Men in Black 3 (3D)

Its been 10 years since the last MIB released and its not that we were craving for one anytime soon, nevertheless the new instalment has Agent Jay ... read more

Its been 10 years since the last MIB released and its not that we were craving for one anytime soon, nevertheless the new instalment has Agent Jay & Agent Kay back in action, this time with a sinister adversary at hand.

The film begins with Boris the Animal(Jermaine Clement) tearing through a prison on Moon, finishing whatever comes in his way. He then travels back in time to finish Agent K(Tommy Lee Jones) for taking away his hand. This changes the order on earth and puts it in danger. To save his partner & the world at large, Agent K(Will Smith) must travel back to 1969 and make sure he doesnt let his partner go down.

Once back in time, he has to convince his partner of who he is and what his mission is. The sequences leading up to them becoming a duo again are a hoot.

As the story takes place in the 60s, its great fun to see the setup &
especially the play on Smith being a black man in America then. There are some fun action moments and genuinely hilarious sequences, mostly involving the camaraderie between the 2 agents.

Ofcourse as is with all big budget 3D films, this too tries to bring in its fair share of guns, aliens & mayhem, but falls short on the entertainment quotient.

Will Smith plays his role with his casual charismatic non-chalance & is an absolute joy to watch. Tommy Lee Jones is badass as usual & Josh Brolin pulls off a great impression as the young TLJ. Though personally, I would have preferred some more of TLJ as he & Smith have great chemistry & a fantastic banter going.

ts certain that the studio will make big bucks of this venture even though it isnt the best. While it doesnt quite wow you, its a good Sunday evening watch with equal dosage of funny & random with a dash of action & tomfoolery.
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If one told me MIB2 was a good film and a great idea, Id just say that we agree to disagree. It goes without saying hence that an attempt to resurr... read more

If one told me MIB2 was a good film and a great idea, Id just say that we agree to disagree. It goes without saying hence that an attempt to resurrect the series after ten long years falls expectedly short of expectations.

Ten years after the last time they were out saving the earth from truant aliens, Agents K and J are back for a third time to do what they do best, ward off another alien attack on earth. And to do so, Agent J has to travel all the way back in time to 1969 and undo what was done then, to prevent what is about to happen now. With time travel as its base and a generous amount of sappy emotions added, MIB3 is just about passable entertainment. Oh yes, there is the 3D too, but more on that later.

MIB3 looks terribly dated-in an age when even comic book super heroes have dark adult treatments to their onscreen avatars, the simplistic approach to story in MIB seems underwhelming. The plot has gaping holes staring one right in the face with untied loose ends and convenient artistic liberties. What was it that turned K into the dry emotionless agent he is now? What happened to K and Os love story? We would never know, for perhaps neither did the makers of the film. Technically too, the film is stuck in a time wrap for we have seen much better spectacles in the decade since MIB last wore their black suits.

MIBs hallmark has been its witty banter between K and J. Tommy lee is replaced by Josh Brolin playing a younger K who is not only a tad too chatty for comfort, but also pretty devoid of sharp sarcasm unlike the older one. Will Smith as J is the usual cool goofy dude he always plays, though definitely given lesser scope to be as funny. There is little of the sharp wit and laughter we have come to associate with the series to keep one hooked. The emotional climax feels forced and cheesy though enacted well, making one cringe in the seats.

And then there is the 3D. for most part of the film, 3D seems like an after thought to boost revenues and add sheen to an otherwise lackluster product. Save for a thrilling time jump in the beginning of the film, none of the scenes warrant the extra dimension or attempt at leveraging the immersion 3D provides. In fact watching gross looking aliens fall on your face in 3D puts you off at times.
To be fair, MIB3 has its moments.

There are some genuinely funny lines, references to popular public figures being aliens and a beautiful bright 60s New York. Yet these are not entirely enough to rekindle the magic of the first installment in the series.

This one is strictly for nostalgia sake. Hardcore fans though would reach out for the Neuralizer.
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Ten years is a long time to try and resurrect a dormant franchise, especially with a cast & crew that though tantalizing, arent exactly at the ... read more

Ten years is a long time to try and resurrect a dormant franchise, especially with a cast & crew that though tantalizing, arent exactly at the top of the food chain as they once were. Looks like the makers however have more than enough confidence in them, despite a much reviled second effort in the series. To put things short, this is a huge improvement over the second one but doesnt come close to touching the freshness of the first one.

J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are still saving the earth from the scum of the universe but when an alien assassin, Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) breaks free from a high security prison on the moon, things take a turn for the worse. K had apprehended Boris in 1969 and averted an alien invasion that would have wiped out the human race. Boris seeks to undo the damage by jumping back in time and killing a young K (Josh Brolin), which he does successfully thus wiping out the existence of K in the future and inflicting an imminent alien Armageddon. J now has to travel back in time and ensure Boris fails and the earth is safe.

Keeping aside the various time travel loopholes in the plot this is a fairly breezy take on the Back to the Future template with an emotional twist thrown in at the end as to explain Ks dour personality. While there are plenty of stabs at humour and sly references to hidden aliens amongst us and jokes about technology & racism in the 60s only a bunch of them really hit it out of the park.

Josh Brolin is the real star and mimics Tommy Lee Jones to perfection without ever crossing the line in parody. His voice modulation is pitch perfect as are his mannerisms and in the emotional scenes brings out a certain latent humanity of the character. Will Smith does his usual cool & hip yet goofy routine while Tommy Lee Jones is at his dour best. Alice Eve & Emma Thompson are wasted in inconsequential roles. Flight of the Concordes Jemaine Clement has an impressive look but is lost under all that make-up and sounds more like a pumped up Hugo Weaving than anything else. Michael Chernus has a small role as the electronics store owner who has the equipment required for time travel and has some of the best lines of the film in true surfer dude meets nerd fashion.

The 3D while somewhat effective is yet again derivative and unnecessary though the bright template through the movie helps keep things clean and crisp. The standout sequence are the two jumps, J makes and passes through various timelines to reach the right one, it contains an amusing joke on the great depression.

Men in Black 3 is a breezy watch which offers no great thrills but doesnt bore you either. Josh Brolins dead-on impression of a younger Agent K is easily the highlight of the film, watch it for this alone.
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good

good movie