Rated
PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action Violence, and Brief Suggestive Content)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 46 Minutes
Cast-
Will
Smith-Agent J
Tommy
Lee Jones-Agent K
Josh
Brolin-Young Agent K
Jemaine
Clement-Boris the Animal
Emma
Thompson-Agent O
Alice
Eve-Young Agent O
Michael
Stuhlbarg-Griffin
Michael
Chernus-Jeffrey Price
Bill
Hader-Andy Warhol
Will
Arnett-Agent AA
Nicole
Scherzinger-Lily/Boris' Girlfriend
David
Rasche-Agent X
Directed
by Barry Sonnenfeld
 |
| Will Smith's Agent J tries to convince Josh Brolin's Agent K that he's from the future in "Men in Black III." |
It
never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies! Fifteen years ago in 1997, I was
still in third grade elementary school when the original “Men in Black” was
released into theaters to critical and commercial success, further cementing
Will Smith’s status as an international box office superstar. Smith would go on
to star in numerous blockbusters and would typically appear in one to two films
per year. 2008 saw the release of “Hancock” and “Seven Pounds” but both films
ended up receiving mixed to negative reviews despite being box office successes
and Smith subsequently took a hiatus in order to focus on his children’s
burgeoning careers but the actor kept himself busy as a producer. Published as
a three-issue mini-series in 1990 from Aircel Comics, “Men in Black” the film
was actually based upon The Men in Black
comic book created by Lowell Cunningham and illustrated by Sandy Carruthers.
Aircel Comics would later be brought out by Malibu Comics, which itself was
acquired by Marvel Comics in late 1994. 2002 saw the release of “Men in Black
II” but the sequel remains a flop with both fans and critics (39% on Rotten
Tomatoes) despite grossing $442 million worldwide. Ten years later, Smith
returns as Agent J in “Men in Black III” but was it worth the long wait given
the film’s troubled production? Despite the script being a jumbled, plot-hole
ridden mess and the lack of energy from Barry Sonnenfeld’s direction, “Men in
Black III” remains an enjoyable film thanks to Smith’s appealing on-screen charisma,
Josh Brolin’s brilliantly spot-on impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones, and Rick
Baker’s fantastic makeup work.
Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement), a dangerous Boglodite
assassin and the last of his species, breaks out of the Lunar Max prison
facility located on the Moon with the help of his girlfriend Lily (Nicole
Scherzinger). Forty years ago on July 16, 1969, a young Agent K apprehended
Boris at Cape Canaveral in Florida before setting up the ArcNet shield that prevented Earth from an invasion by the
Boglodites, rendering them extinct. Boris is intent on killing K in revenge for
the destruction of his species and causing the loss of his left arm. While
investigating a spaceship crash in New York City and a restaurant in Chinatown,
K (Tommy Lee Jones) correctly deduces that Boris has escaped and reveals to his
partner J (Will Smith) that he regrets not having killed him in 1969. The next
day, Agent J finds K’s apartment now occupied by a family and learns from Agent
O (Emma Thompson) that there is a fracture in the space-time continuum due to
J’s strange new craving for chocolate milk. J concludes that Boris must’ve
traveled back in time to kill K in 1969, changing the future and allowing his
species to freely consume the Earth. Acquiring his own time-jump device from a
black market dealer named Jeffrey Price (Michael Chernus), J travels back to
July 15, 1969 in order to prevent Boris from killing K. He teams up with K’s
younger self (Josh Brolin) and races against the clock to once again save the
Earth from the scum of the universe.
“Men in Black III” was officially
announced by Columbia Pictures/Sony back in 2009 (even though the time travel
premise was pitched back in 2002) but filming kept being delayed with Etan
Cohen’s script facing constant rewrites from David Koepp, Jeff Nathanson, and Michael
Soccio. Principal photography finally
commenced in November 2010 with an unfinished
script that lacked the entire second act, leading to production being halted
for close to four months (originally two months) from December 2010 to April
2011 in order to allow the writers enough time to finish. The film’s troubled
production clearly shows as numerous subplots are set up but are never fully
resolved and the pacing feels rushed at times to keep the audience from dwelling
on the plot-holes in the story. The reasoning behind J remembering K is poorly
explained (he only remembers because he drinks chocolate milk?) and there’s no logic as to how O concludes that
there is a fracture in the space-time continuum if the past was changed. The
character of Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg), an alien who is able to see all
timelines simultaneously, is introduced to patch the holes in the script but
this only hides the problem and is
not a fix. An obligatory romance is thrown in between a Young K and O (Alice
Eve) but the latter has so little screen-time, making its inclusion ultimately
pointless. The overall character arc feels forced because it reduces K to being
a soulless curmudgeon so that it could make way for his livelier younger self.
Fortunately, this is when “Men in Black III” hits its groove and begins to
recapture at least some of the spark that made the original film such a fan
favorite by introducing a few wrinkles to the formula with its time travel
premise. The comedy is largely hit-and-miss and won’t leave much of an
impression but there are certainly some humorous bits such as J and Young K’s
encounter with Andy Warhol (Bill Hader), who is actually an undercover MIB
agent who complains that he’s been reduced to ‘painting soup cans and bananas!’
The film pokes fun at the fact that a black man is running around in late
1960’s New York City and much of the technology that the MIB agents use is
given a retro makeover such as a gigantic cell-phone and a Neuralyzer that uses
a battery pack which has to be connected via dial-up. Smith also has a much
better rapport with Brolin compared to Jones, making the second act enjoyable
even while the story sputters near the end with an unearned twist thrown in for
no discernible reason. Rick Baker’s excellent creature design makes up for Barry
Sonnenfeld’s slack direction and Boris’ one-dimensional personality, with the
effects guru filling every scene with a bizarre assortment of aliens. The CG
isn’t all that impressive and at times looks horribly dated. Although “Men in
Black III” was post-converted to 3D by choice, this is actually one of the best conversions I’ve seen. The film
lends itself to the extra effect due to all the creatures and there are
numerous scenes that pop out such as a laser show in an electronics store. It’s
a pure gimmick moment but it adds to the fun and irreverent tone. Brightness is
also not an issue, so if you feel like splurging for 3D, by all means do so.
After taking a three-and-a-half year hiatus, Will Smith returns to the big
screen and yes, his shtick may feel old but he still possesses that natural
on-screen charisma that made him into a star in the first place. The highlight
is Josh Brolin, who manages to adopt all of Tommy Lee Jones’ voice and
mannerisms with pitch-perfect accuracy. He and Smith make the film better than
it should’ve been because the two genuinely seem to be having fun. Tommy Lee
Jones is only in the film for about thirty minutes and he seems to be there to
only pick up a paycheck. He’s also given an unnecessary make-up job to give him
an older appearance but it instead turns him into a walking wax figure. Jemaine
Clement is underutilized as Boris the Animal but his unique alien design helps
make his antics enjoyable to watch. Michael Stuhlbarg adds a whimsical charm as
omnipotent alien Griffin and his character was described as ‘adorable’ by my
friend. Emma Thompson and Alice Eve have very little screen-time while Will
Arnett, Nicole Scherzinger, and Bill Hader pop up for welcome cameos.
Released
on May 25, 2012, “Men in Black III” has received mildly positive reviews with
67% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics felt that ‘it isn't exactly a persuasive
argument for the continuation of the franchise—but [the film] is better than
its predecessor and manages to exceed expectations, largely due to Josh
Brolin's impressive performance.’ I managed to attend an advance screening even
though it was only five hours from being officially released and the audience
seemed to enjoy the film very much. Box office wise, “Men in Black III” may
finally be the film to dethrone “The Avengers” but expecting a huge opening
weekend will be a stretch considering the ten years that have passed since the
second film and the whopping $215 million budget after tax rebates. “Men in
Black III” suffers from a lot of problems stemming from its troubled production
but I was genuinely surprised that I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to.
If nothing else, the film flashy-thingy’s the bad taste its predecessor left in
my mouth.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
“I
am getting too old for this. I can only imagine how you feel.”
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