Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Third alien adventure is fun, less memorable than the first.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Men in Black III
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 23 parent reviews
Parents say the film is an entertaining adventure with solid performances, particularly from Josh Brolin, but also carries unexpected mature themes and strong language that may not be suitable for younger audiences. While some enjoy the mix of humor and action, others find the content inappropriate and suggest a higher age rating for children's viewership.
- entertaining adventure
- strong language
- mature themes
- mixed reviews
- good performances
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 73 kid reviews
What's the Story?
In MEN IN BLACK III, Agent J (Will Smith) is now a 14-year veteran of the covert government operation but still can't figure out why K (Tommy Lee Jones) is so closed off about his private life. Then Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) -- an alien that K maimed and arrested in 1969 -- escapes from his lunar prison cell and steals a time-travel device to go back in time and kill the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) in order to successfully enact his plan to destroy Earth, like Boris' race of murderous aliens did to two other planets. After Boris erases K from the present timeline, J must also race to the past to stop the assassination from occurring, or everyone on Earth will die.
Is It Any Good?
This isn't exactly a show-stopping masterpiece of alien-buddy-comedy-adventures. With few exceptions (the Bourne series, Mission: Impossible), action franchises aren't known for third films that are as critically and popularly regarded as the originals. So it's no surprise -- especially considering that it's been a decade since Men in Black II came out -- that MIB III doesn't hold up all that well. But with that caveat in mind, J and K's return is entertaining enough, even though there aren't nearly as many laughs (or aliens) as in the first film.
What works best in this installment is the addition of Brolin as a young K. He nails Jones' gravelly, laconic style without being nearly as grumpy. He is, after all, four decades younger and less hardened. Brolin and Smith still have the signature odd-couple rapport, but without as much as scowling. And moving the action to 1969 allows for some '60s humor, like the idea that Andy Warhol (SNL regular Bill Hader) is actually a secret agent or that cops would naturally mistake any black man driving a fancy convertible for an athlete, entertainer, or thief. Clement is also particularly funny in the scenes when menacing Boris' past and future selves meet and argue (he should be cast in more movies). Overall, MIB III is a moderately amusing release, but the summer of 2012 belongs to The Avengers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the enduring popularity of the Men in Black series. How are the aliens in these films different than ones portrayed in other sci-fi movies?
Do you think popular movies need to keep adding sequels? How do you think the third film compares to the other two? Should the Men in Black franchise end here?
Why are odd-couple buddy films so fun to watch? What are some of the best buddy action adventures?
Talk about the movie's violence. How did it make you feel? How much of it consists of special effects? Does the impact of movie violence change based on how realistic it is?
How do the characters demonstrate teamwork? Why is that an important character strength?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 25, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : November 27, 2012
- Cast : Josh Brolin , Tommy Lee Jones , Will Smith
- Director : Barry Sonnenfeld
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Columbia Pictures
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate