Men in Black III

Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Jemaine Clement, Bill Hader, Michael Stuhlbarg

Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld
Scr. Etan Cohen

It’s been ten years since Men in Black II and I guess, like most cinema-goers, I wasn’t really expecting a third instalment. Especially after being so disappointed by part two. But here we have it (in 3D of course) and I certainly didn’t have to be too convinced to part with my money yet again to watch Will and Tommy and a whole lot of funky aliens. While I would argue that this film may be slightly better than the one before it, it really does fall very short of being anywhere near as funny or surprising or exciting as the original instalment. The film is saved from complete failure by Smith’s ever-bankable charisma and Brolin’s phenomenal Tommy Lee Jones impersonation.

Agents J (Smith) and K (Jones) are still partners, protecting the earth from the scum of the universe. The particular scum in MiB III is Boris the Animal (Clement, channelling David Bowie), the last remaining Boglodite in the universe, who at the beginning of the film escapes from a lunar prison and is bent on revenge and world domination. As you do. When he travels back in time and kills a younger K (Brolin), J must follow him to 1969 in order to save not only K, but the entire human race.

First things first: it’s not funny enough. The humour often feels forced and contrived. Smith’s timing is as good as ever, but he seems to have much less to work with than he should. There aren’t enough crazy and surprising aliens posing as humans, which is arguably what originally set MiB apart. Brolin is wonderfully funny, but this is due to his spot-on portrayal of a young Jones rather than any sparkling dialogue. Clement’s comic brilliance is woefully underutilised, as Boris is largely a humourless baddie. For me, the funniest scene is between young K and Andy Warhol (Hader), but this was mostly due to a whole lot of pop art-related gags.

The lack of laughs weighed heavily on me. Despite this, I have to say some of the acting is great. Jones, sadly, dials his performance in. But he only features at the beginning and the end, so, whatever. Smith is great, as ever. He is utterly watchable. Hader and Stuhlbarg are welcome surprises and both brilliant. Clement is good, but I think the interpretation of Boris could have been so much better (which, I suspect, is not Clement’s fault). Thompson (as Agent O) seems out of place and pointless. The absolute star of the show is Brolin. You would be forgiven for thinking he’s lip-syncing to a voiceover by Jones. But, no, this is all Brolin’s brilliance. And he’s given quite a lot to work with – imagine Jones’s K before he got all old and grumpy, but still with his quirks and dryness and a dash of emotion. Smith’s charm and Brolin’s performance, I contend, is probably just about worth the price of admission.

If you’re a Will Smith/Men in Black fan, by all means, see this film. It’s not great. At times, it’s not even good. But as long as you don’t expect too much, you’ll probably enjoy yourself.

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Agent J (to Agent K): I am getting too old for this. I can only imagine how YOU feel.