The pieces are there, and they're moving in the right ways, but this long-awaited revival just doesn't feel right. That's partially due to a crushing lack of Tommy Lee Jones, who's relegated to a mere cameo appearance, but more thoroughly to a lack of conviction and casual, happenstance tone. It's okay for a comedy to be this thoroughly jokey and loose, but the formula that worked for this franchise in the past was a tight balance of those lighter moments with sharp, dramatic action sets. MIB3 may go through those motions, but the emotional punch that its predecessor had delivered so easily is almost completely absent here.
Though the vast majority of the film is set in the free-love sixties, the atmosphere also remains very modern, like attending a themed costume party where the host didn't get the memo. Excepting a few very easy sight gags and the eyeball-rolling location of the film's grand climax, this just doesn't seem to make much effort to ground itself in the era. Josh Brolin works an uncanny Jones impression during these scenes, but that act falls strangely flat when the man himself was on-screen only moments before, and in this case there's really no substitute for the real thing. Quirky and fun, but terribly thin and uncertain... worth watching for the effects and frequent nods to its genre-mates, but it's really no better than the underwhelming Men in Black II.
Review by Boogy's Epic MusicBlockedParentSpoilers2023-09-17T07:52:20Z
"Men in Black 3" marks a triumphant return to the franchise, coming 15 years after the original and 10 years after the sequel.
Surprisingly, it surpasses the charm of the first installment.
The film centers around the dynamic duo of veteran Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and the enthusiastic recruit Agent J (Will Smith), both overseen by the stern Agent O (Emma Thompson). However, the plot takes a thrilling turn with the escape of the hideously ugly alien Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) from a maximum security lunar prison.Boris, the sole survivor of his kind, nurses a grudge against Agent K for having shot off one of his arms. His diabolical plan involves time travel to eliminate Agent K before this incident occurs, resulting in a parallel existence of the young and old K, making the veteran and the rookie contemporaries.
The casting of Josh Brolin as Young Agent K is nothing short of brilliance. His uncanny resemblance to a young Tommy Lee Jones and his spot-on emulation of his voice are so convincing that you might believe Jones dubbed his own lines. While the film is not flawless, with its synthetic period recreation and stock 1960s caricatures, it still retains the enjoyable and flexible nature of the Men in Black universe.In summary, "Men in Black 3" signifies a strong comeback for Will Smith, delivering not only ample laughs but also solid action.
It's a thrilling action-adventure flick that guarantees non-stop enjoyment.