Agents K (Jones and Brolin) and J (Smith) are back and kicking. Boris the Animal (Clement), a criminal whose arm K had shot off decades ago, has escaped from his lunar prison and is out for revenge. He jumps back in time, to the day that he lost his arm, to kill K before he has a chance to maim him and throw him in prison. J follows Boris back to ‘69 in an attempt to thwart his plan and save K.
J and K’s relationship (bromance?) is at the centre of the film but whereas the previous films starred Smith and Jones, due to this film’s time travelling aspect, Brolin takes Jones' place for the bulk of the film, playing the twenty-nine year old Agent K. Calling this brilliant casting is an understatement; Brolin has Jones’ mannerisms and inflections down to a tee while still coming across as a less jaded version of the stony faced Jones. He and Smith make as great a duo as Smith and Jones do and the trio’s performances give the film a bit of substance which it sorely lacks.
What it lacks in substance though, it makes up in sweetness, and while most of it comes from the agents’ friendship, a significant dose comes in the form of a character named Griffin (Stuhlbarg). He’s an alien, the last of his race, who has the ability to see every alternate future at any given time. Stuhlbarg nails this perfect blend of sweetness and awkwardness, making a great sidekick to the main duo.
Visually, the film is gorgeous. The 3D effects are used beautifully and not just in the action packed scenes. The regular scenes pop every bit as much as the alien-busting ones, and all without giving you a headache. The alien designs are completely goofy and thus thoroughly delightful and the set design, both modern day and during the 60s, is beautiful - especially when it comes to the Men in Black headquarters. The 60s setting is also used as a set up for the film’s best laugh out loud moments, the best of which involve Andy Warhol and The Factory.
The film is a light, fun, alien filled caper but the choice of target audience is slightly confusing. Since the last Men in Black film came out a decade ago, you'd think that the franchise would have pulled a Harry Potter and matured with its fans that are in their twenties by now. However, it stays true to its roots and targets the same audience that it did ten years ago: children. It's not immature per se, but it does lack a certain sophistication that would have put it in the same league as The Avengers for instance, another similarly light, colourful and fun blockbuster.
Having said that, it isn’t perfect nor will it be one of the best blockbusters this summer but it is a decent sequel and will definitely cull a new generation of fans. Besides, the visuals alone are pretty damn entertaining.
