Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Video review: "Men in Black 3"


"Men in Black 3" has an obligatory feel to it, like it was made to provide a few people a career boost and satisfy quarterly profit margins for the studio. Arriving a full decade after the second (horrible) film in the franchise, "MIB3" is reasonably entertaining, contains some nice special effects and a few interesting new characters.

But there's very little heart and soul in it, making it the perfect home video rental. Pop it in, get a few yukks and thrills, and never think of it again.

Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back as members of the secret government agency that protects humankind from the knowledge that bug-eyed aliens are living among them in disguise. But when a particularly nasty alien criminal named Boris the Animal fiddles with the flow of time, J must travel back to 1969 and team up with Agent K's younger self (Josh Brolin) to set things right.

The 1960s fashions and vibe are a hoot, and I liked how director Barry Sonnenfeld and his crew make sure the aliens from back then resemble products of era-appropriate pop culture. (Think Sleestaks and planets full of apes.)

"MIB3" may just be warmed-up leftovers, but at least it slides down pretty smooth.

The movie comes with decent extras, though you'll have to shell out for the pricier Blu-ray editions to get the best stuff.

The DVD comes with only a making-of documentary and a music video of Pitbull's "Back in Time."
With the Blu-ray combo pack, you add a gag reel, three more making-of featurettes, special effects progression reels and a "Spot the Alien" game. Go for the 3-D Blu-ray version, and you add a pair of extras focusing on 3-D modeling.

Please note, "Men in Black 3" arrives on video Friday, Nov. 30.

Movie: 2.5 stars out of four
Extras: 3 stars



1 comment:

  1. This film is about Agent J going back in time to rescue Agent K from being murdered by aliens.

    My friends say that "Men in Black III" is a brainless comedy, you can go in just for a few laughs and switch your brain off. After watching it, I can safely say that I have another opinion.

    "Men in Black III" does have its brainless moments. It can be politically incorrect too, but it is entertaining and fun to watch. Special effects are realistic, and the scene involving a very tall building made me so nervous that my palms perspired a lot! The ending is very touching; I certainly did not see it coming even though a friend guessed it.

    I think it is great that "Men in Black III" manages to combine emotional elements in the middle of mainstream blockbuster entertainment. I look forward to the next film in the series already.

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