SYNOPSIS: When vicious alien Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from his moon-based prison, he seeks vengeance on the man who not only had him arrested in 1969 but also used a special device to protect the Earth from his species. That man was Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) who following a confrontation with Boris warns his partner Agent J (Will Smith) to not get involved in the case. But when J turns up to headquarters the following day, he is informed that K has been dead for forty years. He realises that Boris has used a device to time-jump back to ’69 and kill K thus allowing his species to invade Earth and destroy it. J ends up using the same object to return to that year where he seeks to find the future Boris whilst working alongside the young K (Josh Brolin).

Following the disappointment of Men in Black 2 a decade ago, director Barry Sonnenfeld manages to regain the wacky theme of the original film with this surprisingly solid comeback. One big change here though is the decision to have J travel from the present day to 1969. This becomes a key factor in allowing the audience to explore an iconic era which shares so much importance to the storyline especially for that time. It also allows plenty of playfulness to ensue as J tries to handle being in his new surroundings but at times gets into trouble like his confrontation with two white police officers (still a racially motivated time for that year) and locking horns with unlikely secret agent Andy Warhol.

When it has come to behind-the-scenes, one of the most important individuals linked to the Men in Black series has been makeup artist Rick Baker whose imaginative creature designs and CGI facials are well-crafted particularly for the character of Boris the Animal. As for the action, it is a little-less limited unlike the first two films but there are still some fast-paced sequences including Boris’s escape from the moon prison and a chase scene where J and Young K pursue the villain on two one-wheeled machines.

Another decisive factor for the Men in Black trilogy has been the on-screen chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, although their time on screen together is more limited here owing to Jones’ underused role. Fortunately, Smith (who hasn’t been on our screens since 2008) is back to his goofy and wisecracking ways and eases back into the role of J. But with Jones missing for most of the film, it is the man playing his younger self who proves the big success. Josh Brolin’s terrific work in recent years proves why he is regarded as one of Hollywood’s solid chameleon actors especially with the way he eerily portrays the younger version of K.

Out of the rest of the supporting cast, it is the lesser known names who stand out with an unrecognisable Jemaine Clement surprisingly menacing as Boris though you could easily mistake him for being Tim Curry from the sounds of his accent while Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Stuhlbarg offers versatility as the intriguing alien Griffin who foresees the future of J and K during the 60s segment.

However the biggest problem with sci-fi films is the continuing trend of using time-travel to benefit its plot especially when there are holes to uncover. When K is killed, this would surely mean his encounter with J in the first film didn’t happen yet in the alternative reality J isn’t affected by the change of events which only causes dysfunction in the film’s narrative.

The casting with this is also a problem particularly the age difference between the older and younger versions of the actors. Though Brolin is spot-on as Young K, he is only twenty years younger than Jones in real life which isn’t reflected well in the use of makeup. It also leaves a lot to be desired for Emma Thompson’s character Agent O who firstly gives a cringe-inducing eulogy during a funeral scene but also doesn’t pass off as being a sixty year old woman in the present era.

The other female stars are given less screen-time with rising British actress Alice Eve cute yet wasted as the younger O while the sexy Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger comes and goes within the first few mintues while helping to let our dastardly villain escape. Forget Jai Ho, it was more like Hell No for her!

VERDICT: Despite the time paradox flaws in the plot, the Men in Black series is saved from the neuraliser thanks to Sonnenfeld’s enjoyable threequel with Smith and the exceptional Brolin on top form. The Black are back!