Men in Black: International review

MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL:

INTERNATIONAL DIVISION HAS TWO CHARMING LEADS MINUS THE WIT OF ITS PREDECESSORS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in Men in Black: International

            The MIB go to London with their International division in Men in Black: International, the latest installment of the Men in Black franchise based on the Marvel/Malibu comic series of the same name and spin-off of the original series which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Released back in 1997 the first Men in Black movie was a huge critical and commercial hit that proved during a dark time for summer blockbusters that a summer film could be smart, clever, and of course a lot of fun. 

            With its imaginative alien and creature designs, blend of dazzling special effects, humor, and bold storytelling, and the chemistry between Jones and Smith which is truly the stuff of legends, Men in Black is a cherished 90s action-comedy still to this day and even spawned an animated series on Saturday mornings and two follow-ups in 2002 and 2012.

            Unlike the first film which was universally praised from critics and audiences and even earned three Oscar nominations and winning for Best Makeup, the sequels while still successful at the box-office garnered very mixed results. Men in Black II was heavily criticized as being a lazy, watered-down rehash of the first movie with a terrible villain performance by Lara Flynn Boyle whereas Men in Black 3 was better received with a Back to the Future style time travel plot, but it never quite lived up to the first film. 

            Now seven years after the release of Men in Black 3, we have this spin-off that marks the first Men in Black movie not to be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld or feature Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. In their places we have F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton, The Fate of the Furious) in the director’s chair and Chris Hemsworth (Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Cabin in the Woods, Ghostbusters (2016)) and Tessa Thompson (Creed 1 and 2, Westworld, Marvel Cinematic Universe) who have previously worked together on the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame as new agents of the MIB. 

            When the film was first announced I was both excited and skeptical because I adore Hemsworth and Thompson as actors and loved seeing them together in Thor: Ragnarok, but as much as I love them it would be impossible for them to top Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith from the previous three films. All I needed was a good spin-off movie that stands on its own while still fitting in the Men in Black universe…sadly, Men in Black: International does not do a good job with this.

            While Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson have strong comedic chemistry together, Men in Black: International wastes their talents on a bland, unfunny script. You can see them trying their hardest to make the material given to them sound funny but the film doesn’t give them much to work with and it comes off as a desperate attempt from Sony to maintain ownership of film rights, kind of like their Spider-Man reboots or the 2016 Ghostbusters movie (And yes, I find it humorous that Hemsworth went from Ghostbusters secretary to Men in Black agent).

            The film follows a young woman named Molly (Thompson) whose family witnessed an alien encounter when she was only a child. Shortly after the encounter a group of MIB agents arrived to take care of the situation and neuralyze her parents but they didn’t erase her memories.

            Molly spent her entire life trying to find the MIB organization and one day she comes across the MIB headquarters headed by Agent O (Emma Thompson-Sense & Sensibility, Nanny McPhee 1 and 2, Late Night, reprising her role from Men in Black 3) where she is recruited as Agent M for the MIB’s division in London led by High T (Liam Neeson-Schindler’s List, Taken trilogy, Widows).

            There she is partnered up with Agent H (Hemsworth) and a pint-sized alien known as Pawny (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani-Silicon Valley, The Big Sick, Stuber) and they begin their mission to retrieve a powerful weapon before a group of shape-shifting aliens known as the Hive get their hands on it and wipe out the entire universe. However, they must learn not to trust anyone if they’re going to succeed in their mission and the true culprit might be closer than they think.

            The film also stars Rafe Spall (Life of Pi, The Big Short, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) as Agent C, professional dancers Laurent and Larry Bourgeois (Les Twins, Homecoming, Cats (2019)) as the voices and models for the Hive, and Tim Blaney (Short Circuit 1 and 2) reprising his role from the first two films as the voice of Frank the Pug.

            Overall, Men in Black: International is watchable but you’ll most likely forget about it very quickly. As previously mentioned the chemistry between Hemsworth and Thompson is wonderful and when the script allows it there are a few jokes that got a laugh out of me, but the majority of the movie just felt like a bland, overly studio-controlled Men in Black movie with very few risks or unique perspectives on the source material.

            Similar to the X-Men franchise, Men in Black could have been an early example of a cinematic universe long before Marvel and DC and would’ve loved to have seen more of the Men in Black world explored with new characters. But when the script tries to drastically water down the first movie and constantly remind us of these jokes from the earlier films it feels stale and for a lack of better word, unfunny (Last I checked Men in Black was supposed to be funny).

            Even Men in Black II which desperately tried to copy the formula of the first movie, at least that film had more personality and risks taken than this bland, studio-manufactured spin-off. This just feels like Men in Black: International written by a focus group frequently looking at charts. 

            The villain(s) are pretty damn weak in this movie, literally just some ghostly shape-shifting aliens with no unique features or personalities. These are easily the worst villains in any of the Men in Black films and they’re so forgettable, say what you will about the other films but at least the bug farmer, Serleena, and Boris the Animal are memorable villains for better or worse.

            Had the script been written better and the director knew what he was doing, Men in Black: International could have been a fun first installment of a new series of MIB movies. But as is, it makes you wish Hemsworth and Thompson were teaming up Jones and Smith in a Men in Black 4, it might pass the time but as soon as it’s over I guarantee you’ll forget this movie faster than a person neuralyzed by the MIB…better luck next time MIB International division.