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FILM DETAILS

Certificate PG

Cast Will Smith Tommy Lee Jones David Koepp Jemaine Clement Josh Brolin.

Directors Barry Sonnenfeld.

Screenwriters Etan Coen Jeff Nathanson Michael Soccio.

Running Time 105 minutes

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Men In Black 3
Protecting the Earth from the scum of the ’60s

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Plot
When Boris The Animal (Clement) escapes from a supermax prison on the moon, he swears vengeance on Agent K (Jones), the man in black who put him away. Travelling back in time, he erases K from history, forcing his partner, J (Smith), to head into the past in hot pursuit. There, he teams up with a younger K (Brolin)...

Review

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In a summer dominated by men in capes, spare a thought for the men in black. Despite the presence of Will Smith, the de facto biggest movie star in the world (albeit headlining a movie for the first time since 2008), the third Men In Black film has struggled for attention. Perhaps it’s because it’s been ten years since we last saw Smith’s Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K strut their stuff, or perhaps it’s because Men In Black II was — a couple of genius gags aside — utter rubbish, but it’s been hard to muster much enthusiasm. The only MIB-related trailer that generated excitement was the multi-storey monster Smith parked on the New York set.

The film’s troubled shoot hasn’t helped. A decade in development, MIB3 still started shooting without a finished script, and had to shut down midway through production so that returning director Barry Sonnenfeld, Smith — who came up with the time-travel idea — and a cadre of high-powered writers could resolve a plot that was threatening to tie itself in knots.

Their time might have been better spent punching up the frankly dreadful opening, in which Jemaine Clement’s Boris The Animal — a snarling, Brit-accented almost-literal Hell’s Angel who kills his victims by firing bits of sharpened bone — escapes from his lunar prison with the help of, of all people, Lewis Hamilton’s girlfriend. There are a few stabs here at the mordant humour that defined the first two films, but clearly Sonnenfeld felt that a credible threat to J, K and the rest of the alphabet gang was required — and the truly menacing Boris ticks that box. However, the casting of Flight Of The Conchords’ Clement — virtually unrecognisable under Rick Baker’s goop — is a curious one, given that Boris isn’t required to be funny. One Clement ad-lib, during an exchange with two tourists, aside, you quickly yearn for the shuffling weirdness of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Edgar-bug from the original.

As the first 15 minutes wears on, D’Onofrio is not the only thing you’ll miss. Following his much-publicised off-screen travails, Rip Torn’s Zed is dead, baby, given an early eulogy which allows Emma Thompson, replacing him as Agent O, a cracking comedic moment, but what’s mostly gone AWOL is the chemistry between Smith and Jones. At first glance, when the film’s plot was made public, it seemed an act of madness to scrunch up the golden ticket and separate the Men In Black, but it’s actually a boon for the film. Jones, whose screen time amounts to around 15 minutes, looks tired, and while the film plays nicely on that, there’s no excuse for Smith looking sleepy too, or their banter feeling so forced and drained of life.

K’s disappearance without a trace — only J remembers he ever existed, which is the first don’t-go-there plot development — forces Smith back in time in pursuit of Boris, and there the film kicks into gear. Not just because we get to meet Josh Brolin, giving the film’s best turn with a spot-on impression of Jones, but because Will Smith gets to be Will Smith again. Gone is the mopester of the first act, back is the smooth-talking wisecracker with a nice line in incredulous reaction shots when confronted with oversized ’60s MIB technology (a neuralizer the size of a small bus). A scene between him and a pair of knuckleheaded cops is the best thing in the film.

But it’s still something of a too-many-cooks muddle. Sonnenfeld’s insistence on keeping his movies short and sweet (he misses his usual self-imposed 90-minute mark here by a few minutes) is admirable, but means that certain characters are given short shrift (spare a thought for Alice Eve as the young Emma Thompson, who winds up as nothing more than an impressive hairdo that occasionally speaks). And an ill-conceived third act shift from the epic cosmic jokes of the first two movies, which repeatedly rammed home the point that not only are we not alone in the universe, but we’re infinitesimally insignificant, to a cack-handed attempt at wringing pathos and genuine emotion from a franchise which was founded on cynicism, just doesn’t work. In fact, there’s a disheartening lack of wit throughout — thankfully there’s just enough zest in certain scenes (a sequence at Andy Warhol’s Factory is excellent) to make the possibility of a MIB4 (perhaps with Brolin coming to the future to team with Smith and Jones) relatively palatable. In about 20 years’ time, obviously.

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Average user rating for Men In Black 3

RE:

Men in Black III (2012) was good and I loved it ... More

Posted by a2zmoviez at 07:59, 07 June 2012 | Report This Post

As much as I enjoyed the first one and avoided the second one, this was rather a boring experience of men in black. The trailer only showed the funny parts and we were counting on more, but the humour in the movie was actually disappointing. the film specials that was shown on the TV, with Will Smith and Josh Brolin, talking enthusiastically about the plot and how much Will missed doing this, was the only reason I went to see because it sounded too damn good. Never-mind the plot, the performance... More

Posted by Mrs.Wayne at 21:10, 05 June 2012 | Report This Post

ronseal

i cannot agree with empire on this one. We had a very rainy day in dublin and myself and the wife devoid of choice desid to visit the cinema. She hated mib 1/2 i liked them and i was v curious to see how josh did with his impression. After a long row i win yeaaa,two hours later we walk down the steps out into the drab mid winters day..yea yea its summer please tell that to the weather fairys. I turn to my mib hateing wife!.......hummm she says with a wry smile that is the best of the three :... More

Posted by satchwannad at 23:53, 03 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: 2 stars? Wrong.

Kermode got it spot on in his review by describing MIB 3 as a series of contract obligations rather than a solid piece of blockbuster entertainment. Despite the presence of an excellent Michael Stuhlberg, a good gag involving Andy Warhol & Josh Brolin nailing an impersonation of a younger Tommy Lee Jones, everything feels rather flat. Jermaine Clement (inspired in Of The Conchords in the dreamworks animation Rio) is wasted in a largely empty villainous role, whilst even Smith is largely subdued... More

Posted by Qwerty Norris at 15:37, 03 June 2012 | Report This Post

2 stars? Wrong.

I enjoyed it. It was class. Not everyone will agree with 4 stars but it easily deserves a solid 3. 2 stars Empire? Really? And what's with referring to Nicole Scherzinger as simply Lewis Hamiltons girlfriend? A little disrespectful to a woman who has clearly done well in life off her own back. Plus she did a fine job in the film, doing exactly what was required of her character and doing it well. This was most enjoyable all in all. Much better than MIB2 (not hard) and with plenty of the magic of... More

Posted by Lucky Day at 22:05, 31 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

cant wait to finally watch it... this weekend ... More

Posted by convco at 00:54, 31 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

I loved the film, definitely better than the 2nd one, and it was great to see Will Smith back on the big screen. Just wish they had included Frank! ... More

Posted by Goughy7 at 19:54, 28 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

Surprisingly good. Quite funny and there's a good emotional kick at the end. Far better than the awful second one. 3 stars. ... More

Posted by talpacino at 09:21, 28 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

Boris the Beast escapes from his prison on the Moon with the help of a female helper and a cake containing an alien. He returns to Earth with one mission: to go back in time to 1969 and kill Agent K, who had cut off his hand and imprisoned him in 1969. K also created a protective shield called the Arcnet to protect Earth from alien invasion. Agent J awakes to find himself in an alternate reality where K has been dead for 40 years. It seems that Boris was able to travel back in time to 1969 u... More

Posted by Dr Lenera at 21:23, 27 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

I was a bit worried at first given Empire and Total Film's reactions, but then seeing Ebert and Roeper's seperate positive reviews plus a few in the papers and so forth, I was a bit more positive going in... and I really dug this, yet another hugely enjoyable blockbuster this year.... I can't really nitpick because the only nitpicks I'd have were explained like how J is the only one noticing K is gone... other than that, there was a fantastic villain in Boris, great new additions to the cast li... More

Posted by DJ Rob C: Mark II! at 13:14, 27 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

The real heart of the film lies with Michael Stuhlbarg, evoking the spirit of Robin Williams' Mork (including a bit of fourth-walling at one point). His character Griffin is a humanoid-alien who can see all possible outcomes of a situation, the joke being that he's never entirely sure which universe he's until events occur. is funny, touching, and more interesting than any other character in the film.b]In Shorting on the strengths of MiB, but not falling into the traps of MiB2. Tricky startin... More

Posted by TheMightyBlackout at 13:07, 26 May 2012 | Report This Post

It was like the 3rd Mighty ducks movie!

Plus where was Will smiths song? ... More

Posted by Teddy Bear at 22:08, 25 May 2012 | Report This Post

It was like the 3rd Mighty ducks movie!

Plus where was Will smiths song? ... More

Posted by Teddy Bear at 22:08, 25 May 2012 | Report This Post

It was like Shrek the 3rd!!!!

My review of MIB3. WHERE'S JEEBS? WHERE'S ZED?? WHERE'S FRANK THE PUG??!!!!! ... More

Posted by Teddy Bear at 22:06, 25 May 2012 | Report This Post

M.I.B.

You know, M.I.B. actually has a different meaning...it means "Mutual in Bed", and it's awesome...try a search for it on youtube! ... More

Posted by MovieFan25 at 18:19, 24 May 2012 | Report This Post

Harmless fun.

Nothing amazing but certainly not bad. Brolin's TLJ was golden. ... More

Posted by sephiroth7 at 00:55, 22 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

Will Smith smacked a dude in the mouth the other day for trying to kiss him; that was more entertaining than this ass water. Damon Hills girlfriend is an even worse actress than she is manufactured pop singer. 8% ... More

Posted by spamandham at 15:49, 21 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

I'm not surprised this is getting a 2 star review. I actually prefer the 2nd movie to the first, but both are pretty average movies. ... More

Posted by DONOVAN KURTWOOD at 19:05, 20 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

If the 3d is of the same quality as was present in the IMAX 3d trailer it will be a masterclass on how not to make a film with 3d. Excessively blurry backgrounds, flatly layered crowds and myriad other factors all of which made it a very uncomfortable experience to watch. ... More

Posted by sanchia at 17:57, 20 May 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Men In Black 3

Doesn't sound too promising... Not a good sign though when the "funniest" thing in the trailer is Josh Brolin saying "alright" like Tommy Lee Jones. Shame really - Men in Black was a good, fun film, kind of (if not quite) like a 90's Ghostbusters. Sequel wasn't too great though and it sounds like it's all downhill from there. ... More

Posted by Super Hans at 17:06, 20 May 2012 | Report This Post

Is this the ABSOLUTE official Empire review?

What about when it arrives on doovde? ... More

Posted by Loosecrew at 23:17, 17 May 2012 | Report This Post

The first MIB wasn't exactly a game changer. In fact it was an early indicator that

Hollywood was out of ideas. It was harmless fun, but certainly not strong enough premise to base a series upon. It had out stayed its welcome by the time the sequel came around. Even with the extended hiatus between then and now, the series couldn't come up with anything interesting to say. I'm not suprised to hear that MIB3 is nothing more than cynical cash grab. ... More

Posted by Cameron1975Williams at 19:32, 17 May 2012 | Report This Post

I'm not prone to comments like this, but referring to Nicole Shirtzinger as "Lewis Hamilton's girlfriend" seems a little bitter, really unprofessional and dates the review quite badly. ... More

Posted by petecriss8000 at 14:44, 17 May 2012 | Report This Post

Red-Faced Men In Black

"MIB3 still started shooting without a finished script." What a mess. You'll never get a good movie out of that. The first Men In Black got it so right, was a huge hit and even had a hit song from Will Smith. Men In Black II was a ramshackle mess (even the CGI and photography looked awful) and this looks like being the same. They ran the franchise into the ground through laziness and carelessness. ... More

Posted by BenTramer at 12:09, 17 May 2012 | Report This Post

Did we watch the same film?

Ok, so it's not an Oscar winner... but 2 star for an entertaining 90 minutes? Harsh. 3 star at least. Especially when you gave tosh like Piranha 3DD 3 star. ... More

Posted by dunnlop at 10:59, 17 May 2012 | Report This Post

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