Men in Black 3: Review By Julian Left

Playing it safe is not always the resolution to achieve success with your movie. Was playing it safe this time helpful? On one hand it was because the final stage was better set than the previous one. One the other hand it wasn't because they relied too much on Josh Brolin and on the franchise' popularity. It's irritating because I realized that they could have made something more epic if they had given more heart to the project. I'm also satisfied at the same time because they could have gone completely in the wrong direction and create one of the most ridiculous science-fiction movies in the last decade.

Men In Black III keeps it safe with it's storyline and characters. The typical and very basic story of the villain who seeks revenge. The time-travelling piece of the puzzle where one has to go back in time to save the other it's still so futile yet it was necessary to shape up the story to be more interesting than it would have been without it. The characters are still one-dimensional and the villain is plain laughable. I could go on with the rusty look of this film but I will sound too pretentious so I'll say it simply: the movie is flawed, the movie is silly, the movie is typical. I have to go on and say that I wasn't really impressed with the looks of most aliens here. I don't know why but no one was really memorable. However, the movie is also a Man In Black movie and for what it is... let me be honest and say that it did more than I imagined. Though inconsistent with it's pacing, filled with dull moments, karaoke jokes, old-school cheese, and both pasty and crispy visuals... Men In Black III is still entertaining enough to keep you interested in the tiny story we have here. It starts slowly like an old man opening his briefcase showing us all these extra-terrestrials in non-sensical detail. Though there's not much to get from these characters we're still going to cheer for this one fella Josh Brolin who plays the Young Agent K. Surprisingly Will Smith is more like the off-tone of this film. Nothing that he says or does is really at the center of your amusement. What moves you and keeps a smile on your face is Josh Brolin's subtle and colorful performance. He did not only made a terrific rendition of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K but he also played a bit with the audience in the way he approached the role with much more humor and much more soul.

Progressively the movie gets better and after a first slow start the second act will pick up in a minute. You're carried through this journey through the relationship between Agent J (Will Smith) and Young Agent K (Josh Brolin). Few comical situations thrown around, few awkward moments, and some scenes where the good comfortable action is more than enough to please you. They did an extraordinary job setting the 60s look on this film. Really good sense of that era with small homages being paid, the most obvious one being the Apollo mission. Once we reach the third act and we rush through the finale we get to see a pretty good turn which will leave fans of the series with a smile on their faces. The "Hollywoodian" emotional ending fits this sequel and leaves room for hope in the heart of the many fanboys out there.

Suffice it to say, Men In Black III while playing it safe, remained honest to the franchise and didn't went over the top nor changed the structure of the universe. It was a gentle approach that was created to reward the people who grew up watching the first movie. As a result, "MIB" exceeded expectations for what it was designed to be, it felt better than the second film, and it surely delivered enough to please the audience. However, this is still forgettable because of it's dullness, and the lazy and uninspired development outside of Josh Brolin's character.

Storyline/Dialogue: 6.5

Acting: 7.5

Technical Execution: 8.1

Replay Value: 6

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Overall: 7.1