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Aliens, time travel, the 1960s, impending intergalactic warâ€¦.what more could anyone want from a film?Â Men in Black 3, a decade after it’s predecessor, delivers what “Battleship” and “Dark Shadows” failed to: a film worth seeing.Â Some may accuse the actors (and studio) of merely wanting to rake in ridiculous amounts of money for little effort at all.Â However, even if that were the case, it doesn’t matter in the end because MIB3 was refreshing and entertaining.Â Sure, there was a bit of the usual dairy products in the dialogue and special effects, but it didn’t detract from the execution of the story.Â What’s more is there is genuine humor beneath that layer of cheesy goodness.Â

Unexpectedly, I found myself laughing throughout a majority of the film.Â Suspension of belief is a necessity in order for one to enjoy this film (obviously) and from opening to end credits, your brain has the pleasure of fully believing that these two men with a unique partnership are going to save the world.Â Following Agent J and Agent K through time and space, literally, is a journey worth taking.

Okay, so the villain of the piece, Boris “the Animal” is a bit over the top.Â He is revolting, egotistical and well, not entirely intelligent.Â With an uncanny resemblance to Tim Curry, Jermaine Clement, delivers unto the masses an overly loud, awkward and disgusting villain.Â He is the last of his kind, a Boglidite (more like Troglodite), whose race would have admired the Borg from another scifi universe.Â Except the Borg were at least a worthy adversary.Â Boris is not much more than a long running joke, which no one seems to mind since there are more pressing matters like “what makes K who he is today? Was it possible K ever had a romantic relationship? And oh yeah, can J and young K save old K and therefore the entire Earth?” There sure is a lot going on in this story, perhaps since an entire decade has passed which allowed the franchise to find a writer with talent.

Without any doubts, Josh Brolin’s Young Agent K steals the entire film.Â Brolin has managed to conjure the spirit of Tommy Lee Jones’ cryptic K into his very being with an added air of mystery and charm.Â This was not merely acting, this was being Agent K.Â Young Agent K offers the audience insight into a side of the enigma of the high ranking MIB operative.

Will Smith’s reprise of Agent J shows a man somewhat disenfranchised with his work (did this take tremendous effort or was this merely reality?).Â He complains about his rank and clearance while looking into the past and/or asking questions about classified files equivocates him with a petulant child.Â Only with the loss of Agent K (this is not a spoiler) do we see any depth of character or emotions other than distain with snarky remarks. Â Smith and Jones’ chemistry and interplay oozes from the screen.Â It is their friendship and professional partnership that give a sense of continuity not only within this film but in the franchiseâ€¦ignoring MIB2 of course.

“The bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie”, the truth is, this film knew what it was and despite a few expected nods to the idiotic populous, was well written, acted and enjoyable.Â As reboots of 80s and 90s films are coming out in droves, Men in Black III managed to be refreshing. It’s reassuring to know that with a good writer, even Men in Black III can be enjoyable.Â Whether you have seen the previous two films in the franchise or not, MIB3 is not only entertaining it’s adventurous and heartwarming. Sure there are some creatures that are merely there for the ridiculous factor.This is a perfect film for families or a date night.Â No neuralizer needed.Â No time travel device necessary.Â This third installment was released 15 years after the first and yet managed to retain freshness.Â Whether you have seen the first two films or not, this one is worth your time and money.Â

The Bottom Line:

This is an adventure worthy of full price.Â Full price 3D, I’m not quite sold on that.Â However, with the choice between an invasion of Earth in the MIB universe, or Marvel’s, I’d caught up with “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” any day.

Until next time…

See you at the theater