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Is the third of a series a sequel or a threequel? And does a threequel have to be bad, especially if the sequel disappointed?
In this time line and reality (you have to see MIB III to get the joke I just made), MIB III is definitely a hit and does not disappoint. It exceeded all my expectations and that's my favorite reality of all. (again, you have to see MIB III to get my joke). We need some history to understand why.
My History with MIB:
I was captivated by the original Men In Black. The chemistry between Tommy Lee Jone as K and Will Smith as J was remarkable, and the story line was tremendous fun. Here was a sci-fi adventure with lots of fancy looking gadgets, insanely complex aliens, a nasty yet hysterical villain, a ton of comedy and a happy ending -- proving that a sci-fi movie doesn't have to be all doom and gloom, horror, gore, and filled with pessimistic technobabble about the hopelessness of the future, or endless wars with evil slimy aliens intent on destroying humanity, with the humans only winning at a tremendous cost. Here, humanity was the good guys and we won. It was brilliant.
I wasn't so excited by the sequel, MIB II. The chemistry between Jones and Smith was still there, the aliens were there, as were the fancy gadgets and sets, but it just didn't quite come off for me. It seemed, well, tired. The ending wasn't so happy, and though there were jokes a plenty, it had a much darker mood than the original. It was the lightness of the original that made it for me. The sequel seemed too forced and was just not that great.
Happily, along comes the threequel, MIB III, and it has it all again. In some ways, it's the best of the lot.
Why I enjoyed it so much:
Will Smith is again brilliant as J. He had kept in-character throughout the series and delivers his lines spot on. The jokes are fast and furious, and his expressions and body language are wonderful to watch. He makes the character fun.
Tommy Lee Jones reprises his role as K, and like Smith is very consistent. He's also a delight, and as sour as K ever was, but in this film, we find out why. He's not on screen that much, but when he is, he's great. Now he has some serious competition!
A few "newcomers" appear who are definitely worth mentioning.
Emma Thompson as O, the new leader after Z has passed on (we don't know why he died) is excellent as a leader of the MIB. She's always just plain fun to watch. Her character is quick, and just a bit silly.
Josh Brolin appears as the younger K (yes, this film is all about time travel and paradoxes, it can make your head spin) and carries the role off by making it his own. To be honest, I didn't know the full cast when I started watching and was partly convinced that Brolin was actually Pierce Brosnan (they look a little alike and some of Brolin's mannerisms reminded me of him). Brolin's K is a much more approachable agent of the MIB, just as funny and wise as Jone's K, but in a more human way. He's also just plain fun to watch. It looks like he's enjoying the part he plays.
Michael Stuhlbarg almost steals the show as Griffin, the friendly alien who can see all possible futures and works with K and J to stop the villain and save the day (and the Earth from invasion). He is so animated, his eyes are so bright and his facial expressions are so open... he's an easy candidate for my favorite alien. Great actor.
While it's easy to like the "good guys", they won't stand out much as characters unless they are up against a read baddie. And this MIB has a villain even more amazing than the original MIB I (remember the cockroach guy, hysterical but also menacing)?
Hats off to Jemaine Clement as Boris, The Animal (actually a sort of hybrid of several alien animals in one body). He's really scary and dangerous, bent on destruction - not a complex villain with angst, he just wants to change history so his race can invade and eat the Earth - and he's pretty much unstoppable.
So here we have a great cast (there are others to mention, I didn't see any performance I didn't like). Do we have a great story?
The Story:
I can't put in any spoilers here, it would not be fair. Suffice it to say that while the story uses a number of tried and true sci-fi cliche's, it does it with a freshness that is brilliant. They put in just the right twists on the tried and true, spin it in a different direction that it kept me on my toes while watching the film, guessing, but never correctly, what was going on or what would happen next. The script and writing on this movie is top notch.
There are jokes a plenty as one would expect, and they come fast and furious. I had to rewind and watch several segments repeatedly to savor them all.
A few things about the story really stand out. They manage to get suspense not only because of the plot twists, but also from some extremely uncomfortable (for me anyway) visual effects.
If you get an adrenalin rush from very high places without a net, you'll love some of the scenes in this movie. How they filmed it has me wondering! This makes not only are some of the alien bits "edge of your seat" stuff, but also some of the action sequences -- just what you'd want in an action adventure. And they don't look faked, at least, not to me! Using height to excite the audience is nothing new, but this movie does it with more of a roller coaster effect.
The script is also very strong on heart.
As one character says to J (I paraphrase here) "You must really love the guy to go through this for him". And that's what we get a lot of in this movie - heart. J is devoted to K as his partner. He's got his back and will do anything for him. More than that, the younger K is open to J's devotion and accepts it without curmudgeon (as we expect from the older K). But he also is a hero and must do what he must do, in spite of the risks. He can't let J's devotion stop him from fulfilling his destiny. The relationship is very touching.
Griffin, the alien, brings a sense of wisdom to all the adventure. He delivers some very wonderful lines, memorable and touching.
There is nothing particularly shocking in the film, just great suspense and action, plenty of surprises and the greatest surprise comes at the end of the movie.
The writers set us up for one "reality", but what plays out is something completely different, totally unexpected, and so amazingly well done that it ties up the entire K-J relationship together in a single, poignant scene. Everything makes sense, but it comes at a surprising cost for the characters, and our emotions.
Sets and Scenery:
MIB III delivers here as well, with some oddities.
The set for the MIB HQ in our present day has been upgraded. Unfortunately, the HQ now looks like it was designed by APPLE engineers. Everything is white, silver and glass with very little color anywhere. Yes, this contrasts with the "black" of Men In Black, but I would have enjoyed the HQ being less "Applish". Apple is a great company, but why does it have to be imitated in so many sci-fi movies (i.e. Star Trek, the alternate Enterprise bridge)?
Nevertheless there are a few sight gags in the sets. For example, look closely at O's office. I don't want to give the joke away, but most of the time, we see it in parts, an edge here, an interior shot there, bits and pieces of it. However, when J leaves it to start on his rescue of K, the camera backs off enough that we see the entire office and its shape. That shape will look very familiar. Hint: This is a movie about aliens in more ways than one!
The MIB HQ in the past (1969) is a great homage to architect Frank Lloyd Wright. To get that, you have to look at images of the interior layout of the Johnson Wax building that Wright designed.
That's an interesting view, but there is a huge joke in the HQ as well. To get it, you have to have seen MIB I and remember where the cockroach's escape spaceship comes from. In a very quick pan of the MIB HQ of 1969, you'll see it again as the camera makes a pan across the room.
Conclusion:
MIB III is an unexpected delight. It has everything I want in a lighthearted and entertaining sci-fi movie. The acting is brilliant, the writing and sets... well, let's just say I thought the whole thing was brilliant. Entertaining, engrossing, kept me guessing, and it has just the right touch of heart to make it a "I'm really glad I saw it." movie.
And a note about Amazon.
I watched this on Amazon Instant Video as a 24 hour rental based on a Christmas gift certificate I received.
Once again, Amazon comes through with an easy purchase. I simply found the movie, applied my gift certificate code, and was even able to download MIB III temporarily to my PC (so it would play more smoothly.)
I was even able to watch some of it as it was downloading (on my computer this caused a bit of jerkiness, which is to be expected, my computer is an older model). Picture quality was excellent and it played very well once fully downloaded.
So hats off toe Amazon for their process in being able to "rent a movie".
And hats off to MIB III for being a great $3.99 rental.
Money well spent. I loved it!
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| Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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November 30, 2012 "Please retry" | SteelBook | — |
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November 30, 2012 "Please retry" | — | — | $6.00 | $2.00 |
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From the manufacturer
Men In Black
Men in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay (Jones) and Jay (Smith), members of a top-secret organization established to monitor alien activity on Earth. The two MiB find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.
Scenes from the Men In Black Movies
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Will Smith in Men In BlackMen in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay (Jones) and Jay (Smith), members of a top-secret organization established to monitor alien activity on Earth. The two MiB find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. |
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black IITommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are back in black as the scum-fighting super-agents Kay and Jay - regulators of all things alien on planet earth. Their latest mission: to save the world from a total intergalactic disaster! When a renegade Kylothian monster disguised as a lingerie model threatens the survival of the human race, the boys of the MIB get the call to step up and get busy. With their headquarters under siege and time running out, Agents Kay and Jay enlist the help of Frank the Pug and a posse of hard-living worms to help them kick some seriously sexy alien butt! |
Tommy Lee in Men in Black IIIAgent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history |
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