I loved the original Men in Black. It is, and remains, a classic movie. Men in Black II burst the bubble for me. It felt a little tired, rehashing the same ideas.
But Men in Black III turned out to be the best of the series so far!
At first, I thought we were back in the same old groove. Boris the Animal is a psychopathic alien, who escapes from prison. It's up to Agents J and K to deal with him. It felt a little like every other Men in Black plot. But then everything turned on its head.
For a start, the series found its heart. In amongst the brilliant special effects and fantastic comedy one-liners, there were moments of real poignancy. These included one scene, close to the end, which elicited a gasp and a resounding 'awww' from me.
Best of all, there's time travel. I love time travel! Men in Black is great at exploring space, at least insofar as the denizens thereof visit our planet, but this is the first time that it's looked at time as well.
The upshot is a much deeper, richer movie; never so profound as to lose its younger audience, but with implications which will have you considering aspects long after the theater lights are up.
It's great family fun, which acts as a stand-alone movie too. You don't have to have seen either of those which went before to enjoy this film. I recommend it to all as a wonderful stocking-filler this Christmas.
Comments
I so thought of you when I saw Lady GaGa as an alien! I meant to tell you, but totally forgot!
The Bechdel Test is interesting to me. I thought that as we move on, more and more films would pass it. But the opposite seems to be more true. Stories like 'Jane Eyre' (written in 1847) score highly, but others, like this one, don't.
I was practically cheering in my seat the entire time I was watching this. I wasn't too keen to go see it in theaters, but my bro had promised me a gift in return for a favor, and insisted that taking me to see this movie was the gift when I told him I'd probably just watch it on DVD eventually. I'm so glad I saw it in theaters. I agree, I do think it was the best of the three.
Pfft, and they showed Lady GaGa as one of the aliens they were keeping an eye on XD
I really like that you include the Bechdel test with your movie reviews. It doesn't stop me from watching a movie, but I think it does provide interesting commentary, on Hollywood, and on society.
It's freaking brilliant! I really wasn't expecting it to be that good!
Geesh, now I have to go watch it. You've got me all curious!