Men in Black 3 Review

The Men in Black are back for a third big screen outing in Men in Black 3 with the three main individuals back in the saddle (director Barry Sonnenfeld plus actors Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones).

The new movie brings s back Agent J and Agent K in a new case against an alien with a grudge against K (Jones). Things would have been a lot more simple if not for the alien getting his hand on some time-travel tech which screws up the time-space continuum. Agent J follows the intergalactic perp to 1969 to try to foil the assassination. 

Okay here’s my take:

MIB 3 is one of the best movies so far in the series. I’d like to say that while the original MIB was great and MIB II was so-so, MIB III took some initiatives in fleshing out more details about both J and K.

Josh Brolin also plays the role of the Young Agent K. You have to admit that the resemblance between Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin share an uncanny similarity in this movie. This is also the second movie where the two topbill but are never seen together on screen. More on Brolin’s acting later.



Boris (the Animal) is also an intriguing and menacing character. I thank Executive Producer Steven Spielberg for adding a really good nemesis in this outing. Don’t get me wrong the first movie had Edgar who was more creepy and disgusting rather than scary. Lara Flynn Boyle’s Serlina looked great on screen but she was never MIB-villain material. Truth be told, Ben 10’s alien villains had a lot more screen formidability compared to the MIB II baddies. Again Boris is a visual creep so it adds a lot of meat into the material plus Jermaine Clement's take on this vile creature was also thumbs up.

Speaking of visuals time is very visible in the film (i.e. the actors’ ages). Between Men in Black and Men in Black 3, you can actually see the difference and the added wrinkles in the faces of both Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. But despite the age, both are actually quite entertaining to see in the big screen; both during their first appearance and even on their last scene together.



I’m a bit sad that PCD (Pussy Cat Dolls) lead singer Nicole Scherzinger’s appearance was only short and sweet but every second that she was on screen raised the temperature a bit. She looks oh so hot in her hot bangs and leather outfit together with a plunging neckline.



So going back to Brolin’s appearance he was a great fit in the film as the younger version of Agent K. He’s got the look down pat and also shows added depth to the already complex characterization of K. The guy can definitely do hardboiled if he wanted to. What truly amazes me is that the actor can channel a bit of an action hero in him.

Like the previous MIB flicks, there are tons of cameos and changes in the movies in line with continuity. There's a dead MIB agent we all know and probably love. Plus there's Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader who plays Andy Warhol (also MIB agent W) who has infiltrated the posh "Factory".

Finally there’s a surprise twist towards the end of the movie that will make you go “awwwww” and at the same time shed new light into the relationship between Agents K and J. You have to watch the film to truly appreciate the said scene. I’m also going to go and bet that you would actually go and re-watch the past two Men in Black films after seeing this new movie.

Men in Black 3 hits cinemas May 23 and is locally distributed by Columbia Pictures.