The first time I saw the preview for the time travel movie that would be the third in the franchise of Men in Black, I was appalled and vowed never to see it.
But, in the course of hanging out with my parents, we went to see it, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Find out why, after the break. But BEWARE SPOILERS.
Let’s start with the pros:
1. Josh Brolin does a terrific job as young Agent K. He got the mannerisms and emotions spot on for Tommy Lee Jones. He carried the role very well.
2. It’s true to the franchise. The movie sported the same icky, gross, nasty aliens as usual, combined with the sarcastic humor and gigantic space weapons.
3. The main actors. Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin all did remarkable performances.
4. Alternate history. It seems these days that showing alternate moments of history is in vogue in the movie business, from the missile crisis of X-men: First Class to the moon landing of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In this case, it was also the moon launch, and watching the climax take place on the launchpad was enthralling. Under this category I would also put the laughs about Andy Warhol.
5. Speaking of laughs, there were a lot of them. The movie kept its humorous tone quite alive.
6. I actually cared. It took awhile for me to notice, but I was gasping and cringing right along with the movie. The fact that I was that involved is a credit to the creative team.
Some cons:
1. Physics sometimes doesn’t matter. This is a teensy problem, a little nit-picky I admit, because physics never really has mattered in the Men in Black franchise. So that’s redeemable.
2. The supporting characters, while interesting, sometimes hindered their own humor with annoying mannerisms. Here I am referring to the weird alien guy who lives in all times and places at once and can see everything…he got annoying…quickly.
3. While the movie presented basically an origin story for Agent K, the reason given for why he’s so grumpy all the time was a little bit watery. We could accept the time travel (in fact it was used in some pretty cool ways) if the story had been a little bit stronger.
Overall:
It was a fun and enjoyable movie to watch, worth the investment, but it could have been a bit stronger. That said, I think it was definitely better than the second movie, and a well-executed comeback.
That’s all for now. JV out.
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