"Men in Black III" Review

When I was seven years old, I was introduced to a secret world of aliens, intrigue and Will Smith. The fanciful world of Men in Black was merely one out of the many that I experienced as a child, but I liked it. Honestly, I think the relationship between Agent Kay and Agent Jay is complex and moderately cliché, but lovable nonetheless. Fifteen years after the first film, their bro-mance is tested and examined in a new light - one that is expectedly sentimental.

Men in Black III
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Josh Brolin,
Jemaine Clement
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfield
My Opinion: Pretty good

The audacious Agent Jay finds himself in a new dimension: one very much like his own, but without Kay. Jay struggles in dealing with the loss, learning that in this present Kay was killed by an arch rival, Boris (played by The Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement), in 1969. So, he goes back in time to stop his partner's murder.

The plot felt right for this stage of the franchise: the point is to prove Jay's devotion to Kay, and it does so successfully, but with a little less of the sharp comedy and ridiculous aliens that made the original. Like the celebrities that impersonate aliens in the current film, the creatures seem to drift into the background of the story. That being said, the aliens in the  Chinese restaurant are hilarious.

As far as the acting goes, Smith and Jones do their usual thing and the characters are depicted naturally. But for most of the film, Kay is played by Josh Brolin who does an equivalent job to Jones. Outside of a knack for similar films, there is little similarity between Brolin and Jones. Yet his portrayal of Agent Kay is uncanny. Not only does he look exactly like him, but he mastered the manners and the efficiency-oriented disposition. This may only be an excellant study in impersonation, but it is certainly the most impressive element of the film. In other news, apparently Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls played Boris's girlfriend. As usual, I was in "movie mode" (if you catch my drift), but I literally don't remember her. Her performance was just that underwhelming.

In conclusion, it's better than the last one. I'm hoping that the conclusive nature of the relationship as illustrated at the end of the film implies that there will not be a fourth, but those box office stats say otherwise. Though, if there is another, I hope that it is just as entertaining as this one.