Josh Brolin and Will Smith star in Men In Black III. Courtesy of Sony Pictures
The original and highly entertaining Men In Black came out in 1997, taking audiences on a rollercoaster ride of fictional extra-terrestrial conspiracy theories. Five years later, an unfortunate mistake was made resulting in the creation of a lackluster sequel that stepped too far from the charm of its predecessor. Fast forward to a decade later, and we’re a little hesitant with the third movie due to the dismal track record of money-driven sequels. Fortunately, Men In Black III returns to the formula that made the first movie a success.
In the third movie, Agent J (Will Smith) must travel back in time to prevent a ruthless alien, Boris the Animal, from murdering Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones).
The producers made the perfect decision to hire an entirely new set of writers to pen the script. They’ve limited the cheesy gags to the bare minimum, making them funnier than expected. This paired with a cohesive story made for a very entertaining movie.
The cast seemed to work very well together, especially Will Smith and Josh Brolin (young Agent K). Their humor and chemistry reinvigorated the characters and made the ride that much more fun.
Barry Sonnenfeld, director of the first two films, returns for the third installment with a welcome case of amnesia that eliminated Men In Black II from his memory. With his second chance at a sequel, he takes the audience on a journey that ties the first and third films together wonderfully.
Even the post-production 3D treatment is well done, as is the thunderous, dynamic audio mastering.
Bottom Line: Leave your well-founded fears at home and trek out for the sequel that should have been.
Grade B+
Runtime: 106 minutes
IMAX: Yes
3D: Yes
