Agent J travels back in time to MIB's early years, 1969 to be exact, to save his friend and partner, Agent K, from an alien assassin which will change the course of history.
MEN IN BLACK 3
PG-13 for sci-fi violence and brief suggestive content. Runtime: 1 hr. 43 min.
Rating: C
Director:
Writers:
Lowell Cunningham (comic), David Koepp (screenplay)
Starring:
Tommy Lee Jones...........Agent K
Josh Brolin.....................Young Agent K
Jemaine Clement............Boris the Animal
The sum of 'Men in Black 3' is not equal to it's parts.
Aliens again. "MIB 3" revives a long-dormant franchise for a non-inessential new chapter in Hollywood's never-ending sequel machine.
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| MIB alien is modeled after the actual deep-sea Blobfish |
This third incarnation throws lots of talent at the screen, from a capable supporting cast featuring Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement and Emma Thompson to the effects-cluttered scenes, maybe 40 percent of what they've thrown at the screen actually sticks. It's a sequel few asked for and even fewer wanted. A couple of weeks ago I saw Avengers at it's midnight debut, the IMAX theater was sold out with an eager and excited audience, at this midnight debut I sat alone in the huge auditorium except for a party of 3 way up high in the back of the house. Arriving 10 years after the last installment, the sublimely pathetic Men in Black 2, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back together and blah, blah, blah who cares. The film runs 103 minuets but feels more like 203.
Like the recently underwhelming 'Battleship' it takes a long time to get into the story. Will Smith looks as young as he did 15 years ago in the first MIB, but he’s no longer the comedic sassy loudmouth that made his Agent J so memorable the first go around. Tommy Lee Jones continues to be, well, old. What little we see of him in MIB 3 suggests that he’s as tired as he looks. Josh Brolin is the new face, well sort of, 
he truly delivers an absolutely perfect, one-note imitation of Jones’ monotone, one-dimensional Agent K. As a whole MIB 3 feels tired it even looks tired. It has a bright spot here and there, particularly Brolin’s spot on imitation of Tommy Lee. His voice, mannerisms, delivery, it's truly uncanny how how easily he slips into the persona of the older actor.Jemaine Clement as Boris the Animal, 'It's just Boris', is another bit of brightness in an otherwise highlight-free film, however, watching his performance I couldn't help thinking that I was seeing a restrained imitation of Tim Curry, minus the wit, finesse and artistry. Curry would have been better casting, someone who could really serve up the evilness of Boris and have some fun with it. Given the blandness of rest of the performances, Clement does stand out, but that's not really praise, is it?
So let's see, we have a patched-together script, a common pitfall anytime you insert time travel into your plot, haphazard direction and an ending that, given the level of expectations for the series, just isn't exciting enough. It's OK. It's not so much that MIB 3 is a bad movie, it's just not a good one.
If you're a fan...buy the DVDs here.
Yes, yes! Now that you mention it, I can absolutely see Tim Curry as Boris. Josh Brolin was dead-on, so amazing it was uncanny. We, too, were among the few at the theatre for the show, and while there are plot problems, etc, I just had too much fun to care. (maybe because I never did see MIB II?)
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