MEN IN BLACK 3

MEN IN BLACK 3

It's been only ten years since Barry Sonnenfeld threw "Men In Black 2" on the moviegoing populace. Oh my, didn't we think we had seen the last of them!

But no, Columbia Pictures, after a very ho-hum 2011 decided to try to milk the MIB cash cow once again with a much older Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and an even more arrogant Agent J (Will Smith) still chasing aliens. Our only hope was that it would not be Lara Flynn Boyle again!

Well, fortunately it is not her, but a nice return to it's roots chasing a true bad ass. One whom Agent K thought was put away forever.

Borrowing heavily from executive producer Steven Spielberg's "Back to the Future" series, Sonnenfeld decided to get the agents in a time travel race to save the world as they face the notorious... Boris.

Boris is a bad alien from a race of conquering aliens that routinely destroy and devour planets - presumably draining all the planets resources. It turns out that in 1969, Agent K (Jones) was the one who caught him and had him imprisoned - after shooting off Boris' arm.

However, at the beginning of the movie Boris manages to escape the prison (on the moon) and is seeking revenge.

His plan is to go back in time to kill Agent K before K shoots off his arm, then prevent the Earth from setting up a defense system that shields Earth from his planet's invasion.

It was the Earth's planetary defense system - called ArcNet - that thwarted the invasion in 1969. In fact, in present day Earth, Boris is all that remains of his race.

Agent J (Smith) goes back in time to stop Boris from killing K. When he gets back to 1969, he encounters a young Agent K (played by Josh Brolin) who's personality is much different from the K he knows.

After some minor dickering, the young K teams with J to try to find Boris.

From a narrative point of view, "Men in Black 3" is much more advanced than the previous two. We learn the whys and the whats about the various characters. A former love is introduced, Agent O (Emma Thompson) who had something with agent K back in the day, but now is as stoic as he.

Levity is provided by a strange alien named Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg) who exists in several times simultaneously and can foresee every possible scenario of the future. He is humorous in his recitations of the immediate future.

However, Sonnefeld (whose last theater feature was 2006s horrendous "RV") left some serious flaws. For example why Agent J - who was warned not to interact with the young K - did so anyway with no consequence. Why do they have similar weapons technology

in present day and in 1969? And what about the chocolate milk? And why is this film in 3D with no clear 3D effects?

"Men In Black 3" is an entertaining film - even with it's flaws. However, it may be hard pressed to justify, especially going against "The Avengers" juggernaut. Will Smith's magic once worked for the Fourth of July weekends, but this may be memorable Memorial Day if MIB3 falls flat! -- GEOFF BURTON

GEOFF BURTON

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