Rent Men in Black 3 (2012)

Men in Black 3 (aka Men in Black III) review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso

Fifteen years after the release of the original Men in Black movie Barry Sonnenfeld returns to the helm of the newest addition to the secret alien agency trilogy, imaginatively named Men in Black III.

Along with Sonnenfeld Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return as the main character’s Agent’s J (Smith) and K (Jones); this time however, it’s not just Earth that’s under threat but a devious alien who, having escaped the secret prison on the moon, travels back in time intending to murder the young Agent K and thwart the MiB’s mission in it’s earliest days.

Young Agent K is played brilliantly by Josh Brolin, who manages to imitate and emulate Jones’ mannerisms and Southern drawl almost to perfection; expertly balancing his performance between that of an accomplished actor and a comic character. Whilst Smith’s performance is as enigmatic and loveable as ever and harks pleasantly back to the less serious roles of his past without seeming too cheesy or lacking in charm. I was in fact quite touched by the levels of emotional intercourse offered throughout the movie which I felt were, unlike many films for kids, portrayed in a rather honest and un-patronizing fashion.

Other additions to the cast, including the mysterious Agent O, played by Emma Thompson and Alice Eve (as Young Agent O in 1969) and the surprisingly unpleasant Boris “The Animal” (Flight of the Conchord’s Jemaine Clement) give the third instalment of what on the surface is little more than a rehash of a 90’s children’s blockbuster, surprisingly emanative twist.

The special effects are, of course, spectacular, and absolutely everywhere in the movie, even viewing the movie in 2D you find you can hardly movie for CGI explosions and out of this world monsters. Although this aspect of the movie may have been a little over indulgent, it doesn’t distract from the narrative too much and quite quickly becomes background noise to the charisma of the characters and story.