It will be a while before we know which film has done better at the box office, but so far the signs for Men in Black 3 are quite good. Nobody is claiming that it's better than the first one, but that's usual for sequels. To give some idea of how audiences are generally reacting, the Rotten Tomatoes website gave Men in Black 2 only 39% positive reviews, and that pretty much reflected what the critics thought. It was generally felt that the second movie just tried to milk the popularity of the first, without adding anything new.

Men in Black 3, from the same site has got a respectable 67% good reviews and has been better received all round. The new time travel element has injected some freshness into the formula, there is a lot of comedy (though it often depends on your knowing the first films, so not recommended for first-time viewers) and, without giving anything away, some viewers have even described the ending as touching.