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  • Writer's pictureThe Screen Room

Belated Sequels: Men in Black 3 (2012)


This week on Belated Sequels I thought I’d look at a sequel that, in my opinion was worth the wait.


Men in Black 3 (2012)


Previous Instalments: Men in Black (1997) and Men in Black II (2002)


Time since last instalment: 10 years.


Ok so compared to the previous belated sequels we’ve looked at, this one came out relatively soon after the previous one. Still, I think a decade’s wait qualifies as “belated”.


I like all of the Men in Black films, even the second one that tends to get a bit slated.

The first is really original and came out fresh off the back of the success of Independence Day (1996) when Will Smith’s career was really starting to take off. It was followed up five years later with a sequel that did well at the box office but was met with a lukewarm response from audiences.

Apparently the premise for the third film was proposed by Will Smith during the filming of Men in Black II. For various reasons though it took ten years to get to us.


If you haven’t seen it, it follows Agent J (Will Smith) who has to travel back in time to 1969 to stop an alien from killing his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and changing history.


The young Agent K (in 1969) is played absolutely brilliantly by Josh Brolin! In fact he and the movie’s villain, Boris the Animal (played by an unrecognisable Jemaine Clement) totally steal the show.

It has a great story, it’s funny as hell and the whole 60s vibe gives it a new freshness, rather than just doing the same thing for a third time.

There are also notable performances from Michael Stuhlbarg (The Shape of Water), Emma Thompson (Love Actually) and Bill Hader (It: Chapter Two).


Josh Brolin is so good in the part that I kind of hoped they’d do a prequel to the first film with him as the lead. Sadly they didn’t and we got the spin off, Men in Black: International (2019) which I wasn’t a big fan of to be honest.


As far as sequels go, Men in Black 3 got it right. It gave us a good story, great characters and a fresh new take on a popular franchise.

In my opinion? Definitely worth the wait. 👍


What do you think? Let me know below. 👇😎

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