Surprisingly fun

The first Men in Black film spread laughter across the globe in 1997 with its refreshing alien-busting comedy capers. A disappointing 2002 sequel followed which was a forgettable giant yawn.

A decade later and my expectations were low, especially because the movie had no particular agenda with cast changes, script problems and delays in the filming process.

Fortunately, Men in Black III more than delivers, bringing novelty to the series without abandoning what made the original so entertaining.

It kicks off with a parody of the Silence of the Lambs series, showing the evil alien fugitive, Boris ‘the animal’, played by Jemaine Clement, breaking out of a maximum security prison in space by a stealthy Nicole Scherzinger, who disappears much after her three seconds on screen.

Back on earth, we are once again in the company of Agent J (Smith) and Agent K (Jones). Agent K is still the same bad-tempered old man and Agent J is still his blabbermouth protégé, both grieving the loss of a colleague.
 
When Boris, who lost his arm in an altercation with Agent K in 1969, comes to earth for vengeance he discovers a method of time travel that will take him back to the moment he lost his freedom (and his arm) to kill-off Agent K and erase him from existence.

Back to the Future meets Men in Black and Agent J wakes up to a world where his partner has been dead for 40 years, before they had even met. He follows Boris’ trail back to the 1960s in an effort to save K and the planet from an alien invasion, by contacting the younger Agent K (Brolin).

Brolin’s expressionless delivery is spot on and added humour to his dry and deadpan impression of the serious Jones. His pitch perfect performance also gives a back-story to Agent K, explaining his moody blues, whilst playing off Smith almost as charmingly as Jones did in the first film, giving heart to the story.

Furthermore, Michael Stulbarg as Griffin, an alien spiritualist who can see every parallel universe simultaneously, was also a great addition to the cast, throwing any confusion about time travel out of the window. In the third act, Griffin even manages a lump in the throat.

However, what worked like comic hellfire was the casting of Clement. He stole the show with a rowdy performance that was needed to provoke laughs. It was far from the comic’s best work and he may have been buried under prosthetics, but he still managed to provide a character that I wanted to see more of, giving a perfect balance of comedy and evilness.

Sonnenfeld realises that if you have a good thing, stick to it, just add a pointless 3D aspect to the movie, and provide big stunts, high-standard visuals and the audience will love it again.

Men in Black III is a pleasant surprise and manages to return the franchise to its original form. In addition, by giving a background to the characters it made them more appealing than they were in the first two films. The movie may not be the best in the series, but it is definitely not the worst, and manages to entertain your mind while tugging at your heart.

*Showing in Dana Cineplex