Men in Black III (2012) Review

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Synopsis:

Back in Time!

J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. When K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him – secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Review

Here come the Men in Black…for the third time! To be honest, I had some high hopes for this addition to the franchise, even though the second in the series was a bit of a white wash. I am a fan of the first, it being a classic for me. I did view the trailer (sadly numerous times) and thankfully not much was given away. With hopes of grandeur I marched into the theatre last night, popcorn and coke in hand, all I could think was…”please, don’t let me down”.

We kick straight into the story without any introduction (not that one is needed). You should know our two leads and what their job is. One thing which is slightly different is that we get an earlier flavour of a same cast member, but because of the plot we get to see another side of him, which is refreshing. The only downfall to that being; the original cast member doesn’t get a lot of screen time per-se, however watching the “younger” version you still feel the similarities. Apart from our galactic twosome, we get a range of kooky alien characters throughout the film, all adding their own charm (or gunk) to the film. Certain characters did stand out more than others, but it is not too bothersome. I really liked the Villain. He added his own persona quite nicely…I just wish we saw more of him. As for the story, I felt it rather predictable…there are notable variants that mix the film up some –what, however in general, it feels like another mission for the MIB with its own zing.

Don’t fret just yet! The story may be predictable, the cinematography isn’t. With a lush city scape of NY City and a host of different locations in and around the Big Apple, we never sit still for long, before being rushed off to the next scene. It kept the movie fresh and vibrant.

Another plus to the film would have to go towards the effects. You get your usual forte of the MIB, from the guns, vehicles and gadgets, to the aliens. They come in all shapes and sizes. In addition to the effects, I really enjoyed seeing how the MIB looked back “then” with most of the aforementioned details shown in an entirely different light. It was amusing and fun to watch how different it was.

My primary qualm about the movie is that it felt very…average. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it is a fun film and enjoyment will be had, just don’t go into the theatre expecting a different film or something entirely “new”. They do change certain features, but it wasn’t enough. I also was a little disappointed with the humour. It’s usually quite abundant in the franchise, but this time around there isn’t much to laugh about as the jokes can be kind of lame.

At the end of the day, “Men in Black 3” doesn’t have the charm, with its standard outlay to how the movie progresses, I wished the Director/Screenwriter had done more! It is however better than the 2nd film. On a last note- I did enjoy the ending. So far the film is doing decently enough, mustering $208million on a budget of $160million.

Worth the watch if, you are a fan of the MIB franchise, looking for a film to get your Sci-Fi fix or want to watch something out of the norm.

Trailer

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