Men in Black 3

I remember back in 2002, after "Men in Black II" came out, there was chatter about a third film. And I was excited to see a third film, even though the second was a poorly-written, under-developed cash-grab that felt as though it was without identity. I was just too addicted to the chemistry between Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, and I loved the world that director Barry Sonnenfeld had helped create in the first two entries.

But as time went on, it seemed less and less likely. Sure, we'd hear a tidbit of news here, or a rumor there... But it was never anything substantial. After about five years, I gave up all hope that a third film would even happen. So you can imagine my surprise when this film was finally released in 2012, about 10 years after the prior entry.

And you can also imagine my surprise that despite the second film being... well, pretty bad, this one was actually a very shocking and surprising return to form, and is actually a pretty strong and generally well-told sequel.

Smith and Jones return as agents J and K, now having known each other for about 14 years. They have their usual tension and banter, but J is starting to notice some odd things about K, and wonders what made him the way he is. However, this is put on hold when a ruthless alien villain called Boris "The Animal" (Jemaine Clement) escapes from prison and uses a time traveling device to go back in time and murder a younger Agent K. J, somehow being one of the only people to remember who who K even was, is forced to follow Boris back to 1969 and stop him from killing a younger Agent K (Josh Brolin). J and the young K must also work together to stop Boris's other dastardly plans for the future in the process.

The acting is a lot better this time around. Particularly in terms of the chemistry between Smith and Jones, which I felt was somewhat muted by the poor writing in the prior film. Their banter and dialog is almost as good as it was in the original, and both actors are great not only together, but on their own as well. Josh Brolin is also a bit of a revelation as the young K, who appears on-screen far more than the older, modern K. Brolin isn't just doing a Tommy Lee Jones impression, he's doing something different, since K was a different man in 1969. It's interesting to see how K evolves and changes over the course of the film due to what happens, and we can see how he will eventually become the man we first see in the original. Brolin just nailed it perfectly.

The villain portrayed by Clement is also a lot of fun, and he has some great moments of not only comedy, but of intimidation and creepiness. (Although I will admit he's not a deep character and is borderline one- dimensional, I can forgive it because at least he wasn't terribly written as... certain other villains from a certain other "Men in Black" sequel were) And Michael Stuhlbarg as Griffin, a 5th dimensional being who is able to see all possible outcomes of all situations at once in the past, present and future is a LOT of fun. He's a major supporting character, and both his child-like glee and his darkness in being such an all-seeing character are both well played. He's almost the heart of the film.

The production is a lot of fun, especially with the time-travel plot, which gives us two radically different visual aesthetics. The set, costume and of course Rick Baker's alien designs are fantastic in both time-lines. I particularly enjoyed how Baker and his team made the aliens in the 1969 New York look more like aliens from cheesy, old- school Sci-Fi flicks from that era as opposed to the more modern and intricate designs of characters from the modern day sequences.

Sonnenfeld's direction is a lot more fluid and fun in this film. (Again, as opposed to the second... I really hate to keep comparing this film to the second, but it's hard not to when this is so much better) And the script written by Etan Cohen is funny, tightly-paced and has some unexpected and truly heartfelt moments that may in fact bring a tear to your eye.

This film does lose a few points, however, in that some of its jokes are very hit and miss, and a few plot-related issues. In particular with the time-travel approach. I did notice many inconsistencies and changes to the "rules" of time travel throughout. And it did bug me quite a bit. However, not enough to ruin the film.

Despite some flaws, this is still a very solid, well-made sequel and is a definite return to form for the series. And it has re-ignited that "Men in Black" fire, and left me hoping for a potential fourth film.

I give "Men in Black 3" a pretty good 7 out of 10.

Before the time travel stuff, it's a bit tired...but man, once we go back in time, it's actually astonishing how great it is. Brolin rules, the model party scene is perfect, and I don't think it can be overstated how wonderful Griff is. Most importantly, it solidifies J and K's relationship in ways that most Hollywood comedy sequels wouldn't even bother, becoming a surprisingly emotional story of friendship and commitment.

The criminal Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from the LunaMax, a moon-based maximum security prison. He comes to Earth seeking revenge from Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) that has blown his arm up and arrested him forty years ago and protected Earth from a Boglodyte invasion. Boris is defeated again and he travels back in time to 1969 to kill Agent K.

When Agent J (Will Smith) notes that the time line has changed in the present days and Agent O (Emma Thompson) tells him that K died in 1969, he decides to travel to 15 July 1969 to save K on the next day. Agent J has difficulties to convince the Young Agent K (Josh Brolin) with lies, but when he decides to tell the truth, K believes in his words and they seek out Boris together.

They are helped by the amicable alien Griiffin (Michael Stuhlbarg) that has precognitive powers and gives the ArcNet to K to protect Earth from the Boglodyte invasion. Further, J learns a secret about K and himself.

"Men in Black 3" is a great adventure of this franchise, with a wonderful story and magnificent special effects. I had low expectations with movie, but I was favorably surprised with an adorable film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "MIB³ - Homens de Preto 3" ("MIB³ - Men in Black 3")

It's been a decade since the last MIB film was released. We kind of missed the series even though Men In Black 2 wasn't really that good. In this sequel, it's pretty small and unnecessary but it still has the charms and bright imagination. Great Performances and Solid Visuals. It also has the same tone of the original Men In Black films. It's a wonderful action, adventure movie with non-stop enjoyment.

Thankfully, it does not follow the modern blockbuster roots and stay loyal to its own. By the way, this is a comical action film. It may not be a large one but what matters here is the fun characters. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones still got it but who shines here is Josh Brolin. He can perfectly imitate the facial expression and voice of Agent K and it's a lot better when he's around.

The plot sounds like a generic time traveling story, but there are imaginative and wonderful sequences in these. The humor is still clever. There is still a heart. The action is not quite appealing but the time jump scene was spectacular. A lot of people will be rooting for the design of the villain, Boris the Animal. At first glance, you might think it's creepy but you'll realize how awesome he actually looks.

Blockbusters like this are now obsolete. Our usual modern blockbusters are generic and bland cookie-cutters that are easy to be forgotten. This actually stays to its own kind. It's comical, it has life, it cares to the characters no matter how small and absurd the story is. Yes, it's small, but there are so many merits that are worth seeing. Either you're a fan of the series or not, you'll find it very enjoyable. The Men in Black series is still imaginative and fun.

Once again our favorite MIB agents Jay & Kay are battling it out for earth. Quick action, colorful villains, beautifully designed settings and CGI, comic relief in the face of imminent destruction, all those made the first two movies great as well as successful in the box office. Could they better the formula in the face of all the other bad sequels we have been seeing for years?

This is one of the reasons I had stepped into the cinema with trepidation. (Good grief, was it 1997 when I saw the first and ten years ago the second? How time flies). The other reason was the pitfall of time travel.

Time travel is one of the favorite themes in sci fi movies but it needs to be handled carefully. My humble word of advice to the script writers: Keep-It-Simple. Avoid overtly complicated jumps back and forth and paradoxes that confuse the audience. Remember the eventual mess in the Back To The Future trilogy? I was then so pleased to see that they kept the time travel relatively simple and easy to follow. There was a small part when they crossed the line juuust a tiny bit when young agent Kay meets a certain father and son (don't want to spoil it). Even if traveling back in time was possible, you wouldn't necessarily bump into everyone you know in the present.

Will Smith is in his usual good form in his character Jay which however needs Kay to balance him. It is then fortunate that Brolin gives a great performance as the young agent.

Was it better than the 1997original? It was as good, without the novelty value obviously. Was it as good as the MIB2? I would say that it surpassed the second.