Men in Black 3: Short and Sweet

With numerous summer blockbusters and critical accolades under his belt, there are few Hollywood juggernauts as reliable as Will Smith, but his past success wasn’t enough to calm my skepticism concerning Men in Black 3.  Now, while the original Men in Black remains one of my favorite science fiction films and I was a huge fan of the spinoff cartoon series, I consider Men in Black II to not only be one of the worst sequels ever made, but also one of my most personally reviled films.  Needless to say, my faith in the franchise had hit rock-bottom, so I certainly didn’t see any logic in revisiting a cinematic universe that hasn’t been at the forefront of popular culture for nearly a decade.  The 3D-format seemed little more than a necessary cash-grab for Sony Pictures, while the time-travel angle of the narrative always comes across as an overly-recycled plot point, but I do have to admit to being intrigued over the fact that Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin would be portraying the same character.  Critical reviews were strong, but I still walked into the theater with drastically-low expectations…it couldn’t get any worse, could it?

Energetic, creative, and thoroughly entertaining, Men in Black 3 succeeds in every element of film-making in which Men in Black II failed, representing the template that the franchise should have followed from the beginning.  While the chemistry between Smith and Jones is a welcome return for fans of the series, the strongest element of this sequel is the performance of Josh Brolin as the younger Agent K, in that he adopts Jones’ speaking style and mannerisms so strongly that the cinematic resemblance between actors is downright spooky.  Add-in the impressive special effects, creative alien character designs, and the thoroughly threatening performance of Jermaine Clement as the villain, and there is plenty to enjoy in MIB 3.  However, once the novelty of a return to the familiar wears-off, some weaknesses do manifest; the story, though bold, gets a little too deep and complicated for its own good, generating a few too many questions for a supposedly-fun summer blockbuster.  If you are a fan of the franchise, then MIB 3 is definitely worth seeing, but otherwise, there is little added to the overall story and nothing engaging or fascinating that truly justifies the necessity of this sequel.

Overall Recommendation: Medium

Men in Black 3: Full Review

Men in Black 3 - (May 25^th, 2012): PG-13

Distributor: Columbia Pictures (subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $69,254,717

Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $74,903,287

Gross Revenue: $208,103,287

Production Budget: $250-375 million

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

In the majority of my reviews, I lament significant time gaps between sequels, but in the case of the Men in Black series, a big break between entries could work to the filmmakers’ advantage, as ten years could be enough time for audience to forgive, though not necessarily forget, the cinematic garbage that was Men in Black II.  The 2002 sequel represented nearly everything that can go wrong in a film, with genuine imagination and creativity taking a back-seat to overt commercialization and hammy attempts at cheap laughs.  The less-than-stellar reception of the first sequel of the series was shared by a majority of fans, so there wasn’t exactly a clamoring for a return to the Men in Black universe, despite the inherent appeal of leading man Will Smith.  Early trailers focusing on the time travel angle certainly didn’t do much to convince potential moviegoers that the hokey mistakes of the past wouldn’t be repeated, but perhaps cast additions like Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve, and Jermaine Clement, could offer something entertaining.  Leading up to release, promotions for Men in Black 3 were absolutely everywhere, with tie-in soundtrack “Back in Time,” and print/billboard promotions guaranteeing high awareness, so maybe the science fiction franchise would be able to draw success from this potentially ill-conceived second chance.

Men in Black 3 opens with intergalactic criminal Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) escaping from a maximum security prison on Earth’s moon, vowing revenge against the Men in Black operative who imprisoned him, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones); Boris theorizes that the most efficient way to kill K is to go back in time to 1969 and intervene on the day that he was originally captured.  K and his partner, Agent J (Will Smith), encounter Boris at a Chinese restaurant, where he delivers an ominous threat that K refuses to explain to his curious partner; that night, K returns to his apartment, where he and all of his possessions disappear and no trace of him remains at Men in Black headquarters.  However, a thoroughly confused J still retains the memory of his partner, so together with the new Chief of MIB, Agent O (Emma Thompson), J deduces that a fracture has occurred within the space-time continuum, and that he must time-jump to 1969 and prevent K’s death.  After successfully traveling to the past, J encounters younger versions of Agent K (Josh Brolin) and Agent O (Alice Eve), and together, the three work together to locate Boris and prevent the planned assassination.  Piecing together clues from his knowledge of the future, J discovers that a mysterious precognitive alien named Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg) holds the key to both K’s survival and the future salvation of the entire planet.

As I mentioned in the “Short and Sweet” review, prior to the events of Men in Black II, I was actually a pretty big fan of the Men in Black franchise, so needless to say, I was very glad to see this newest entry return to basics and take itself more seriously with legitimate character designs and special effects, coherent storytelling, and strong acting.  In direct opposition to its predecessor, Men in Black 3 opts for impressive as opposed to cartoony special effects, making the way for cool explosions, engaging action, and genuinely threatening aliens.  When it comes to the time travel angle, the story could have gone wrong very, very quickly, but as surprising as it may seem, the screenwriters paved the way for some significant creativity and deeper themes…granted, things weren’t flawless, but you have to give the movie credit for trying.  Finally, the best part of this summer blockbuster is the characters themselves, with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith reengaging in their now-legendary mismatched chemistry and Jermaine Clement embodying the type of villain that you absolutely love to hate; however, all those accolades pale in comparison to the standout performance of Josh Brolin, who is both funny and impressive in his committed portrayal of a young Agent K.  Yet, when you step back and consider MIB 3 outside of direct comparison to its predecessor, there are still some flaws that weaken the mass appeal of this newest sci-fi fantasy.

For as much as I enjoyed Men in Black 3, I do have to acknowledge that a lot of that enjoyment was contingent on my fondness of the franchise, and that I couldn’t see non-fans being terribly engaged by references to the past films and the overly-complicated plot.  While there was definite joy to be had in seeing Agents J and K reuniting to save the world, there just didn’t seem to be much necessity to that reunion; sure, there was some nice character development, but was that really worth another whole movie?  In terms of the story itself, the time-travel angle was coherent enough to be believable, but things get complicated very quickly without the narrative taking the time to answer all the questions that are ultimately generated, instead sacrificing time for amusing but pointless cameos from Will Arnett and Bill Hader.  For instance, Griffin is a precognitive alien capable of seeing all possible futures, and in explaining his ability, he opens the door for some HUGE philosophical considerations that are hinted at but never elaborated upon…the movie just ends and leaves things on a thoroughly unsatisfactory note.  So, though it is entertaining, MIB 3 remains far from perfect, and as such it should be approached with some caution.

Well, it looks like Will Smith has once again proves his draw as a holiday box office juggernaut, as Men in Black 3 debuted to a solid $69 million over the long Memorial Day Weekend, finally dethroning The Avengers.  Add to that the strong openings in Asia and Latin America that contributed to a $135 million grab overseas, and Sony’s newest blockbuster seems poised to recover its substantial production budget.  And in all likelihood, positive word of mouth should help MIB 3 stave off competition from Snow White and the Huntsman, staying in the top rankings at least until Madagascar 3 and Prometheus hit.  As long as marketing efforts continue to emphasize the fact that this sequel stands as a significant improvement upon its predecessor, I see MIB 3 keeping its legs as a summer tentpole.  So, I maintain that, as long as you fondly remember the original “Men in Black” rap and know to shield your eyes anytime you come across a standard-issue neuralyzer, you will find something to enjoy in this summer film.     

Overall Recommendation: Medium

The Dictator: Short and Sweet

Though he isn’t exactly a consistent presence at theaters, no one can deny the thoroughly unorthodox comedic talent of Sacha Baron Cohen, who skyrocketed to mainstream popularity with 2006’s Borat.  Ideally, Cohen would have been able to ride the wave of Borat’s popularity all the way to significant success for his newest entry, The Dictator, but unfortunately, another project severely weakened the talented actor’s credibility with mass audiences.  In 2009’s Brüno, Cohen seemed to overplay his brand of humor, going for gross-out shock value rather than clever satire, so when promotions for The Dictator started to surface, it looked like the actor was simply beating a dead horse.  If there was one element that added some credibility to The Dictator, it was that this film would not be following Cohen’s usual mockumentary format, meaning that he would not be interacting with unsuspecting people, but rather playing-off of other comedic actors, so hopefully that choice would translate into some higher-quality humor.  Based on the trailers alone, it looked like The Dictator would be tackling some controversial subject matter in the most offensive way possible, and as someone who has grown tired of people tiptoeing around “political correctness,” I was ready to throw caution to the wind.

Quite possibly the most offensive movie ever made, The Dictator is rude, twisted, shocking, and utterly hysterical, reaffirming that Sacha Baron Cohen is not only a comedic force to be reckoned with, but also one to be both respected and feared.  As I walked out of the theater, I brainstormed and tried to identify any group, race, or religion that wasn’t targeted or torn apart by this film, but for the life of me, I could not identify one…putting it simply, no one is safe.  As long as you are not easily offended (and believe me, with The Dictator, that is a HUGE qualifier), you will find yourself laughing uncontrollably at the utterly insane scenarios that unfold.  Granted, this comedy isn’t perfect, and there are a number of jokes that fall completely flat, but for every one of those misfires, there are at least three shocking segments that help explain why the film has been banned in certain countries.  If you are in any way a fan of Cohen or find the occasional off-color joke hysterical, you owe it to yourself to see The Dictator.   

Overall Recommendation: High

The Dictator: Full Review

The Dictator - (May 16^th, 2012): R

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Opening Weekend Box Office: #3 with $17,435,092

Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $26,633,538

Gross Revenue: $56,933,538

Production Budget: $65 million

Director: Larry Charles

Now, dictatorial regimes and terrorism might not strike you as the most easily accessible material for a comedy, but in all honesty, is there any part of you that thought such a fact would stop Sacha Baron Cohen?  Early trailers certainly sent buzz through the roof, especially after the creative way in which archived footage featuring President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton was used to introduce the character of Admiral General Aladeen.  Admittedly, I do think that Cohen slightly overplayed his hand at the 84^th Academy Awards when he spilled an urn supposedly filled with the ashes of Kim Jong-il on Ryan Seacrest; the ill-conceived stunt may have been a little tasteless, but at least it got people talking.  Personally, I was most curious about the fact that acting icon Sir Ben Kingsley had a role in this irreverent comedy…sure, the inclusion of names like Anna Farris, J.B. Smoove, and John C. Reilly made sense, but c’mon, the guy who won an Oscar for portraying Mohandas Gandhi?  Sure, backlash from lukewarm reaction to Brüno and this newest comedy’s R-rating didn’t exactly guarantee a strong influence on the box office, but the trailers were funny enough that my hopes remained high.

The Dictator opens with an introduction to the fictional North African Republic of Wadiya, which has been ruled with an iron fist for the past forty years by the anti-western despot, Admiral General Hafez Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen), who is currently obsessed with developing nuclear weapons.  After the U.N. Security Council threatens intervention, Aladeen reluctantly agrees to address the council in New York City, but soon after arriving, Aladeen is kidnapped by a government agent known only as Clayton (John C. Reilly).  It is revealed that Clayton was hired by Aladeen’s uncle, Tamir (Ben Kingsley), so that the despot could be replaced by a political decoy, one that can be manipulated into democratizing Wadiya and monetizing the country’s oil fields.  Aladeen escapes imprisonment, but his beard is shaved off and he is left virtually unrecognizable to his security team; encountering an offbeat political activist, Zoey (Anna Faris), Aladeen adopts a fictional identity and begins working at Zoey’s organic produce shop.  When he learns of Wadiya’s impending democratization, Aladeen enlists the help of a Wadiyan political refugee, Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas), so that he might be reinstated into power and keep his autocratic legacy alive.

In regards to sheer shock value, offensive material, and overall levels of hilarity, Cohen’s previous shining star, Borat, could be rated PG by comparison.  As the narrative continues on, just when you think that Cohen couldn’t push the envelope even further, he delivers another joke or scenario that will leave you shocked to the core; granted, you’ll be laughing, but still, you will be shocked.  In Brüno, Cohen relied almost solely on gross-out sight gags, and while there are certain instances of that within The Dictator, the gross-out factor has been toned down and substituted with merciless satire, which, more often than not, is handled in a rather clever matter…no wonder the film has been banned in several Middle Eastern countries.  The main focus on the movie may be Cohen himself, but when it comes to the supporting cast, Anna Faris is the most welcome addition, using her wide-eyed bewilderment as the perfect foil to the leading man’s insanity.  Bottom line, The Dictator is so funny that, even though you can never repeat some of the lines loudly in public, you will still be tempted to see the movie repeatedly so that you can still quote among your friends for years to come.

Now, the primary reason that The Dictator failed to achieve my highest recommendation is that the film is far too offensive to ever be classified as a mass-appeal comedy, but I do have to admit that it takes a little too long for the narrative to build momentum and that a number of the jokes fall completely flat.  The film may have a running time of only around eighty minutes, and though that is enough time to get the story done, it does serve to accentuate the fact that it takes almost twenty minutes for the comedic formula to truly start thriving.  Though there are a few truly great moments during the first act of the film, which focuses on Aladeen’s oppressive rule, the true laughs don’t take off until Aladeen comes to New York and is kidnapped, and that lull can alienate audiences with shortened attention spans.  I also cannot ignore the fact that there are a few jokes that fail completely and that the cast tries far too hard to resuscitate in vain, but the saving grace is that you are never too far from a truly unforgettable scene.  So, make no mistake, there are definite shortcomings to The Dictator, but I maintain that, unless you are a complete prude, you can find something that will appeal to your depraved sense of humor.

With a sub-par opening of $17 million, it seems that audiences are still unable to forget or look past the decidedly disappointing Brüno, but upon considering other variables, it isn’t time to write-off The Dictator quite yet.  An R-rated comedy will always have trouble drawing big numbers, simply because the potential audience is already reduced, and it certainly doesn’t help that this comedy was trying to draw viewers away from the cinematic phenomenon that is The Avengers.  I can only hope that word of mouth works to The Dictator’s advantage, and the reality is that no direct competition will hit theaters until That’s My Boy in mid-June…and we all know that Adam Sandler’s latest cinematic failure will go down in flames.  Foreign numbers are solid, so it looks like Paramount has little to worry about, especially against a $65 million production budget.  Needless to say, my faith in Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedic talent has been restored and I really hope that this offbeat comedy continues to build momentum.   

Overall Recommendation: High

Battleship: Short and Sweet

Non-traditional adaptations certainly have a mixed track record when it comes to achieving true summer blockbuster status; some evolve into billion dollar franchises (Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean), while others are either completely abandoned (The Haunted Mansion) or drastically retooled (Paramount’s upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation).  Now, where these past amusement park and toy-line adaptations had established characters, themes, or settings to build off of in order to establish a cohesive narrative, a massive amount of creative license would be needed in order to bring a classic guessing game to life on screen.  While I can look back with nostalgia on the countless times I played Battleship growing up, I’m sure that my reaction to the announced film project was shared by countless other potential filmgoers: “Seriously, the film Battleship is actually based on the board game…how/why?!?”  Needless to say, Universal lost a lot of its credibility with audiences leading into the summer season on film premise alone, but maybe director Peter Berg and stars like Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, and Rihanna would still be able to draw an audience.  I certainly wasn’t sold on the alien angle that Battleship would be using, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t at least mildly curious to see how the original game would tie-in, and, let’s face it, explosion-filled naval warfare is right up my alley.

Battleship may be far from perfect, but if you are willing to accept that you are watching a film based on a board game and are able to turn some of the logic centers of your brain completely off, you will end up being pretty entertained.  With enough gratuitous explosions and utter adulation of the United States Navy to make Michael Bay jealous, the biggest selling-point of this blockbuster is the action and patriotic tone, which I know can draw-in even the most skeptical of moviegoers.  When considering all of the cinematic elements that can be reviewed in relation to a film, it turns out that the biggest shortcoming of Battleship is its drastically uneven quality, because for every creative narrative element, clever instance of dialogue, or impressive special effect, there is a mind-numbing, useless, or thoroughly ridiculous parallel.  As for the big names attached to the project, each of the actors may be portraying a decidedly formulaic character, but they all remain fun to watch, whether that involves the heroic Taylor Kitsch or the surprisingly sassy and engaging Rihanna.  So, in the end, Battleship is nowhere near as bad as it could have been, but as I alluded to before, the consistently-uneven quality keeps this summer action film placed firmly in the middle of the road.

Overall Recommendation: Medium

Battleship: Full Review

Battleship - (May 18^th, 2012): PG-13

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Opening Weekend Box Office: #2 with $25,534,825

Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $25,534,825

Gross Revenue: $240,834,825

Production Budget: $209 million

Director: Peter Berg

While the questionable premise of Battleship certainly caused its share of negative buzz over the internet, there was also a considerable amount of skepticism concerning the other names attached to the project.  Director Peter Berg has certainly displayed a talent for large-scale action films with his work on The Rundown, The Kingdom, and Hancock, but leading-man Taylor Kitsch still hasn’t proven himself in a leading capacity (especially after John Carter), and his only real support would come from Rihanna, who would be making her acting debut.  So, it is no surprise that Universal engaged in an aggressive marketing campaign in order to add legitimacy to this positioned blockbuster and fill theaters, especially since the alien angle of the narrative caused many to label the film as nothing more than a Transformers knock-off.  With promotional partners like Coke Zero and Subway, awareness was certainly growing in the lead up to Battleship’s release, but analysts were certainly wary over the fact that the holdover success of The Avengers was going to make this naval warfare epic’s hefty production an even tougher hurdle to overcome.  Early critical reaction was decidedly mixed, and I wasn’t exactly floored by the lackluster trailer, but curiosity definitely got the better of me and I was resolved to try and enjoy Battleship.

Battleship opens in exposition, with the narrative explaining that scientists have found an extrasolar planet similar to Earth that is capable of sustaining life; so, using a communications array in Hawaii, NASA sends a signal in an attempt to establish contact.  The diegetic timeframe jumps a few months to the opening of the annual RIMPAC naval exercises that brings together American and Japanese naval forces, where the irresponsible and unmotivated Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) works as a lieutenant aboard a guided missile destroyer and is trying to gain the approval of superior officer COMPACFLT Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson), who just happens to be the father of Alex’s longtime girlfriend, Samantha Shane (Brooklyn Decker).  Alex’s reckless behavior has drawn the ire of his older brother, Commander Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgård), who informs his younger sibling that he faces discharge at the completion of the war games.  The naval exercises are soon interrupted when five alien ships arrive in response to the NASA signal and proceed to start destroying naval ships and other military defenses, even going as far to erect an impenetrable force field that separate Alex’s ship, the USS John Paul Jones, from the rest of the naval defenses.  Once his commanding officer is killed, Alex is left in command of the ship, and alongside GM2 Cora Raikes (Rihanna), Chief Petty Officer “Beast” Lynch (John Tui), and Japanese naval officer Captain Nagata (Tadanobu Asano), he must find a way past the alien’s superior technology and provide the first line of defense for the entire planet.

Had I walked into Battleship with no former knowledge of the names associated with the project, given the scale of explosions, destruction, and all-out glorification of the United States Navy, I would have sworn that Michael Bay was behind the camera, but as it turns out, director Peter Berg actually improves upon the directorial trademarks that helped make Bay famous.  Even at its most mind-numbingly insane moments, the action and energy of Battleship remains simple and fun entertainment, so that you are able to look past the weaker moments and still find yourself cheering when dozens of the artillery shells utterly decimate an alien ship.  And in spite of some of the glaring plot holes and thoroughly confusing narrative elements, I do have to acknowledge some of the surprisingly creative points that, though corny, are still awesome; a cross-generational attack tactic will definitely raise your inner levels of patriotism, while interwoven elements of the board game will play to nostalgic memories.  And when it comes to the acting, while I would have loved to see Liam Neeson earn more screen time, Kitsch does finally embody the heroic and entertaining action star, while Rihanna plays the engaging, sassy, and thoroughly likeable sidekick surprisingly well.  So, the reality is that once you accept Battleship as nothing more than a simple popcorn flick, you can look past some of the weaker elements and enjoy the silly fun.

Now, I may have just said that the action and imagination of Battleship are able to overshadow some of the weaker elements of the film, and the operative word in that assertion is “some,” because there are a truckload of things that weaken this blockbuster’s overall quality.  Granted, I knew that there were bound to be some stretches in logic and coherent storytelling as a consequence of adapting a board game, but with so many clichéd occurrences designed to drive the story forward and countless segments of pure filler, even I have my limits of acceptance.  And with some truly awful dialogue and throwaway characters (I’m pretty sure Brooklyn Decker was written in solely to look good in a tank-top), it becomes apparent very quickly that none of the screenwriters associated with Battleship will be regular names come Awards Season.  Finally, my biggest gripe would probably involve the aliens themselves, whose origins and motivations are given no explanations, and whose artistic design is fairly shoddy once you look past the shiny armor and compare against the thoroughly impressive pyrotechnic effects.  When all of these weaknesses are added together, the positive/negative ratio of Battleship is near-even, so it is largely up to you which side of the coin you would prefer to focus your attention.

In my review of The Avengers, I theorized that it was unlikely that Battleship would be able to take down the superhero juggernaut, even in its third weekend, and it turns out that my instincts were dead-on, because the naval warfare epic opened at a thoroughly disappointing $25 million.  In fact, analysts across the industry, from those at The Hollywood Reporter to my trusted sources at Box Office Mojo, have already declared the film a huge financial loss, along the same lines of John Carter…looks like Taylor Kitsch just can’t garner the type of mass appeal to overcome mediocre projects.  The only thing that prevents Battleship from being a complete disaster is the fact that the foreign gross has already gone north of $200 million, but in the face of the nine figure production budget, a $25 million domestic opening still has the potential to result in a future write-down for Universal.  With upcoming releases like MIB III, Chernobyl Diaries, and Snow White and the Huntsman, it is unlikely that this failed tent pole will leave any kind of lasting impression at the box office.  Still, I maintain that if you are simply looking for some stupid fun, you will find yourself entertained by Battleship.      

Overall Recommendation: Medium