It’s a miracle! No, not the randomness that makes up the order of universe or the Mets’ 1969 season, as Men In Black 3 defines the term- well, those are miracles too- but the one I’m talking about is the miracle of overcoming a complete production nightmare to produce a fun, breezy sci-fi blockbuster with even more heart than the original.

***SPOILERS AHEAD****

Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) begins acting oddly when a lethal alien assassin (whom K put away in 1969) breaks out of Moon Prison. When Agent J (Will Smith) tries to get to the bottom of the case, he wakes up one morning to find himself in an alternately reality, where the assassin, Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement), killed K and escaped Earth, only to return and launch a full scale invasion. J tracks down the same time travel device used by Boris, and heads back to the 1960s to set things right.

Yes, there are plot holes you could drive a fleet of Cadillacs through. And some of the story feels like a long-running television show trying to suddenly invent new backstories- in fact, the whole movie feels more like a long television episode. But like a good, completely implausible episode of Criminal Minds, it’s a fine way to pass the time with a sacchrine moral tacked on.

The film is largely carried by some strong acting in even small roles. Smith mugs smoothly as always; but Jones’ unflappable K shows bursts of humanity as he harbors a secret that threatens those he loves. Clement (most famously of Flight of the Conchords) steals the show as Boris the Animal, attacking alien behavior and comic book villain dialogue with bravado usually reserved for great Shakespearean actors (see also: Emma Thompson delivering a eulogy in extraterrestrial screeching). Michael Stuhlbarg, as a “fifth-dimensional” creature, delivers pop metaphysics and inspirational philosophy, like Dr. Manhattan but unpretentious, silly, and likeable. I won’t give away the awesome cameos.

Of course, Rick Baker‘s alien makeup designs are gleefully trippy, and the entire production design is enough to keep you entertained for a while.

Did you see Men In Black 3? What did you think?

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