Review of Men in Black 3 (2012) by Johnnyhollywood — 04 Jun 2012

Bet you thought Andy Warhol was an alien. Nope!

As it turns out, he's actually Bill Hader in disguise, who's actually one of the men in black in disguise, some of whom may or may not be disguised as present day Andy Warhol impersonators. Think about it. At any rate, the trip Agents J and K take to The Factory is one of many tidbits of 1960s culture thrown into a film that joyfully blends science fiction with the buddy-cop formula and family-friendly storytelling, resulting in an end product that plays to the strengths of the first film while omitting the weaknesses of the second. Apparently working together for the last fifteen years hasn't brought J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) any closer together, because when we again meet the tandem they seem more 'original odd couple' than 'dynamic duo'. While J tries to get to the root of K's unfaltering crabbiness, his older partner is sucked back in time by Boris The Animal (Jermaine Clement), a ruthless alien criminal who has escaped his lunar prison and now seeks revenge against the man who blew off his arm. J learns that, in this parallel universe, Boris kills K in 1969 and wages present-day war on Earth, so it's up to him to make the save.

The performances from all involved are a key ingredient of what turns out to be a very enjoyable experience. The perennially underrated Tommy Lee Jones cruises, slipping into his role like an old suit (no pun intended), while it's good to see Will Smith back in the genre he belongs, appearing in his first summer blockbuster since **** Applause goes to Josh Brolin as the young Agent K, who mimics the mannerisms and general demeanour of his older counterpart flawlessly, and also for Michael Stuhlbarg. A genuine up-and-comer through his contributions to the excellent Boardwalk Empire, Stuhlbarg plays the film's most interesting side character Griffin, an E.T. who can occupy an infinite number of parallel universes. On the one hand, he serves to frame the series of events for the audience by explaining what must happen next, but he also parodies the notion of deus ex machina, in that he should be considered the ultimate sidekick due to his incredible recall, yet he is limited by this power and knows when to step down and let the heroes take center stage.

For the most part, Men In Black 3 keeps in line with the expectations set by the franchise. That is, an ebullient blend of low-intensity action with a refusal to take itself seriously. Little details are included to tickle the funnybones of more observant cinephiles. When we arrive in the swinging sixties, handheld neutralisers are the size of living rooms and the typically computer-generated aliens living among us have been replaced by men in suits. That said, expect to be caught off-guard by two elements of this film. Firstly, Jermaine Clement actually makes a menacing villain. Barring a lighthearted scene where he berates his younger self for not doing the job right the first time, Boris is all business, and some of his moments are the stuff pre-teen nightmares are made of. Secondly, the film comes right out of left-field with a poignant ending that acts as a brilliant payoff for a loyal fan base that has invested so much emotional interest in these characters over the last decade-and-a-half. K's disengagement is foreshadowed with a series of red herrings that only compound the film's final moments, resulting in an unexpected highlight that few people will see coming.

Naturally, many young adults watching this movie are going to look upon the first film with rose-coloured glasses when comparing the two. Comparative age is the key factor here because, despite its many positives, the original is nowhere near as funny at twenty years old. In that sense, this film applies the same ratio of hit-and-miss humour, but adds to it a lacklustre opening act and occasional inability to suspend disbelief. Surely, the battle between J and Boris atop the Apollo 11 as it prepares to take off would have been noticed by one of the millions watching. That, or the fight really did happen, everyone watching was neuralised, and Barry Sonnenfeld has just uncovered the greatest conspiracy in human history.

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