Men in Black III

Okay I know this is old news by now but I just saw Men in Black III (it’s always better to number your sequels in roman numerals than regular Arabic ones).  And you know what, I really enjoyed the first half where Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back together doing their thang.  When Will goes back in time I started to lose interest though.  I like Josh Brolin ‘n all but the forced 60’s references were a little too much for me.  Also as the film when on it became more evident how rusty Will Smith is at comedy these days.  I mean it’s been like seven years since he’s done a straight up comedic performance (Hitch).  Overall though this movie was a fun watch and actually one I recommend.  It’s got a menacing bad guy, a couple of funny jokes, an awesome shootout scene in a Chinese restaurant, likable protagonists and a tense storyline.  It’s pretty much everything I’m looking for in a film.

And after watching this third installment in the series it made me realize that I really dig the Men in Black universe.  The movies haven’t been spectacular but the characters and the world they live in are memorable.  I like the idea of alien cops solving alien mysteries (that somehow always involve destroying Earth).  The different creatures that the filmmakers come up with and how they interact with human society is clever, interesting and humorous.  I feel like the Men in Black series should’ve been like Ghostbusters or some shit.  People were hyping up the first film to be a destined action sci-fi comedy type thing for the ages but instead it seemed to be something that everyone saw and no one liked.  The Men in Black pictures aren’t terrible but they haven’t nailed one either which is frustrating because it’s a good concept.

One last thing, part of the reason why I think I’ve come around on this franchise is because of the Men in Black: Alien Attack Shooting gallery/dark ride at Universal Studios Orlando.  It’s quite impressive and the best of its kind (here’s a tip: if the line is too long and/or you want to skip the pre show because you’ve already seen it, hop on the single rider line and you’ll get on in no time).  Having affection towards that ride in turn gave me respect and a sense of how great the idea really is for the MIB.