Men In Black 3 DVD
It’s somewhat fitting that this third instalment of the franchise – released 10 years after Men In Black II – finds itself concerned with time-travelling back to the past
It’s
somewhat fitting that this third instalment of the franchise – released 10
years after Men In Black II – finds itself concerned with time-travelling back
to the past. After a difficult production, including filming
commencing without a completed script and then pausing for it to be rewritten, this
latest adventure for the snappily dressed agents matches the tone of its
predecessors perfectly. But you can’t help feeling that it’s all just a bit
‘2002’.
It doesn’t help that Will Smith
just isn’t the actor he used to be – he’s better now, of course, but he just
doesn’t effuse the same amount of energy that he used to in his earlier, more
physical roles. For the most part, Agent J’s dialogue and reactions are very
much the same as in the previous films, but now we have an older, more mature Smith
delivering them and, well frankly he’s a bit above it all. Still, at least he
puts in a good show; Tommy Lee Jones’
large absence from the film has to leave you wondering whether he ever really
wanted to revisit the Men In Black franchise at all. He certainly doesn’t look
happy to be there but then that’s kind of Agent K’s schtick, isn’t it?
The film starts with deranged alien Boris The Animal (Jermaine Clements)
escaping from his lunar prison and swearing revenge on Agent K (Jones), the man
who shot off his arm. When the men in black try to recapture him, J (Smith) is
frustrated to learn that he doesn’t have the security clearance to look into
Boris’ original crimes. And K and the rest of the MIB squad aren’t forthcoming
with information.
But when K suddenly disappears, with all evidence pointing to him dying
over 40 years ago, J has to travel back in time to 1969 and meet up with a
younger Agent K (Josh Brolin) and
protect him from the now two versions of Boris that are out to kill him. And
this isn’t even mentioning their overall plan to launch a vicious alien
invasion on Earth.
The plot may seem a little complicated and, as with most time-travel
sci-fi films, nonsense paradoxes abound once you think too hard about it but
overall it’s very cleverly handled. Brolin sells the idea more cleanly thanks
to an excellent Tommy Lee Jones impression and there are lots of great comic
moments to appreciate along the way, including Bill Hader as a brilliant Andy Warhol and a neat gag about 60s
aliens looking like the badly-costumed aliens in 60s B-movie films and TV
shows.
The new additions to the cast all add choice moments to the film as
well. Brief appearances/cameos from the likes of Emma Thompson, Will Arnett
and Nicole Scherzinger all make for
chucklesome scenes, but the best addition comes in the form of nerdy alien
Griffin. As a being from the 5th dimension, Griffin not only sees
the future but all possible futures, allowing for some hilarious and extremely
well-written dialogue, even if his abilities should allow him to foresee – and
therefore avoid – some of the bad situations he finds himself in.
Overall, the film fits in perfectly with the comedy style of the
previous films. Sure, the CGI can be a bit shoddy at times, and Flight Of The Conchords star Jermaine
Clements feels a little wasted in his one-note villainous role, but neither of
these things derail what is actually a fun, engrossing adventure with an
impressive twist ending.
