In all honesty I had no hopes for this movie at all. I liked Men in Black, hated Men in Black II so I had very little love for this going in. I was looking for something to do while down in Allentown while my wife was at a baby shower for a friend of ours. I needed a time killer.
What I got was one of the best movies I've seen this summer. It blew my mind. MIB3 wasn't more slapstick, wasn't more of Will Smith saying 'ghetto phrases' and being loud* (which I don't want him to do in roles as it isn't needed), it wasn't just a money grab. Ok...its kind of a money grab but it was a highly entertaining one that has actual weight to it. It has a real villain that offers a real threat (Boris the Animal....who was superb), it offers up Agents K and J as real veterans. Most importantly MIB3 plays like a sci-fi cop movie than a dopey comedy. It is at times light hearted but also deadly serious, its genuinely funny and sad too. MIB3 finally gives us a look at how Agent K becomes the man that we first met in MIB1.
Josh Brolin is just stupendous as Young Agent K. It is not a parody of Tommy Lee Jones but a loving tribute to the man himself as Brolin becomes the man down to the most subtle nuance. Brolin also makes K his own in this film while never usurping Jones' portrayal either. It was real genius acting here, award winning acting on Brolin's part.
I also need to add that if you don't like the character Griffin I'm fairly certain you lack a soul. This character brings a sense of wonder back into the series that complimented the more serious tones the movie took. Also Griffin was just cool.
So go see Men in Black 3. I was worth the cost of admission and I would see it again in a heartbeat.
*And Will Smith does do the loud and drops the slang on occasion in this movie. It was toned WAY down and it was still cringe inducing for me. Not 'What happens when a Toad gets struck by lightning...'' bad though.
