I figured since I had mentioned in my previous post that I was heading out to see Men In Black III soon, I might as well indulge you all with a quick follow-up.
As was the case with most of my friends, I had no recollection of seeing Men In Black II. It took reading a plot synopsis online to jog my memory enough to recall that since I knew what happened during that movie, I obviously DID see it. Sadly, that’s all I remember about it. Therefore, I went into MIB III with the expectation that this would be little more than an attempt (however late) to cash in on the popularity of the first movie.
Will Smith can still play Agent J, and play him well. Granted, J is basically the same archetype of most of Smith’s characters, though not all. Still, it’s a fun, energetic role, and it’s very enjoyable to watch. Tommy Lee Jones is as he always has been, though beginning to look a bit sheepdog-esque in a way that I found kind of disturbing. But he’s only in the beginning and end of the movie, so I guess that’s okay. And then there’s Josh Brolin as the younger version of Agent K. I don’t know how much time Brolin spent studying Tommy Lee Jones’ K (theoretically, he had a LOT of time–how long ago was MIB II?), but his mannerisms are so spot-on, it’s downright scary.
Smith and Brolin have a nice chemistry, and the story is actually pretty good. It’s a fun little movie with some nice action shots and a good number of laughs. It trucks along just fine until near the end, where the story delivers a sucker-punch that caught me off-guard (typical) and made me well up a little. A nice wrap-up left me leaving the theater feeling quite entertained. Unlike MIB II, I’m pretty sure I’ll remember this movie.
[Side note: I didn’t put up the extra cash to see this in 3D, but this is a movie that lends itself well to it. There were a few scenes that I could tell would be extra cool to see in 3D. Will I go back and see this again in 3D? Probably not. But if you feel like paying a bit more, you won’t be disappointed.]
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