Men in Black 3
- (May 25th, 2012): PG-13
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
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
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
