介绍:
It is almost customary that when a movie is successful, numerous sequels will be made. It is also customary that moviegoers will keep going for the numerous sequels and be disappointed, because they always compare the sequels with their own memories of the first, successful one. In fact, some of the sequels aren't necessarily that bad, "Men in Black 3" is one of the good examples.
The story is consistently simple. Men wearing black suits go about the New York City blasting bad aliens with big guns and save the planet. But the new episode is apparently more compact and forceful to keep your minds occupied and entertained all the while. Maybe Sonnenfeld has learnt from his previous misstep. The unnecessary romantic element is cast away, leaving only the bromance, which supplies plenty of amusement.
The trick of the series is in the contrast and chemistry between the two main characters: a zippy African American who just can't keep his mouth shut, and a mysteriously silent Caucasian who always seems to have full control of the situation. Compared to his performance in the first episode, Will Smith is less athletic, but considerably more at ease and competent with the role of a noisy magpie.
As for the Caucasian character, the "Men in Black 3" involves the hackneyed concept of time travel, but Tommy Jones is too old to play his younger self in the 1960s, so Josh Brolin is recruited in his stead. Josh's imitation of the Tommy's posture and body language is convincing, but lacks the subtle confidence that is unique to the elder man.
The movie tries to incorporate jokes with mildly more sophistication. Apart from a few Asian-related scenes that apparently have been censored for the Chinese audience, the movie also pokes fun at the race issues and the lives of a few celebrities in the 1960s. This has certainly added dimension to the comedy, but also increases the risk of being censored or being lost in translation.
Lastly, I have to mention the Chinese subtitles. Ever since the screening of Rio in 2011, there is this tendency in Chinese cinema to translate the English subtitles into the most recent popular slangs in China. With "Men in Black 3", if you shut your hearing and look at the subtitles only, you are practically watching a different movie. Have the translators gone too far? I believe it is a question everyone has their own answer.
Before I forget, the new episode comes in 3D, there is nothing special about the cinematography, but the pictures do look more attractive. So if you compare the "Men in Black 3" with the original, not the one in your memory but the 1997 movie per se, there IS actually some improvement. So I'll give "Men in Black 3" a rating of seven out of ten.
