The holidays are a little more hectic this year because now that I’m married I have two separate Christmases to attend so I was worried about how I was going to review a movie in time. Luckily, work was super slow on Christmas Eve so I fired up the laptop, pulled out a projector and begrudgingly popped in a co-workers copy of Men in Black 3 for everyone at work to watch.
I admit my skepticism for the Men in Black series (after the rather weak MIB2) kept me from seeing MIB3 in theaters, so I wasn’t too keen on watching this film. Especially on an extremely rare “Work Movie Day.” However, the people had spoken, so I was forced to sit through it no matter what.
After the first five minutes I was hooked.
When a dangerous alien known as Boris the Animal (Jermain Clement) escapes from prison on Mars, it is up to Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) to figure out his plan for revenge and track him down. Even if his trail leads them back in time, which it does.
I immediately understood why I had lost interest after the second film. The witty back and forth relationship that Agent J and K have is what makes these films. Sure, there are plenty of cool aliens and interesting gadgets, but it’s the character interaction that pulled me in after the first film. MIB2 didn’t have enough of that in it. However, despite my hesitation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the writers did a good job of bringing it back in this film.
I thought all of the actors did a great job, but there was one clear stand out. Josh Brolin, who plays a young version of Agent K, was amazing. I know him and Tommy Lee Jones have been paired in other films (No Country for Old Men) but the way in which Brolin captures the idiosyncrasies that are Agent K, especially in the way he verbally spars with Agent J, was hilarious.
If you’re like me and skipped this film, for whatever reason, go grab it at a nearby Redbox or put in your DVD by mail queue on Netflix. And if you haven’t seen any of the MIB films do yourself a favor and watch the first one as soon as you get a chance.
What do you think of the Men in Black series? Share your thoughts in the comments.
