Men in Black 3 (PG)

The important thing about Men in Black 3 is that it is Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Sonnenfeld  directed the first Men in Black as well as Wild Wild West and obviously understands Will Smith who in his own right is a producer of blockbusters as well as a super star. Sonnenfeld's original vision of the concept of the Men in Black is carried through in this film and he rightly focuses on Smith who is an expert on screen. Smith is perhaps one of the most comfortable and likable figures to ever appear in a sci-fi and his emotional foil (and partner) Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K is suitably bland and understated to counteract any excess bravado.

Agent J played by Will Smith has to go back in time and rescue Agent K while saving the world from an alien played by the very scary Jemaine Clement, who's character is monstrously grim and about to change the course of history, save his species and instigate the invasion of the planet Earth. Smith encounters the young Agent K played by the excellent Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) who replicates a young Jones superbly. 

Emma Thompson also has a minor role as the Agent O and appears slightly awkward when trust into the alien world. Her younger version is played by Alice Eve, who is forging a career in the main stream after staring in The Raven and will soon be appearing in the much awaited blockbuster Star Trek Into Darkness. Eve is a competent character actor and slips comfortably into character, adding a needed love interest for the suddenly deeper Agent K, although it is a role as brief as Thompson’s.

There are many chuckles and a couple of laugh-out-loud moments in the film as well a poignant and revealing story twist which, in the context of a outlandish science fiction film, surprisingly jumps out of left field and pulls at the heart strings. The exaggerated effects and sometimes crazy ideas which couple the story together are elements you have to accept as it rockets ahead on screen. Men in Black 3 is a fun and farfetched which is what you sign up to when you switch on and engage.

DVD Review.

71/100

My Men in Black 3 DVD Review at the Herts Advertiser

Click this link to check it out....extended review to follow

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/what-s-on/dvd_review_men_in_black_3_1_1695550

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (12)

Benjamin Walker, a relative unknown, features as the young Abraham Lincoln in this dark twist on reality, where the man known so well to the American Populace battles the ever resistant vampire fraternity of Southern America, after seeking revenge for the death of his mother. This menacing supernatural  force is lead by the believable Rufus Sewell who commands a number of despicable minions two being well crafted by Erin Wasson and Marton Csokas. The battle this ever growing threat Abraham Lincoln enlisted his lifelong friends of Speed and Johnson and as we skip through decades of successful political elevation we are faced with a reckoning, that the director Timur Bekmambetov has attempted to make as dramatic as possible.

Another prominent feature of this film is the prosthetic nose Walker is forced to wear throughout. This is obviously Lincoln’s trade mark along with the beard and hat which doesn’t suit the young actor. At times he looks more like a wax work and it is uncomfortably unnatural.  Paying such close attention to Lincolns physically features is distracting and when Walker launches into the familiar hand trusts and the emphasised slowed voice of the president, a sporadic impersonation which he seems prompted to commit, it is cringeable.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is rated as a 12 and features much violence. We are witness to severing, chopping, impaling, biting, ripping and much more of the same. Vampires and victims alike are brutally murdered on screen and this 12 rating seems a little inadequate. It’s not just a question of violence either; there are scenes of nudity and psychological terror. A 15 rating would be more appropriate.

All in all the cast is good and Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturges stands out as well as Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln who also puts in an agreeable performance. The film’s unusual concept is interesting but the main problem is its struggle with its own identity. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is an adult film trying to appeal to the family market, meaning it loses some of its edge as it tries to compromise.

57/100