Before I tell you what I think about the third installment in this popular film franchise; I’d like to take a minute to bitch about what might have been.
The origions of MIB are very similar to that of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It started as a black and white comic with a decidedly dark tone. Later when Movie and TV people got hold of the property they injected color and theme park happiness into it. TMNT got lucky that its cute injection happened when they made it into a cartoon. (and to be fair, not a bad saturday morning cartoon, especially compared to others at the time) When time came to make it into a movie, it (and its interesting that this is still a novel approach) reached back past the cute and popular cartoon to the simple black and white comic with a harsh tone to tell a story. Now, the TMNT movie wasn’t without its cartoonish elements; afterall the cartoon is how most people even know about the property. But, those of us who read a black and white comic about turtles wearing masks that should have been absurd yet somehow was terribly gripping were also satisfied.
However, MIB didn’t spend that long in development. They grabbed the Addams Family director and took a comic property that had some iconic imagery and smashed a comedy into it. Now, Men in Black was not nearly as popular as TMNT was, so there was no overarching rabid fanbase to satisfy, so the movie could do anything it wanted to. But I wonder…
The comic The Men in Black was not a comedy and the titular organization policed and repressed all supernatural activity on Earth. This included aliens, occult, extra-dimensional activity, and anything that might upset the balance of order. The organization was in effect a shadow government with a high tolerence for violence. Jay and Kay were a newbie and vet respectively, that much is unchanged, but their job was never cute and it was loaded with moral compromise. It would have made a disturbing and possibly game changing movie. But that wouldn’t have made as much money.
So, all bitching about source material aside, I generally like Men in Black. I like the rude, cowardly, chain-smoking french worms, the clevage, and I think Will Smith and Tommy Jones are charming and well suited to play off each other.
This 3rd installment has a much better bad guy than the 1st 2. Flight of the Concords’ Jermaine Clement is a multi-personality continuum named Boris (do not call him Boris the Animal) who tangled with Kay in the past. Of course he escapes from incarceration and travels to said past to undo his defeat. And of course Jay has to follow him. Anyway, Jermaine is awesome as always.
Smith and Jones are still cool and Emma Thompson’s in charge now. Josh Brolin is utterly believable as young Kay. You’ll forget he hasn’t always played Kay within 2 minutes.
Anyway, this is an entertaining and light piece of summer popcorn.
I’m just one of those guys who can’t help but think what might have been.