Does anyone want to see a Men in Black sequel at this point? The second film was a dud and while the third film was marginally better, at this point it feels dated.
Men in Black: International tries to revitalize the franchise with Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. The two of them have good chemistry in this film, although they lack the star power of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
Molly (Tessa Thompson) has been searching for the elusive Men in Black, ever since she saw two agents neuralize her parents two decades ago. Once she manages to find them, she’s soon hired on a probationary basis and posted at the London branch, managed by High T (Liam Neeson). There, she soon teams up with seasoned agent H (Chris Hemsworth) as they uncover a galactic plot involving a race of malevolent aliens called the Hive.
The plot is mostly blithe, trying to capture the globe trotting aura of a James Bond (or Mission Impossible), jumping around various locales such as Marrakesh, Naples and Paris.
It’s the chemistry between Hemsworth and Thompson that forms the film’s core, making it mostly watchable, if not enjoyable. H is a mix of James Bond and Captain Kirk, while the newly christened M is more brains than brawn, constantly exasperated by H’s antics (but admiring him all the same). They are joined by a tiny alien called Pawny (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) who swears his life to serving M after his whole (tiny) court dies after a massacre.
The storyline, which involves a mole inside the MIB and a star-powered weapon, is mostly a backdrop for the various set pieces. There’s even a lengthy segment where H visits a fortified fortress to visit his ex (who’s also a galactic crime lord). The breezy plot ultimately tells an inconsequential story, and thus at no point does the film crossover from being light entertainment to an engaging story that effectively utilizes its leads. The action set pieces are mostly serviceable, but there were several moments where I was checking my watch in the theaters.
Director F. Gary Gray tries to keep the ride as steady as possible, but the film’s set-piece centric storytelling fails: the characters rarely get enough time to react to what had just happened, as they quickly move on to the next story beat.
The film also tries to be feminist, prompting M at one point to ask her superior, Agent O (Emma Thompson) why exactly the agency is called Men in Black. But there’s little else in the story that supports this bent, other than M constantly being annoyed by H’s bantering.
As it stands, the film fails to make a lasting impression. But if you are jonesing for a trip to the theater, and you have already seen Godzilla: the King of Monsters and Toy Story 4, you won’t be too disappointed with choosing this film over the rest. This isn’t a particularly bad film: it’s just consistently unremarkable.
