MIB 3 = MOS: More of the Same


By Marcus McDaniel
of the Forum

   The original Men In Black was released in 1997 and it looks like the franchise is beginning to show its age.  While the movie was entertaining, there was very little in Men In Black 3 to give it a fresh feel.  It was movie deja vu: “Haven't I seen this before?!”  Yes, the movie had time travel which is something new to the franchise but other than that it was the “same ol' same ol'.”  Crazy guns and tech?  Check.  Weird aliens?  Check.   Jokes?  Check.  Just like the other two movies?  Check.
  The plot involves Agent J, played by Will Smith, going back in time to 1969 to stop the assassination of his partner Agent K, played by Tommy Lee Jones.  The plot is something fresh, along with a stellar performance by Josh Brolin who plays a young Agent K.  His performance as a young Tommy Lee Jones was eerily accurate and made me actually believe he was the younger version of the surly Agent K.  The villain Boris the Animal, played by Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement, was another bright spot almost stealing every scene he was in. 
  Despite the great performances and clever plot, there still wasn't enough in this movie to wow my socks off.  The staple of the previous two films have been the over the top antics and jokes by the boatload.  Yet in this installment, the jokes were few and far between and they never really upped the crazy action and aliens from the previous films.  I didn't get that “what the …?!” moment like I felt with the first film or got many really good laughs.  Most laughs were mild chuckles at best with maybe two or three hearty ones throughout the entire movie. 
  Now don't get me wrong, MIB3 is not a bad film by any means.  I was still entertained.  The special effects were fantastic, as always, and it was pretty cool to see in 3D.  More of the same isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just expected more from a film that took a ten year break between the second and third films.  It's a great action/sci-fi/comedy and I recommend you check it out if you liked the other two.  Just don't expect something extraordinary or an over-the-top, amazing summer blockbuster like The Avengers. 7/10

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