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Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: November 30th, 2012 Movie Release Year: 2012

Men in Black III

Overview -

Please note, portions of this review originally appeared on High-Def Digest's The Bonus View.

In Men in Black™ 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back... in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K's life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him -- secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Blu-ray/DVD/UV Digital Copy
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
104
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.85:1
Audio Formats:
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
TBAEnglish, English SDH, French, Spanish
Special Features:
"Back In Time" Music Video by Pitbull
Release Date:
November 30th, 2012

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Before seeing 'Men in Black 3,' I had many concerns. First, Sony originally wasn't going to screen the movie for press until the Thursday night before it opened – which is never a good sign. Last-minute press screenings hint at a studio's lack of faith in a given film. Second, the series doesn't have the best track record, and the initial trailers for 'MIB3' sure didn't make 'MIB3' look like anything special. Fortunately, Sony moved the press screening to a Tuesday, which isn't at all bad, and the advertisements got better with time. Having now seen 'MIB3,' I can tell you that my concerns were for naught, and it makes right all of the franchise's wrongs.

I was a teenager when the original 'Men in Black' opened; therefore, I loved it. Having watched it again recently, it's not the great movie that I once saw it as, but it's still pretty fun and creative. 'Men in Black II,' on the other hand, was a cop-out. Everyone involved with the movie mailed it in. The story was awful, the script was bland, and comedy was nowhere to be found. Lucky for us, 'Men in Black 3' goes back to the creative, fun storytelling style of the first, adds a lot of comedy, and gives it the most complex and playful story of the bunch. Honestly, I'd go as far as to say that 'MIB3' is my favorite of the franchise.

(Does it bother anyone else that the sequel used roman numerals to signify the "two" and that this new three-quel uses the standard number "3," or is it just me?)


Once again, Agent J (Will Smith) is in trouble due to his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). A hate-filled alien named Boris (Jemaine Clement from 'Flight of the Conchords') was imprisoned 40 years ago because of Agent K. Boris' getting caught resulted in his entire alien race becoming extinct – with the exception of Boris himself, of course – so Boris is determined to escape prison, travel back in time, and kill K before K can thwart his attempt to take over the world. As shown in the trailers, Boris is successful in doing so and reality is altered. With a memory mysteriously unaffected by Boris' alternate reality (don't worry, time travel enthusiasts – there's an explanation for it), J must now jump back to 1969, unravel the mystery of K's shrouded past, and stop both the old and young versions of Boris from altering the future and dooming the human race.

By dealing with alternate realities and time travel, 'MIB3' is like the 'Back to the Future II' of the franchise. Time travel is playfully toyed in a very entertaining manner. Along the way, we meet new characters. The of them (played by Michael Stuhlbarg from 'A Serious Man') is the best supporting character of the franchise yet – and he's not even CG like that old pug character! Cameos abound, all of which I'll refrain from spoiling. What I will mention is how awesome Josh Brolin is as the young K. He's absolutely perfect. It's shocking to see how much he resembles Jones, not only in face, but in voice, mannerisms, and details.

By far, the best aspect of 'MIB3' is the grand scale. The ante has been upped, and there's a lot at stake. If J fails, all of humanity is doomed – but that's not it. Have you ever wondered what makes Agents J and K the characters they are? Get ready to dig into a lot of backstory. It's within this aspect of the script that 'MIB3' finds a huge heart that brings the entire trilogy full circle. 'MIB3' may be all about Boris altering the present, but at it's very core it's only about the characters.

If the first 'Men in Black' sequel left you as disappointed and let-down as it did with me, then you're going to love what's done here. The Men in Black are back and they're funnier and wittier than ever, and definitely just as much entertaining as they've ever been. Including my first theatrical screening and now viewing both the 2D and 3D versions on Blu-ray, I've seen 'Men in Black 3' three times. I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time and only fell in love with it more after the recent Blu-ray double-dose. I cannot guarantee that you'll find it to be the best of the trilogy, like I do, but I can guarantee that you will find it an entertaining cap on the series – that is, assuming they don't go for a fourth.


The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

Sony has given 'Men in Black 3' three different home video releases: 3D Blu-ray, 2D Blu-ray, and standard DVD. Each upgraded version carries at least two special features more than the lower version. For this review, I watched the 2D version and all of the special feature that came along with it.

Video Review

Ranking:

When I first screened 'MIB3' theatrically, it was shown on a Dolby 3D screen. The 3D presentation wasn't the best, but it wasn't awful either. The picture quality was sharp and clean, but it lacked brightness. A dingy haze covered the screen, dissolving the vibrancy of the wild hippie colors. Luckily, this flaw didn't carry over to the 3D Blu-ray, and it certainly didn't carry over to the 2D disc either.

'Men in Black 3' was shot with the intention of being converted over to the third dimension. The added bonus of this decision is that the 2D version of the film carries many shots that portray a nice depth. The wider and more grand the shot, the more depth the 2D image portrays.

Like I said, the color in of 'MIB3' is vibrant. Fleshtones are warm and inviting. For the most part, black levels are deep and inky. The one odd exception is a scene where J and K plot the film's finale on the banks of a large river. The NYC skyline is an awful shade of black. While this scene doesn't reveal the obvious green screen work on the 3D Blu-ray, it sticks out like an ugly sore thumb on the 2D version. I have absolutely no idea why this is the case.

Fine details remain clearly visible throughout the whole picture. From the pores on actors' faces (which, unfortunately, show Tommy Lee Jones' age) to each individual strand of Emma Thompson's crazy hairdo, it's all visible. This heightened amount of detail does great justice for the knock-out visual effects. None of this would be commendable were it not for the immaculate clarity of this transfer and the complete absence of compression errors.


Audio Review

Ranking:

While I was initially disappointed that 'MIB3' did not get a 7.1 audio mix, I'm almost completely satisfied with the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix presented here. From the opening credits sequence on, it's apparent that we're getting something great.

The film kicks off with a modernized version of the classic Danny Elfman theme. All sounds just fine until the heavy electric guitar kicks in, at which point it begins to sound spectacular. Music is dynamically mixed throughout the entire picture. Combine that with the great amount of strong effects and you've really got something great. When we first see them, it's fun to hear sounds of the technologically advance and upgraded weapons. There's a new futuristic ring to them that sounds great. When J goes back to 1969, the retro MIB weapons carry a completely different sound, one of humming and vibrating moving parts. The same goes for vehicles.

I'm no car expert. The closest I come to a being a car guy is watching 'Top Gear' on BBC America. I couldn't tell you what model car K and J drive in 2012, but the hyperdrive engine that it carries emits an awesome LFE-laden effect when it is fired up. Oddly enough, the Ford Galaxy they drive in 1969 (I only know the model because it was stated in a special feature) carries an even deeper sound with a much more rumbly LFE than the 2012 version. My only guess is that the 2012 version was a hybrid.

The vocal aspect of the mix is also outstanding. The majority of the vocal mix is great and average – that is, with the exception of Boris. Jemaine Clement's voice is so deep and rich that it almost sounds like two or three voices stacked one on the other. The bass that he exudes is so deep that I can only assume that it is the result of post-production. Either way, it sounds phenomenal.

My only complaint with this audio mix is that on several occasions there seems to be a lull in the all around sound. This isn't due to a flaw, but it's simply a lacking quality in the audio that is normally present. There's almost always something to hear in the audio, but a few scenes (one in specific being the jet pack introduction in MIB headquarters) seem too quiet.


Special Features

Ranking:
  • Partners in Time: The Making of 'MIB 3' (HD, 26 min.) - Even if it's just briefly, this nice little feature touches on absolutely every aspect of filmmaking. Get ready to study the characters, the dichotomy, Josh Brolin as Young K, the villain, the newcomers, design, FX, stunts, make-up, and the evolution of the franchise.

  • Gag Reel (HD, 4 min.) - Just like the gag reels for the first two 'MIB' films, I deem this one boring and unfunny.

  • "Back in Time" Music Video by Pitbull (HD, 4 min.) - I've never heard of Pitbull before, but I'm sure that everyone would have much rather preferred a Will Smith original single for the soundtrack than this.


Completely disregarding the existence of the forgettable first sequel, 'MIB3' comes out of nowhere and really ups the ante, giving it a coherent and complex story, lovable original characters, a great big heart, and a whole lot of fun. 'Men in Black 3' is the franchise's best. Only making it better is this near-perfect Blu-ray set. Both the video and audio qualities are nearly flawless, only nit-picky complaints keeping it from "perfect" status. The quality and type of special features included on the Blu-ray match that of the previous two Blu-rays, giving the franchise release consistency (aside from the fact that 'MIB3' is the only one available in 3D). If I didn't already own it, 'Men in Black 3' would definitely be on my Christmas wish-list. Highly recommended.