In the third chapter of the alien-bustin’ franchise,
notorious intergalactic criminal Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) breaks out
of his lunar prison and travels back to 1969 to erase his captor from history,
the legendary MIB agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). In order to save his old partner,
J (Will Smith) must also travel back in time, where he inadvertently teams up
with a younger version of K (Josh Brolin).
When Men
in Black came out back in the summer of 1997, it was like a breath of fresh
air. In a season where highly anticipated follow-ups like Batman & Robin and The
Lost World turned out to be major let downs, the black suits strolled out of
nowhere with their smart mix of sci-fi, comedy and body horror and took over
the box office like an impeccably timed alien invasion.
But that was fifteen years ago. And my oh my,
how the tables have turned. So far the 21st century box office has
been dominated by superheroes and in a summer in which the Avengers have already
triumphantly assembled, Spiderman gets ready to amaze and the Dark Knight is
set to rise one last time, Agents J and K feel a tad irrelevant, not to mention
outmatched. The men in black have been overshadowed by the men in tights.
The fact that Men in Black 3 isn’t surfing the zeitgeist could potentially do
great favours to its reputation and mainstream appeal. With a sharp script and
a fresh formula, this could’ve been director Barry Sonnenfeld’s opportunity to
deliver a glorious return of the underdog. But the time travel premise is a
tired and tested one, while those who have been following the film’s production
will know that MIB3 was marred by
constant rewrites on set, which is usually never a good sign for any film,
especially one with a budget nearing $300 million.
And the patchy writing shows on-screen in the
form of gaping plot holes. For instance, in the reality where K has been erased
from time, how is J an MIB agent if K was the one who recruited him in the
first place? A major twist occurring towards the end of the film is so abrupt
and out of place, it practically reeks of last minute rewrite. And while we’re
at it, the 3D and CGI are distinctively subpar, considering the budget cited
above.
At this point you may be wondering about the
central duo, whose chemistry has always been the main reason to revisit the
original and the saving grace of the half-baked 2002 sequel. Jones’ brief
screen time and quick exit may initially be matter of concern, but thankfully
he is more than ably replaced by Josh Brolin, perfectly mimicking the Texan veteran
actor and proving to be just as good a verbal sparring partner for Smith. In
fact, you could argue the film's high point is the comedy dominataing the mid-section, during which we are treated to the threequel’s best scene,
namely a trip to Andy Warhol’s factory (hats off to Bill Hader for pulling off
a pitch perfect parody of the eccentric artist).
But that’s your lot. No amount of witty banter
or jokes revolving around dated racism can hope to elevate the shoddy material
on display here. Your love for the original may lure you into the cinema, but
by the end credits you’ll be itching to neuralise your own memory of this
turgid ordeal.
2/5
