Will Smith has successful return to the big screen

In theaters:

Men In Black 3

In 1996, Will Smith became the Earth's defense against aliens in the blockbuster Independence Day, which rocketed him to stardom on the big screen. Just one year later, he went underground as the defender of earth behind the scenes with his first appearance as Agent J in Men in Black.

Years later, the universe has yet to learn their lesson as an alien tries his luck against Agent J, as Smith returns to the big screen for the first time since 2008 (Seven Pounds) with the third installment of the Men In Black franchise.

In 1969, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) apprehends a dangerous alien assassin named Boris the Animal, who is imprisoned at a lunar facility on the moon for decades before he makes a daring escape. Once free, he travels back in time to kill K before he can stop his younger self.

Agent J (Smith), unaware of the events transpiring, finds himself in a world where his partner of 14 years never met him, having been murdered in 1969. Agent J must now travel back in time to 1969 to save his partner and to thwart the diabolical plan Boris the Animal has set in motion that will eventually lead to an all-out invasion and destruction of the human race.

Smith makes a splash in his return as the third in the series returns the luster that was lost with the disappointing performance of the second.

Jones plays the bitter old man better than anyone in Hollywood, and James Brolin, who plays Jones as a 29-year-old Agent K is a mirror image of the older actor. With no CGI added, Brolin transforms his voice, mannerisms, and even his walk to put in a performance that is near perfect.

The best in the series so far, the action, comedy, and storyline of Men in Black 3 is worthy of the grandeur needed to knock Avengers off the top spot in theaters.

Releasing next week:

Snow White and the Huntsman

It seems that great things always come in twos -- Armageddon and Deep Impact (both end-of-the-world via asteroid films), Dante's Peak and Volcano, Vampire Diaries and True Blood. This year's cinematic death match is between two twists on the classic Snow White story. The earlier release this year was entitled Mirror Mirror and featured Julia Roberts as the evil witch in a kid-friendly version of the tale.

Snow White and the Huntsman takes a slightly darker path as Charlize Theron takes on the personage of a ruthless queen who will do anything to remain beautiful. When her magical mirror advises that the only way to do this is to consume the heart of the fairest in the land, Snow White (Twilight's Kristen Stewart), she tasks the only man capable of hunting her down to find her and bring her the woman's heart.

On DVD:

Man on a Ledge

Sam Worthington (Clash of the Titans, Avatar) stars as a police officer who is wrongly convicted of stealing a $40 million dollar diamond. Elizabeth Banks makes a solid performance as a hostage negotiator, and Ed Harris is dynamic as a villain in this new twist on the "dirty cop" story.

Nick Cassidy (Worthington) is a police officer in prison and at the edge of his desperation. He stages a daring escape with the help of his younger brother (Jamie Bell), places himself at the edge of a 30th floor ledge and threatens to jump.

With all of the media and law enforcement attention on him, his brother and his girlfriend perform a heist across the street to steal the diamond, for real this time, from corrupt real estate mogul David Englander (Ed Harris).

This is a great twist on the diamond and corrupt police story that not only boasts an impressive primary cast, but also has supporting characters played by an astounding supporting cast including Kyra Sedgwick, Ed Burns and Anthony Mackie. This is an edge of your seat thrill ride that will keep you guessing until the very last frame.

Releasing next week

John Carter

Taylor Kitsch made a splash as a Navy officer in the first big blockbuster of the summer Battleship, but his year started out with a stall as the lead role in Disney's John Carter.

Kitsch plays a Civil War veteran who is transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a vibrant and fertile world inhabited by giants. He finds himself not only estranged from his people, but the prisoner of a new race. Upon his escape, he is found by a princess in desperate need of help, and is looking to him to be her savior.

Rick Ross, former film chief for Disney, resigned his position due to the $200 million dollar loss that this movie generated from ticket sales. Lucky for the Disney Corporation, they also released The Avengers this summer which more than made up for that loss. The only hope is that this title makes up for its poor theater sales by doing better on DVD.