Men in Black 3 (2012)

Men in Black 3 comes some 15 years after the original Men in Black (1997, Good Year), and 10 years after its sequel, the aptly named Men in Black 2 (2002, not a good year for the MiB), and the big difference between the three, Will Smith isn't doing a single for it? It's not a better film then the original, but is it any worse then what came before?
MIB3 starts up in the present day, with a kooky prison break for Boris the animal (Jemaine Clement), Who's spent the last 40 years in a cell and short a arm and now that he's on the loose he wants revenge, and war. From here we switch to series protagonists Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith), doing they're thing, Kay being grumpy and silent, Jay not knowing when to leave well enough alone. See, things have begun to weight down on Kay, He's just lost his commander and friend Zed (previously played by the not present Rip Torn, i still love that name.) And just when he feels like opening up about things, he's sort of erased from the present. So Jay does a little run, hop and Time Jump and end's up in the 60's where he accidentally teams up with his Partner to be (Played by Josh Brolin doing a eerie TLJ impersonation).

So, them's the beats of the film, but what of it? Off the bat, i'd say it isn't anything brilliant, and honestly, I wouldn't say its anything worth talking about if it weren't for two things, Josh Brolin being Kay, and to be honest it looses its charm after awhile, and the character Griffin, played by Michael Stuhlbarg. Stuhlbarg's Griffin it what makes the film worth seeing. To talk about the character might be taking things a little too far into spoiler territory, but Griffin is the real heart of the film, and the only character really worth caring about. The saddest thing about that is, his used as little more then a plot device to progress the film. 

There is only other slightly cool thing about the film, and that's the alien design for the most part. The few scenes we spend at the MiB HQ in the 60's if full of  creatures that wouldn't be out of place in films of that era, and its a nice touch, with most of the aliens being created practically instead of with computer animation. It's a nice touch that add's some much needed personality to the film. 

But series returners Smith and Jones really lack that it in the film, both feel at if they're there for a easy pay check. word during production was that they went to shoot with only the first third of the film being on paper, so going with that in consideration, they didn't come out with a totally terrible film, but you can understand why things have turned out the way they have. 

Outside the previously mentioned, there really isn't anything to say about MiB3, its a by the numbers pop-corn flick, and honestly, its un-necessary. The Franchise should be allowed to retire, but i suspect in a few years time, we'll see the series rebooted with a new lead and Smith in the role of the grumpy mentor. I shudder at the thought.

Edit: I feel like i'm being too hard on this film, i might not be. I don't think its a bad film, i just don't think its anything that really rise about the dozens of mediocre popcorn flicks the come to cinema's every year.