Men In Black 3... the threequel nobody wanted to a franchise that hasn't been relevant for almost a decade. I admit it's a bit strange that I could be so uninterested in a sequel to a film that I genuinely loved. The first Men In Black, released in 1998, was one of the most entertaining sci-fi comedies ever made. With a clever concept, sharp script, and memorable performances from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, MIB was a top notch summer blockbuster that still holds up nearly 15 years later. While the movie itself wasn't particularly profound or insightful, it did include some interesting themes and ideas that could have (or rather should have) been developed through sequels or an expanded universe. Themes of an endless universe, our place in the galaxy, or unexplored worlds all have decent potential and could have made for a great film franchise. The second movie, however, was pretty much a dud. While it did have a couple decent action scenes and a handful of chuckles, it was little more than a generic retread of the first movie with a dull villain and no surprises. Low expectations not withstanding, does MIB 3 make up for it's predecessor's shortcomings or should this movie be neuralyzed from one's memory?
The film picks up approximately 10 years after the events of MIB II. Agents K and J (Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith) are still partners for MIB,
continuing to monitor extra-terrestrial life on Earth and protecting their planet from aggressive alien forces. During this time, a vicious alien named Boris The Animal (Jermaine Clement) that K had caught and incarcerated in 1969, escapes from his lunar prison and returns to Earth. Upon his return, he locates Earth's only time travel device to go back 33 years earlier to prevent's his previous defeat. After J discovers Boris' plan, he himself goes to the past to meet up with the 29-year-old K (Josh Brolin) and stop Boris The Animal again.
Right up front, how does this one compare to it's predecessors? I will say this much, part 3 is an improvement over the second... slightly. Though, I think it goes without saying that it doesn't hold a candle to the first. Men In Black 3, unfortunately, falls victim to many of the faults of Part II... albeit not quite as many. Once again, instead of exploring any promising or interesting sci-fi ideas, MIB3 resorts to telling what is essentially the same damn story as the first with a gimmicky time-travel plot.
Time travel, in theory at least, could have actually been a promising idea for MIB to explore, but instead of doing anything interesting, it relegates the concept to little more than a bunch of 70s themed pop-culture gags, most of which are not very funny or clever. Plus, as with most time travel movies, leads to a number of frustratingly unexplained plot-holes regarding continuity and space-time continuum.
The main reason the filmmakers decided to set this one in the past, to begin with, was because Tommy Lee Jones had a tight shooting schedule and could not commit to anything long term. That might have been for the better, since whenever Tommy Lee Jones was actually on screen, he looked barely invested. The same could probably be said for Will Smith. Don't get me wrong, neither one gave a bad performance per se, but there's just something missing here. I remember in the first, it looked like they were having a great time in their respective roles, like they loved the concept and were enjoying the ride. Here... it looks like they had more of a "Let's get this over with" attitude. Like I said, neither one is bad, but without their natural chemistry and humorous banter from the original, they're not nearly as fun as they could have been.
Fortunately, there are two actors that do manage to pick up a bit of the slack. Josh Brolin is hands down the show-stealer here as the young Agent K. Not only was his impression of Tommy Lee Jones spot-on, but he seemed like the only actor actually invested in his role. He has a few decent emotional scenes, handles himself with the action, and pretty much owns every scene he's in. The villainous Boris the Animal is played by Flight of the Concords co-star Jermaine Clement. Aside from Brolin, Clement is probably the most enjoyable part of the movie. His over-the-top shtick manages to get a few good laughs and provide a few passable thrills. While his character is maybe a little too similar to Vincent D'Onofrio's alien bug from the original, he works for the most part. At the very least, he's far better than the villain from the sequel. I guess you have to take what you can get.
In terms of the rest of the film... I don't actually have much to say.
The action is predictably decent, the special effects are hit-and-miss, and the production elements overall work but aren't anything amazing. The make-up effects are all pretty cool but a lot of the cgi isn't very convincing. The movie has a few cool action scenes, but there's nothing I'm going to remember a few weeks from now. To be honest, I don't what else to say really... everything is just kind of there.
Overall... Men In Black 3 is one of those movies that just doesn't make much of an impression. It's not terrible by any means but it's definitely not a good movie. It's unfortunate that what once started as an incredibly promising sci-fi franchise was followed by two mediocre sequels, but even when you put aside any comparisons, there's just nothing special about this movie. I'd say if you want to see this one, wait to rent it on DVD.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
