Men In Black: International - Review

The first installment of this franchise without Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. It was pretty clear that Tommy Lee Jones is now too old to continue this franchise, and Will Smith is currently busy with other projects like Aladdin, so why not take Men In Black and give it the spin-off treatment. In the pilot's seat this time around are Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, recently reunited from Thor: Ragnorok with Rebecca Fergueson, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson rounding out the supporting cast. So how does MIB: International hold up against the other films in the franchise and how was the viewing experience alone. Well. I'm sorry to say that this movie is nowhere near as good as the first film, however, I found this movie to be a fun time at the theatre.

The best thing in the movie by far is Tessa Thompson's performance. She plays Molly, an extremely smart, witty and badass woman who has been obsessed with discovering the secret of the Men (and women) in Black after she encountered a little alien when she was a child. She eventually does find the Men In Black's headquarters in New York City and gets recruited by Agent O (Emma Thompson). This is a character that is extremely passionate about aliens, the job, and the truth. She is like that kid who is way too excited to show up at space camp, but that enthusiasm and charm allow us to really connect to character and get invested in the movie.

Chris Hemsworth was also a nice addition to the cast. I would be lying if I said that it was hard to see him as anyone else but Thor for the first twenty minutes, but I eventually saw him as Agent H. Give the guy credit, some actors can never escape the type casting of a giant role like that. He plays the cocky, lazy, know-it-all hot-shot of the agency which works well with the new, fresh and eager rookie of Molly aka Agent M. And their chemistry is definitely there, although it doesn't warrant the amount of laughs you'd expect from a Men In Black film, or even as many laughs as Thor: Ragnorok. I could have used more humour throughout the entire movie, but at least our main characters are likeable and work well together.

Another thing this movie has going for it is the overall look and design to the movie. The Men In Black tech throughout the movies have always been sleek, futuristic and extremely stylish. If there is one thing this movie has going for it, it's the visuals. The weapons are awesome, the London Headquarters looks amazing and everything from the suits, the sets, the aliens, the vehicles, all look sharp, clean, and stylish as hell. This is one great looking movie. I wish I could see more of them and see them used in more unique ways. We don't get that many action sequences in the movie unfortunately. A fight with some aliens in the streets of London, a hover bike chase through the streets of Marrakesh, a small fist fight on an Italian Island and a little gun battle on the Eiffel Tower. While 4 major action set-pieces seems like a fair number of action scenes in a summer blockbuster, however, with the exception of the fight with aliens in the streets of London, I wish I could see a little bit more creativity with the action sequences. You have guns specifically made for a government organization to fight aliens. Have fun with it!

Overall, this is going to be one of those movies where many people are going to say that it doesn't bring anything new to the table, or that this series has over-stayed it's welcome and that they found it not as exciting as some of the previous films. Even if I had on my "film school cap" and analyzed this movie scene by scene, I wouldn't be too impressed. However, like Kingsman: The Golden Circle, my own personal enjoyment of the movie overshadows my "proper" judgement. Sure, it may have some pacing issues and the Men In Black formula may have run it's course, but I still had a fun time with this movie. If this movie does make money and the studios decide to make Men In Black: International 2, I will be buying a ticket.