Men in Black III

It may not have the hype this summer’s comic book movies have, but Men in Black III has the proven success of its predecessors, family-friendly action comedies. You may not have realized it, but you’re looking forward to this movie. The third chapter of the series has an alien villain escaping from his long imprisonment to enact revenge on K (Tommy Lee Jones). The villain, Boris the Animal, played by Jemaine Clement, then travels back in time to kill K before the arrest happens. This leaves J (Will Smith) with the job of beating Boris to the punch and saving the past version of K (Josh Brolin). The plot may sound confusing, but that is the nature of time travelling alien movies.

Even after a ten year break since Men in Black II, the latest installment falls in perfectly with the series. There are believable developments between J and K, consistent with what one would expect from beat cop partners… or alien chasing agents forced to forfeit a personal life. The recycled gags from the first two films aren’t used again, the small foul-mouthed aliens, the talking dog, etc. So there is a level of realizing the flaws that occurred in the second installment.

While Smith has been the face of the franchise throughout, this is interestingly the first time he has been given billing over Jones. Jones’ screen time is much less because of the character being played by Brolin in the past. But beyond that point, Smith carries the film as the audience unravels the mysteries with him throughout. Brolin’s uncanny impression of Jones raises the bar for how much two actors playing one character should look and sound like each other in films. Surprisingly, the 1969 scenes are even successful, albeit a bit clichéd. Bonus points for the series’ second inclusion of the New York Mets. Men in Black III isn’t innovative, but it holds its own in the sea of blockbusters.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.