and provides some distraction from the underwhelming time-travel plot. Plus the visuals are almost pathetically underwhelming considering the films 200 million dollar budget. Just like the second entry, this installment offers little in the way of meaningful continuation of the first film's story, which makes it disposable. Their are a few worthwhile laughs but it does little to elevate this forgettable and ultimately pointless sequel.

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  May 28, 2012

  FrizzDrop

  This was a sad, tawdry affair that was inept of actual direction and started with an unfinished script, ending unfinished as well. The focus of the film was flawed, the characters were cramped and confused, and a lot of ideas weren't formed correctly. Most of this takes place in ... read morethe past, and just like the last convoluted film it was reaching far too much to regain the plot without letting go of the original idea. The second film, most agree, was not on par with the original, but I myself enjoyed it as a child if not for the second film in a broad universe that coalesced with the original. This film has very little in the way of semblance with the first MLB flick. Besides using the original actors, music, and director, there is not anything that keeps the franchise's idea alive. The relationship between agents J and K will never be the same since J is no longer the rookie, and K is an absent void in the universe thanks to his strange storyline in the second film, and his complete absence from the third. Yes, the character is there, but the entire storyline to this film is ridiculous, comprising mostly in the past. The stakes might be high, but the technology is ancient and dated, the world this is set in became smaller, and the effects for this movie are atrocious. (The sequence of J falling off a building had me in stitches.) The villain is certainly a step up from Lara Flynn Boyle's flamboyant interpretation of a sexy temptress, which of course we haven't seen a billion times in every James Bond, OSS 117, and noir film. Still, there just wasn't enough backstory and relative interest in his problematic reach into Earth's future to keep interest. The entire first scene was half baked and tiring, because it is never explained, and that just baffles me. There were some funny moments, but they were also awkward and insincere, and I found nothing appealing about J this time. Will Smith played some version of himself, but not J, and it wasn't very kind. The "racial injustice" part of the 1969 sequence was the worst case of this, because it was simply placed to add emphasis to an existing point, which was pointless. I could sit here and nitpick this to death, but put simply: this should have been a franchise that made an adequate deal of sense, and though I watched in earnest, it was abysmally disappointing. I am glad others found this amusing, but it was given little preparation and the ending reflected that.

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  May 28, 2012

  PedroPauloA

  They are back... in time.
  
  Men gone bad
  
  This movie is very disappointing. Until this moment I feel like I only watched a short commercial film of Men In Black, that didn't seem like the real deal. I don't know if it's because I grew up, but this movie is completely goofy and poi... read morentless.
  
  This time agent J (Smith) has to go back in time to save agent K (Lee Jones) from Boris the Animal (Clement). Like always this back in time film takes you to the time were future J meets past or young K (Brolin), and together they must stop Boris from bringing and end to planet earth.
  
  Ok the first thing I hated about this movie was the graphics. Really that was ridiculous. I felt like I was watching a b list film on the syfy channel. The entire time I saw an alien I bowed my head and shook it slowly as I told myself "its been 10 years, upgrade yourself Men In Black".
  
  The other thing that really didn't work was the pacing of the movie. There were only three memorable scenes, the other scenes were plain boring and pointless. Yes I did get some laughs, but in general it was a really short film with no great moments or story. I really wanted more from this movie, especially because it was Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones comeback, and all I got was a smirk in my face.
  
  Overall this is not a great movie; it might keep you entertained but Sonnefield needs to know how to change the games, upgrade himself, for God's sake its been ten years, we have better graphics and sound effects.
  
  Agent K: Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to.

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  May 28, 2012

  mrbungle7821

  It wouldn't be a Men in Black film without script problems. The first film languished for some time, originally taking place in Kansas of all places, before director Barry Sonnenfeld became attached and insisted upon a New York City location. The 1997 sci-fi buddy cop comedy was ... read morea hit, and rightfully so, and Will Smith became a megastar. Then the 2002 sequel's climactic action sequence had to be rewritten due to the fact that it was originally going to take place in the World Trade Center. If only that lackluster sequel had gone through more extensive creative revisions. However, these past hiccups don't seem to come close to Men in Black III, which to Sonnenfeld's admission, started shooting in late 2010 without a finished script. It had a beginning, an ending, but nothing definite to tie together. So the whole production took eight months off to work on the meat of that movie sandwich. Hollywood movies, especially modern films of huge-scale budgets and set release dates, have routinely started production without completed scripts, including Gladiator, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, and Lawrence of Arabia. Naturally, those are the exceptions to the rule.
  
  Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) has escaped from pison and out to seek revenge on the man who put him away and took his arm - Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Boris travels back to July 1969, when a young Agent K (Josh Brolin) thwarted the big bad Boris. Boris kills Agent K and alters the future. The Earth is now vulnerable to an alien invasion from Boris' species. Agent J (Smith) has to travel back in time to save his old partner and the planet.
  
  It's been ten years since the spotty Men in Black II and almost four years since Smith has been seen in a movie. Where did the time go? Fortunately, this third movie hews closer to the droll brilliance of the first film. Part of that is a sharper story with a more clearly defined goal and a return of the playful exuberance that belies the franchise. Also, I must say that absence has made the heart grow stronger, because I've missed Smith's effortless charisma onscreen. Agent K is such a natural fit for the guy and it's just fun to watch him stumble through strange alien encounters (this time we learn all super models are aliens; listen good, young women of America who punish themselves to fit this image of beauty). Time travel is usually employed when a franchise seems like it's all out of gas; it's usually more focused on the comic fish-out-of-water possibilities, which there are a few in Men in Black III. As one characters notes, 1969 wasn't exactly a great time for black people in America, and J combats casual racism, black panic, and ignorance with a defiant attitude that is amusing to watch. I'm glad the whole race-relations reality was addressed, though it's also for the best that the movie doesn't get bogged down with scenes of Agent J conflicting with bigoted authority. Men in Black III remembers that we're here to have fun, and the screenplay by Etan Coen (Tropic Thunder) has a light-handed touch. I enjoyed the opening jailbreak sequence with Boris, though I would have thought a lunar prison would have better security. Bill Hader (Superbad) has a fun cameo as a self-hating Andy Warhol, really an undercover MIB agent, though the idea that Warhol's Factory artists as aliens seem a tad simple. The glaring cameo omission was Jon Hamm (TV's Mad Men) as a scotch-drinking MIB ladies man of legend.
  
  As evidenced from the trailers and marketing, Men in Black III is really Brolin's movie. The guy establishes an uncanny Tommy Lee Jones impersonation. The eerie brick-faced stoicism, the melodic lilt of his voice, the syncopation of his speech patterns; Brolin nails it all. Watching his interaction with K are the film's most enjoyable segments. At this point in the series, Agent J and K have gone beyond the rookie/mentor phase and now have something of a friendship, though their arguments at year fifteen of their partnership sound more like the arguments they would have in year two (you need to "open up" and be less grumpy, sounds elementary). Still, there is a personal connection to this case that eluded the last movie, and it gives the film a sense of urgency even when the comic shenanigans seem to hog the spotlight. The personal reveal in the last act didn't have as much emotional power for me, mostly because I did the math and realized whom a certain unseen character of significance was before we got their true identity. The end does give the film series a circuitous sense of finality.
  
  For a franchise that seems like it can go anywhere at any time with limitless possibilities, the worst thing you can do is be shut off to better avenues of storytelling. Take for instance the climax at Cape Canaveral, which itself is a rather anticlimactic sequence involving the launch of Apollo 11 (don't they know that alternative 1960s history was sooo summer of 2011?). J has his time travel doohickey that lets him travel back. He gets to use this device once during the climactic fight, allowing him to travel back one minute in time so he knows how to properly duck. That is it. What a fantastic waste. If you've got a device that essentially allows for unlimited do-overs, then I want this device to be an integral part of the climax. I want J to have to regularly use it to fix past mistakes and learn more and more from each time jump. Just memorizing how to duck is lame. The entire subplot with Agent O (Emma Thompson in the present, Alice Eve in the past) and her dalliance with K is so carelessly thrown away that I wonder why the filmmakers even bothered to include it. Then there's our villain, Boris, whose name itself is even lazy. He's just a bad dude with some sort of insect that lives in his hand and shoots spikes. That is it. He's a guy who can fire projectiles. So what? What about that makes him interesting? An unrecognizable Clement (Flight of the Conchords) does his best but the character just doesn't have anything about him that deserves special attention; he could have been any villain (I think Vincent D'Onofrio was undervalued in his go-for-broke physical performance as the first film's villain). I did like the idea of Present Boris arguing with Past Boris, but like most promising ideas in Men in Black III, this space-time sparring is never fully realized. While enjoyable, there's little you'll be able to think back on with Men in Black III and say, "That was well developed."
  
  Paradoxically, I think Men in Black III has a character that might simultaneously be the best and worst thing about the film. Allow me to explain. About halfway in, we're introduced to the alien Griffin, played by the great Michael Stuhlberg from A Serious Man and TV's Boardwalk Empire. He's a creature who can see nigh unlimited timelines, all the variations of choice and possibility play out before his eyes, one after another. He never knows which timeline he's in until the moment occurs, thus he's constantly worried about every moment to come in his life. This foreknowledge sounds like a wretched curse, and with Stuhlberg gives a forlorn edge to his character's eccentricity. So when J and K meet the guy, there are some clever moments, like when Griffin details every peculiar aspect of chance that lead to the 1969 Mets World Series victory. The moment, and by extension the character, is a nicely reflective idea that every moment is a miracle of causation. Griffin is just an interesting character. Here's where the worst part comes in. Rarely is he treated as a character because, you see, Griffin is really a magic plot device. He can tell the Men in Black agents whatever they need to do at any point, instantly providing a narrative cheat. When in doubt, just ask the guy who sees the future and he'll steer you without fail to the next necessary plot point.
  
  I saw this movie in 3D, not by choice mind you, and for the first half hour it felt like one of the better 3D conversions out there. Sonnenfeld's camera plays a lot with depth of field and primarily forward-backwards movement, which made for a slightly elevated viewing experience. But somewhere around the halfway mark, I swear the movie forgot it was supposed to be 3D and the dimensional differences became negligent. It never really recovers, and so I advise all potential ticket-buyers to skip the 3D screenings.
  
  With most time travel escapades, there's going to be some plot holes. Working with a flurry of alien technology, it would have been exceptionally easy for the filmmakers to just explain away the plot holes with some magic device, much like the Paradox Machine in Dr. Who. Hey, there's a machine that makes sure we don't have paradoxes? Good enough for me. It's like in Thank You for Smoking when Rob Lowe's character explains why actors would be able to smoke in an all-oxygen space environment: "It's an easy fix. One line of dialogue. 'Thank God we invented the... you know, whatever device.'" The fact that Men in Black III doesn't even address its biggest plot hole astounds me. If Agent K is killed in 1969, then he was never alive to recruit Agent J into the service. Let's even assume that J's credentials would still get him noticed and staffed with the MIB; if Boris killed Agent K in the past, then there was no reason for Boris in the future to travel back in time to kill Agent K. Again, these aren't nit-picky gripes, these are major, easily understood plot holes, and I'm dumbfounded why no characters even address them. I could nit-pick over why Boris decides to go to 1969 when he just as readily could have gone to a time when K was a child and thus more vulnerable. Surely a child is easier to dispatch than a 29-year-old man.
  
  Men in Black III is a far improvement over its stilted predecessor, but it still ends up falling well short of the potential it flashes. It's intermittently amusing with some fun cameos and some visual panache, but this movie should have been stronger, stranger, and more playful with its central time travel conceit. It's hard to work up that much distaste for the movie, especially since it has such a lively, jocular feel. Not all of the jokes work, but enough do, and the movie maintains an overall pleasant sensibility, zigzagging in imaginative directions that most Hollywood movies never beckon. It's the stuff that works that illuminates the potential left behind as it goes into summer blockbuster territory. Men in Black III is an example of diminished returns, yes, but some franchises start so high that even latter, lesser sequels will have more entertainment value than their competitors. While it won't set the world on fire, Men in Black III exceeds expectations and provides enough entertainment that it's worth a look and little else.
  
  Nate's Grade: B

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  May 28, 2012

  magnum32004

  While there's a moment or two that kind of drags it a bit, "Men In Black III" is summer fun that is just as good as the first and better than the second with enough laughs, excitement and twists to satisfy fans of the series!

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  May 27, 2012

  fb100000145236770

  Third time seems to be a charm with the "Men in Black" franchise. 10 years have past since part 2, and it has been a good 10 years to this series. Refreshed, part 3 is probably the best of the series(maybe not better than 1, but much better than 2.) Here, an alien named Boris(... read moreJermaine Clement) travels back in time to kill Agent K(Tommy Lee Jones). Agent J(Will Smith) then travels back to try to stop K's murder to save the world from the alien invasion that his death will cause. The best thing about the movie is Josh Brolin's turn as a 29 year old(yeh right) Agent K. He literally has Tommy Lee Jones down to a T. His voice and mannerisms are perfect and hilarious. The effects are fantastic and the movie steers away from the slap stick cheesiness of the second movie. Hard to believe, but it's been nearly 4 years since Will Smith's last movie, and he doesn't miss a beat. Pure summer fun, and you'll be glad you caught up with these old friends.

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  May 27, 2012

  CloudStrife84

  Phenomenal fun ensues, when Agent J and K suits up for another round against alien scumbags, in this surprisingly brilliant third entry in the MIB universe. Despite reports of production problems - such as the script not even being finished when shooting began - this is Barry Son... read morenenfeld's best movie since the 1997 original. To say I was flabbergasted, is an understatement.
  
  So what makes it such an unexpected success? Well, apart from the outstanding special effects and superb pacing of the plot, the movie is in possession of something that we rarely get in comedies of the kind: a big, enticing heart. It's what ultimately rockets it from run-of-the-mill popcorn fare to an experience beyond the ordinary. You'll know what I mean when you come to the end of it, where the film presents a plot twist, that is as ingeniously conceived as it is emotionally powerful. So you may want to keep a couple of handkerchiefs around, because this one is a real tear-jerker!
  
  Furthermore, there's the magnificently enjoyable trip back to 1969. Normally, I'd see the addition of time travel as a red flag for lack of innovation, but they still managed to make it really fun; particularily with its clever homage to the old sci-fi movies of the era. Legendary creature designer Rick Baker has done an amazing job with the aliens, which come in a grand and highly imaginative variety, and added even more to the great colorfulness and vibrance of the film.
  
  As for the cast, Will Smith turns in yet another charismatic performance, along with its fantastic newcomers, including Emma Thompson, Bill Hader and Josh Brolin. The latter is quite exceptional as young Agent K, with a spot-on imitation of Tommy Lee Jones and his dead-pan idiosyncracies. No Ballchinians or two-headed Johnny Knoxvilles this time around, and thank God for that!
  
  A fast-paced, sharp-witted, rollercoaster of a movie, that defies the mild expectations set up by the trailers, and delivers a fun-filled sci-fi fest, that is almost as hilarious as the first film and genuinely moving to boot! An awesome beginning, to what is bound to become one of the greatest movie summers in years!

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• Will Smith as Agent J
• Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K
• Josh Brolin as Young Agent K
• Jemaine Clement as Boris the Animal
• Alice Eve as Young Agent O
• Emma Thompson as Agent O
• Michael Stuhlbarg as Griffin
• Mike Colter as Colonel
• Nicole Scherzinger as Boris' Girlfriend

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• • Griffin: My new favorite moment in the universe.
• • Griffin: A miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway.
• • Agent J: [to '69 police officers] ...And don't assume the car is stolen just because a black man is driving... well, I stole this one.. but not because I'm black!
• • Andy Warhol: I'll contact you when the happening has happened.
• • Neil Armstrong: I didn't see anything...
• • Agent K: There are things out there you don't need to know about.
  • Agent J: That's not the lie you told me when you recruited me!

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• What was Will Smith's name on Men in Black before he joined MIB??  Answer »
• Back in time by Pittbull is on the soundtrack to which movie?  Answer »

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