MOVIE REVIEW: Men In Black 3 Makes You Believe In Sequels Again

The first MIB film was an entertaining, creative romp that was followed by a terrible sequel. And the disappointment was that much more heartbreaking since it tarnished such a great legacy. So it's not much of a compliment to say that “Men In Black 3” is an improvement on its predecessor. A more accurate one would be that it's a fun and enjoyable ride that can everyone can enjoy, and certainly worth watching more than once.

One of the reasons that the first film worked so well is because of Will Smith's appeal as leading man Agent J, as well as the contrast to his partner K (Tommy Lee Jones). Unfortunately, another major element was J's fish out of water bafflement as he was forced to deal with the bizarre consequences of alien cohabitation. So how do you bring that last, most important ingredient back when your character has obviously had years to become reconciled to his new environment and circumstances? Well, in this case, you send him back in time.

The aforementioned time traveling becomes necessary after Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement), a dangerous alien that K put away in the 1960s, escapes from a lunar prison and travels back in time and kills K, thus erasing him from existence and preventing his actions that will protect the Earth from an alien invasion in the present day. Thus, J has to travel back to 1969 to prevent K's death and make sure the Earth is saved.

While the usual hippie and fashion caricatures are there (including a hilarious Andy Warhol appearance), it also has a lot of fun with the new setting, complete with a great performance by Josh Brolin as the young K, and Michael Stuhlbarg as Griffin, a winningly sweet alien who can see many possible futures but can't guarantee the happy ending he wants so much.

It all makes for a fun time at the movies. The jokes will make you laugh, the acting is fun, and rarity of rarities, there were even a few surprises at the ending. And it's good to know that you can enjoy yourself at an MIB film again, since the last one managed to bring a great franchise to its knees. Lean back and get the good times roll again.

Grade: B+