This third installment to the “Men in Black” series shines as a fan-pleasing offering. A surprising success to a relatively aging franchise, it returns to the screen as a strong compliment to the sci-fi action and comedy brand.
“Men in Black 3” comes out on a two-disc set consisting of a Blu-ray disc and a DVD. This home video release contains the film’s HD, SD, and UV digital copies, as well as a handful of supplements.
This highly entertaining sequel helmed by Barry Sonnenfeld revolves around Agent J’s travel back in time to team up with a younger version of Agent K, his colleague whose present existence gets mysteriously erased. The two of them must stop an evil alien from wiping out the human population off Earth. The film stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Visuals
The A-list transfer rightfully retains the slick look and oddity of the series. With strong big-budget effects, the scenes reinforce an array of colors under all the unique events and eras spread throughout the story. From New York’s neon nights to Coney Island’s colorful rides to Cape Canaveral’s cool fight sequence, the shots dazzle in HD format with a naturally filmic texture.
Many images shimmer with life and vibrancy. Whether the trademark black and white MiB suits or the familiarly creepy and imaginative aliens, details are always reproduced with precision. Black levels are superb and flesh tones look accurate from start to end.
Audio
The movie features an aggressive and enveloping five-channel lossless soundtrack, as well as alternative five-channel options in Spanish and French. The mix’s natural immersion capabilities provide an impressive sonic signature. The track has a full, seamless presence that really places the listener in the middle of the action. Surround use never feels forced — even with a barrage of intense, pulsating, and robustly clear effects.
The musical score flows effectively from every corner. For the most part, the bass proves potent and invigorating. The center-focused, often sitcom-level dialogue sounds faultless in the presentation.
Supplements
The disc set contains several entertaining production featurettes including “Partners in Time: The Making of MIB 3,” “The Evolution of Cool: MIB 1960s vs. Today,” “Keeping it Surreal: The Visual FX of MIB 3,” “Scene Investigations,” and “Progression Reels.” It also offers viewers with the interactive game entitled “Spot the Alien Game,” a gag reel, and Pitbull’s music video for “Back in Time.” All videos are presented in HD format. Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, Spanish, and French.
Final Thoughts
Although it is still not as good as the first film, “Men in Black 3” becomes the sequel that the second movie failed to be. It does a lot to correct the horrible missteps of its predecessor. It is pretty clear that this ridiculously fun ride is a cash-cow project, but it also makes sure that there’s enough high-powered action and big-budget diversion to hook the mainstream audience.
This passable piece may have an uninspired plot, but its fast-paced and zany storytelling, stellar acting performances, energetic humor, and trademark visual style work as a fine and inoffensive time killer. It lets itself loose and it plays around toward a big emotional twist ending. Some parts may seem merely done out of necessity — instead of allowing them to naturally emerge in the narrative. But at the very least, the movie’s wacky alien humor adds enough steam to make things commercially satisfying for its target market.
