A few months ago, there was a priest living and working in Washington D.C. who made the claim that “many, if not most” unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings are demons.  He stated this on social media and was then removed from his post with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal.  If this sounds like a heavy-handed action by the Church, it should be noted that this clergyman accepted the decision and never voiced anything against Catholic doctrine.  That is because saying such things is not a part of Catholicism’s teachings, and somebody with such a platform needs to be careful about putting their opinions out there for public consumption.  Because this is relatively recent news, I decided to finally get around to finishing a trilogy known for its extraterrestrial hijinks.  Namely, I am talking about Men in Black 3 (2012).

Because Men in Black 3 is the third installment in a popular series, there is not much that needs to be talked about in terms of re-introducing its characters.  Therefore, we start on the moon, which the title secret government organization uses as a maximum-security prison.  The highest profile person held there is Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement), and he manages to break out of the remote jail and make his way back to Earth.  On our planet, in New York City, Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) are doing what they normally do: monitoring and policing the activity of visitors from other planets coming to the Big Apple.  After attending the funeral services of their previous boss, Agent Z (Rip Torn, not pictured), they are called to a Chinese restaurant that is serving illicit food, meaning not of Earthly origin.  As the scene is dying down, Agent K notices that there are a few unsavory stragglers.  Once the action begins, Boris goes after Agent K.  The villain has a score to settle with the aged intergalactic police officer that is Agent K.  It is later revealed that over forty years ago, in 1969, he had been responsible for Boris’ apprehension, an event that also resulted in the loss of an arm for the alien.  Though Boris survived, not having the extra appendage means he has fewer hands with which to fire spikes from his palm.  This is about to be Agent K’s fate when Agent J intervenes and saves the two humans.  However, looking back at Boris, Agent J knows that he is in trouble.  From Agent J’s perspective, the way in which his partner is hesitant to reveal what is going on is more suspicious than usual.  They part on rough terms, but that night Agent K calls the more junior operative and seems to want to say more.  Not long after their conversation, Agent K disappears and Agent J experiences a sudden headache.  Upon getting to the eponymous organization’s headquarters in the morning, everyone is behaving as if they have no idea who he is talking about when he mentions Agent K.  The only one with any recollection of Agent K is their new boss, Agent O (Emma Thompson).  For her, Agent K died in 1969 at the hands of Boris.  It is beginning to become evident that time has been altered.  What confirms it is a Boglodite invasion, Boris’ race, coming to take over the Earth.  Agent J expects Agent O to activate the ArcNet, a shield that makes the planet impervious to such endeavors.  Unfortunately, it had been Agent K who had made this a reality in 1969.  Since things have changed, there is no defense.  In desperation, Agent O tells Agent J about time travel, something he feels he should have known about, and he tracks down Jeffrey Price (Michael Chernus), the person with the necessary technology.  With a little persuasion, Agent J gets the electronics store clerk to assist.  His first plan is to go to the day before the fateful moment in 1969 when Agent K (Josh Brolin) first faces Boris.  Agent J knows that the 1969 version of Boris will be responsible for a murder on Coney Island, and that is where the time traveler heads.  Before Agent J can eliminate his enemy, the 1969 Agent K steps in.  Agent J wakes up at the desk of a younger Agent K, and initially tries to pretend his is not a fellow space cop.  It does not take long for Agent K to decide to erase the evidently confused man’s mind, but Agent J talks his way out of it at the last moment.  Instead, they start looking for Boris, and eventually they are led to a party being hosted by Andy Warhol (Bill Hader).  Andy is actually Agent W, and his soirees are known to be places where extraterrestrials like to congregate.  Instead of finding Boris, they encounter Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg), an alien who can see into the past and all possible futures.  He is the one Boris is looking for as Griffin possesses the ArcNet technology.  Though they are able to prevent Griffin from being harmed, Boris also gets away.  Agents J and K have to also find Griffin again, eventually obtaining the ArcNet.  Yet, to deploy it, the device needs to be in outer space.  This is how Agent J realizes the importance of the next day, which also happens to be when Apollo 11 launches with the first mission to land humans on the moon.  Upon arriving at Cape Canaveral in Florida, they are stopped by Colonel James Darrell Edwards Jr (Mike Colter).  At this point, Griffin steps in and uses his powers to show the army officer how crucial are Agents J and K.  With this, they are able to make it onto the launch platform, deal with the two Boris’s, and affix the ArcNet to the top of the vehicle.  Sadly, the 1969 Boris comes back to kill Colonel Edwards, who turns out to be Agent J’s father.  The child Agent J (Cayen Martin) is comforted by Agent K, before the older one returns to his proper year.  The final scene features the longtime partners reuniting in a nearby café with a newfound appreciation for one another.

There is a lot to appreciate about Men in Black 3.  There is always the danger when it comes to a long running series like this one that the material might become stale.  To this end, this installment is not much different than the others.  When this happens, studios will often try some gimmick, like time travel, to freshen the story.  Luckily, this thread does not overwhelm the overall plot, and the result is a little sweeter than the usual hijinks for the trilogy.  The factor that makes it that much better is Griffin.  Despite there being little one could call Catholic about this character, he has a few satisfying lines.  My favorite is when he says that a miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway.  When you take God out of the equation (which is impossible, of course), such events become random occurrences.  On the same token, there is a tendency by some to attribute divine intervention to the mundane.  At the same time, there is an argument to be made that these moments are more common than one might think, but are between the individual and God.  One can see both sides of this argument with the way in which Griffin sees what is going to happen from second-to-second based on what appears to be the most trivial of occurrences.  Rather, I like to think that perceiving all the potentialities makes what actually happens all the more miraculous.  That anything takes place at all can only be the work of God when viewed from this perspective.  This sentiment is well founded with Griffin’s assertion that only truth can lead one to the proper outcome.  If that is not a Christian sentiment, then I do not know what is.

I was thus far more sentimental watching Men in Black 3 than I anticipated, and it was my first time doing so since seeing it in the theater fourteen years ago.  It is a proper sendoff for the original cast, and it has not been the same since.