MINI-REVIEW: Men in Black 3 in 3D

MOVIE
Men in Black 3 (MIB3)

CAST
Will Smith, Josh Brolin,
Tommy Lee Jones

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
May 25, 2012

DIRECTOR
Barry Sonnefeld

STUDIO
Columbia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 46 minutes




STARS
***1/4








REVIEW:

As it turns out, going backwards in time is much better than going forward in the case of 'Men in Black 3.'  It's been nearly a decade since audiences were given the mediocre sequel that is 'Men in Black II.'  Due to that fatal mistake, it seemed that there was no hope of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones donning the black suits and the sweet sunglasses once again.  But alas, Sony figured that 3D could help out the alien fighting men on their journey back to the big screen.  And 3D is what 'Men in Black 3' got treated with.  Series director Barry Sonnenfeld along with Smith and Jones have come back to make one final MIB movie that is out on a mission to restore the popularity of 'Men in Black.'  Luckily for them, that's exactly what has happened.  'Men in Black 3' is a fast paced, humorous, and fun summer movie that is one of the better films to come out this year. 

Will Smith is great as always playing Agent J.  Smith knows how to bring a modern flare properly into a 60s setting, which is always good fun to watch.  Tommy Lee Jones, while listed as a main star, is really only in the movie for the first 15 minutes of the film and the last 5 minutes of the film, so I would call it really an extended cameo or something like that.  For the 86 minutes Jones isn't in the film, Josh Brolin is playing the younger rendition of his character, Agent K.  It's incredible how similar Jones and Brolin are in terms of looks and personality traits, because Brolin was the absolute perfect choice to play young K.  If they made prequel 'Men in Black' films starring Josh Brolin as young K, I bet it would do some good business despite the absence of Will Smith.  Jemaine Clement is very enjoyable as the villain of the movie, named "Boris the Animal."  Of all of the villains from this series, I think Boris is probably the best one, because the character does much more than walking around New York City scaring people and killing us one by one.  Overall the cast was able to put on good performances and give the audience some good laughs and keep them on the edge of their seats for the whole way through.

'Men in Black 3' is what you want in a summer movie, and actually gives its audience a whole lot more than they'd expect to see.  In some ways, this is the 'Toy Story 3' of the 'Men in Black' series, because it's final 10 minutes just gets you in the hearts and makes you remember something more about why you liked the first one and wish that the second film never happened.  Etan Cohen, the screenwriter of the film, knew how to revive this once thought dead franchise and bring it to a whole new generation, which is always great to see.  I'm actually worried that this movie might be crushed by its upcoming rivals like Snow White & The Huntsman' and 'Prometheus,' because this is a movie that is actually worth going out to a theater and paying the 3D surcharge to check out.  Sure it is flawed a bit examples being the lack of Pug the Dog, the lack of much humor, and the constant plot-holes regarding the first two films, but if you put those aside then this will be a fun time at the movies for you.  Get ready to go back in time, because the Black Suited Men are back and better than ever.

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

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Total Recall


Skyfall


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Madagascar 3: 
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Finding Nemo 3D

Prometheus