Film Review #13

          I have a confession. I hate movies involving science fiction. I don’t know why. Perhaps it was all those nights I had to endure waiting to watch pro-wrestling; every Monday at 8PM I had to sit through an hour of my dad watching Star Trek (FYI: the Captain Picard version). Nonetheless, I decided to watch Men in Black III. The first and most influencing decision for me was that this was a Will Smith film. He is one of my favorite actors. I think Seven Pounds and I Am Legend are two of his best flicks. Reason number two was also pretty simple: Barry Sonnenfeld was returning- the director of MIB and MIB2. Sonnefield directed a star-studded cast that included Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin. With all that said, MIB3 is an entertaining ride that lives up to its predecessors.

                

        The plot of the film is smart. Agent J (Smith) has to go back in time to 1969 to stop Boris the Animal from killing Agent K (Jones). When Agent J finally does travel back in time it becomes obvious that 1969 America is not as welcoming as 2012. Lack of civil rights, technology and an abundance of other predicaments occur. Not to mention, Agent J has to convince a 29-year old Agent K (Brolin) that he’s from the future and trying to save his life. Thankfully, K and J have Griffin to rely on- an alien who occupies 5 dimensions and is able to see the outcome of the future, which can sometimes be based on a few simple gestures. Not to be too confusing, but the film turns into a ‘race against time’ to stop 2012 Boris and 1969 Boris from colluding and killing 1969 Agent K.

           Josh Brolin’s performance as a younger Agent K stands out! He played K remarkably similar to Tommy Lee Jones… but with one difference. We don’t see the old, bitter, jaded version of K. Brolin perfectly depicts a character with a sense of humor, enthusiasm, trust, and nose for curiosity. Brolin is very important to the film because the audience gets to learn why Agent K became so discontented. That discovery is by far one of the best parts of this movie. Jones and Smith are certainly likable and should be applauded for their performances but Brolin stole the spotlight. I was expecting powerhouse performances from Jones and Smith. Brolin was an afterthought for me. With that said, my expectations were exceeded.

           Special effects are an enormous part of this sci-fi comedy. Not to mention MIB3 was made to be presented in 3D. In my opinion the special effects were good. Not groundbreaking…. Not awe-inspiring…. Just good.  Not once could I say the aliens looked fake or something was too over-the-top. Although the jetpack scene was rather amusing; I couldn't help but think about the James Bond movie Thunderball when Sean Connery was 007. The music seemed perfectly placed in my opinion. I had zero complaints. The score is particularly effective when we meet a 6 year old J.

          I would definitely recommend this movie to my readers. MIB3 may be the best film in the entire franchise. You may think differently but at the very least you will acknowledge that MIB3 certainly deserves to compete for the title. My decisive factor for encouraging my audience to see the film is that a good story is told. The writer actually finds a subtle way to connect the films too. I was not expecting a lot from this film and I got much out of it. I hope you will have similar feelings when you view it.

7 out of 10