Men in Black 3

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.

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.

I will start out by saying that "Men in Black 3" is the best of the series so far, at least in my opinion. Why? Well simply because of the depths of the story, it is better planned and executed, and more enjoyable than the previous ones.

The story "Men in Black 3" is about Agent J traveling back in time to prevent an alien invasion of Earth and to prevent the assassination of his partner, Agent K.

Unlike the previous movies, the various aliens in all their strange appearances do not have that much of a prominent part of the movie. Sure they are there, but mostly as background characters. That is nice in itself, because there is still a large range of strange alien creatures to be seen, just in a less active role in the movie. The story in "Men in Black 3" is more character driven, with focus on Agents J and K in particular, and a single alien, Boris the Animal. This does work out quite nicely, because the story takes on a more personal aspect of storytelling, and there is a really, really great moment towards the end of the movie when you learn the truth about the two agents relationship. That was something that I really enjoyed.

Again, you have Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones returning to their roles, and then Josh Brolin really pulled off stepping into the shoes of portraying a younger version of Agent K. Boris the Animal was also nicely played by Jemaine Clement. And Emma Thompson stepping in as Agent O, new leader of the MIB agency after Zed having passed on.

And as with the previous two movies, the CGI effects in the movie were really great, and the aliens were realistic and believable. Which really is an important thing to make a movie like this enjoyable.

I found this to be the best of the series so far, because it is a more personal story where the multitude of strange alien creatures didn't have a huge part of the screen all the time. And the depths of the plot were well planned and executed, despite the minor flaws here and there (if you read through the 'Goofs' (here on IMDb), but that is really minor details that, I will admit that I didn't notice at all, you'd notice only if you are a, well, a nerd! No offense to anyone. But you really have to be a perfectionist to factual details to notice that, so hats off to those who pointed them out.

If you enjoyed "Men in Black" or "Men in Black II", then you definitely have to watch "Men in Black 3", because it adds a lot to the overall storyline of the MIB universe.

I am not exactly a Will Smith fan. I think the last Will Smith film I watched and liked was the first "Men in Black" film back in 1997. I was surprised to learn that there will be another installment of "Men in Black" this year, the third of the series. The second MiB was shown in 2002, and I did not even care to finish that one. Will the ten years between the last episode and this one make a difference? I needed to see that.

In this film, a vicious alien villain known as Boris the Animal escapes from his prison on the moon, where he had been locked up since being arrested by Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) back in 1969. One day, Agent K disappears from the present day. His partner Agent J (Will Smith) realizes that K had been assassinated by Boris forty years ago, which caused a major change of events, allowing Boris' alien race to overrun the Earth. J had to find a way to travel back in time to 1969 in order to save K and rectify the tragic consequences of his death. Can J save K and in turn save the Earth from the clutches of Boris?

The odd couple was just as they were before in the first films. Will Smith is still his old loudmouth Agent J as Tommy Lee Jones was his tight-lipped Agent K. As J goes back to the past, he will interact with the young 29-year old K, perfectly played by Josh Brolin. Brolin amazingly captures the laconic persona, and even the distinct voice, of Jones so well that they seemed to have been one and the same actor. It was also good to see Emma Thompson again in a major film as she portrayed Agent O, another senior agent with a soft spot for K. The younger Agent O was played by a cutie named Alice Eve, but she certainly did not convince us that she would look or act like Emma Thompson when she grows older.

I must say that this film was really a most entertaining one. Well, maybe more for me than for my kids. Younger audiences may find the jokes about 1969 cultural references, such as the hippies, the racial tension, etc., to be a bit difficult to grasp. But the fun action sequences with some exciting futuristic vehicles and weaponry, the imaginative and repulsive aliens made by no less than the master monster-maker Rick Baker, the thrilling integration of the historic Apollo 11 lift-off, and the touching revelation of K's big secret made this a very good and enjoyable movie to watch. 3D did not seem necessary. Director Barry Sonnenfeld got it right this time, and this segment certainly gave perfect closure to the story arc of the whole series.

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.