



by Rick Grant
Three’s a charm. With Barry Sonnenfeld at the helm and Etan Coen co-writing the screenplay, the Men in Black franchise finally hits the screens with plenty of thrills and an intelligent back-in-time story. The scenario involves J (Will Smith) going back to 1969 to change the future by preventing his partner K (Tommy Lee Jones) from getting killed by Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement).
Josh Brolin plays the young agent K. The film opens with agent J back in the future where agent K doesn’t exist. His new partner is a wise guy and not up to K’s professionalism.
When Boris the Animal escapes from prison, he wants to go back in time to 1969 before agent K shot off his arm and kill him before that happens. Of course, agent J now must prevent Boris from murdering agent K on the Project Apollo Moon Landing Saturn 5 gantry just prior to launch.
Director Sonnenfeld’s special vision for this scenario is imprinted on each frame. He allowed the actors to express nuances not usually seen in these action films. Emma Thompson is a cast stand out as agent O, who has a longtime relationship with the long dead K.
Josh Brolin is convincing as a young agent K. His performance allows for a seamless transition into Tommy Lee Jones as agent K. Will Smith’s layered performance of agent J helps us understand his special relationship with agent K. The scenes set around the Saturn 5 rocket are flawless and properly nerve wracking.
In so many ways, this number 3 MIB is so much better than numbers 1 & 2. Director Sonnenfeld and screen play writer Ethan Coen can take credit for that fact.
Follow FOLIO!