A DECADE since their last outing and a mind-bending fifteen years since their first, one of the most unlikely, yet successful pairings in cinema reunite for Men in Black III.

FILM

Men in Black III

cert PG

3/5 stars

A DECADE since their last outing and a mind-bending fifteen years since their first, one of the most unlikely, yet successful pairings in cinema reunite for Men in Black III.

Agent J (Will Smith) is tasked with illegally time travelling back to the agency’s early days in the 1960s, to prevent the death of his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin) in 2012.

Jemaine Clement is instantly recognisable (in a good way) as the MIB’s nemesis, Boris the Animal, who escapes a high security galactic prison, with the help of Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger, to avenge Agent K’s part in the violent arrest that landed him there.

The entire project hinged on Josh Brolin’s ability to portray a good Tommy Lee and, thankfully, you’re soon lost in his impeccable impression.

Screenwriter, Lowell Cunningham, who created the original MIB comic book series, has taken care to devise an entirely new storyline, rather than relying on material from the first two films, which allows MIB III to stand-alone and entertain brand new audiences, as well as aging fans of the franchise.

Our own Emma Thompson’s performance lends some weight to the fantastical storyline, topping-off a well-crafted, funny, visually impressive, family film.

Better than the second, not as good as the first.

Ashley Whittaker