No Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, why bother audiences ask upon hearing the news of a
Men In Black continuation without the two main leads that made the franchise both enjoyable and iconic. The lack of the films main stars can only mean the new film is destined to fail much in the same vein as 2016'S
Independence Day: Resurgence did without Will Smith. Fast-forward seven years after the events of
Men In Black lll, Columbia Pictures attempts to re-establish the franchise with newer actors and actresses in the lead with loose ties to the original films. Instead of Smith and Jones, Thor Ragnarock's Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are chosen to lead the
Men In Black universe forward largely due to the success and chemistry the two demonstrated with Marvel's
Thor: Ragnarock. Gone from the original trilogy is the series director Barry Sonnenfeld and is replaced by
Friday and
Fate Of The Furious director F. Gary Gray. Columbia prior to the films release hoped that the combination of fresh new faces in the main roles and a young creative director with a solid track record can bring a breath of fresh air to a franchise that clearly has no real reason to continue.
Men In Black: International is a film that desperately tries to recapture the magic and excitement audiences had for the franchise previously though the ultimate result is a mediocre film at best, that feels as if its going through the motions while trying to bring something new to the series.
The plot for
Men In Black: International has virtually no ties to the original films except for the fact that Emma Thompson returns as Agent O. International focuses on two London-based MIB agents (Played by Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth), being assigned to investigate a series of alien attacks but while doing so also learn of a mole in the organization that handles intergalactic immigration. With
International, the
Men In Black universe makes an attempt to branch out and explore other aspects of its universe while further developing the men and women who work for MIB, While the films concept itself isn't a bad one and is actually smart in terms of expanding on the universe, it lacks true thrills and a compelling villain to make it worthwhile ultimately. The antagonist presented in this film is weak and rather generic compared to the villains in the previous films, particularly
Men In Black where Agents Jay and Kay battled a giant cockroach. A mole in the MIB headquarters is an interesting twist but the ultimate reveal lacks the impact needed to make audiences truly care as well as feel shocked. Another problem with the films story is the teaming up of Hemsworth and Thompsons characters, despite the chemistry that Agent H and M demonstrate on the big screen they don't have a real compelling reason for teaming up other than to showcase their sexual tension to the audience. Thompson's character Agent M is fleshed out with her reasoning for wanting to be apart of MIB being believable though her character forcing her way into MIB headquarters is not and mocks the idea that the agency is supposed to be a secret. Hemsworth's character is portrayed as essentially being a goofball. What's also missing from the story that would've helped draw it closer to the original is the intergalactic threat that essentially came with defeating all the previous antagonists of MIB. The film maintains much of the same themes as the originals in regards to friendship, teamwork, relationships, love, death, loss, and acceptance. The films most noble addition to its collection of themes is opportunities for women as Thompson's character essentially takes Will Smiths side of the partnership while presenting a new female dynamic that challenges the franchises title being
Men In Black as it feels irrelevant now.
As far as acting performances go, the main cast is appealing and remains strong despite the source material they are given. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson bring their
Thor: Ragnarock A game to the project making their characters fun and appealing for audiences despite their jokes coming across as being misfires half the time. Liam Neeson is an equally nice addition to the cast as Agent High T, playing the agents superior who demonstrates his loyalty to the agents when needed. Regardless of the project, Neeson always delivers a strong performance and is no different here. Rafe Spall delivers a notable performance as Agent C, making the audience dislike his character but also understand his reasonings for wanting to find the mole at MIB headquarters. Despite the appealing cast and solid performances all around, none of the actors capture the charisma and energy that Smith and Jones brought to the table, or even
MIB3's Josh Brolin or Rip Torn as former MIB Agent Zed. The alien side characters aren't as engaging as the old ones with Tony Shalhoubs character Jeebs being missed. The film however gives audiences cameos involving the worm guys and Frank the puppy, that can talk which help in merging the old and new storylines together. Despite the films shortcomings with the script, the cast clearly seems like they are trying to make the best out of the story presented to them and look as if they are having fun,
In terms of directing and writing, F. Gary Gray directs this film in a style that tries to stay connected to the original movies with moments involving the main characters looking up at the stars or reusing Danny Elfmans iconic score. Gray tries hard to keep the universe entertaining and interesting though the desert scenes feel out of place given the previous
MIB movies were heavily centered around New York City with key sequences taking place at night. Despite Gray's reasonably solid directing, the film is missing the gross aspect and edge the other films had, particularly the original in how they presented the aliens. The aliens in the original
Men In Black were portrayed either as being the sweetest things passing through the universe or the scariest. Gone are also the slow beat moments where Barry Sonnenfeld captured the thoughts and wonders of the characters with small yet pivotal moments such as them looking up at the stars wondering what else is out in the universe or questioning their purpose in the scheme of things. It was quiet moments such as these that gave the original films the heart they possessed making their stories fun for the audience while making them want to become agents of MIB themselves. The films weakest point lies within the script written by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. While the writers carried good ideas with their concept of taking the story to a more global level in terms of exploring the agency, the narrative at times felt like it was jumping all over the place along with the humor between the two leads being a completely different style than the previous ones established. The strong chemistry between the two main actors is not due to the films writing but their own way of playing off each other in their scenes together.
The question that fans of the series who've largely avoided
Men In Black: International in theaters find themselves asking is whether its a bad movie. Its not a bad movie and its even mildly entertaining at times but its forgettable when you look at the potential it had and compare it to the first and third
Men In Black films. What made
Men In Black a hit was its creativity at making a plot that centered around a New York police officer who joins an organization that polices and monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Add to that the rising status of Will Smith in his early career transitioning from being a TV star to film and Tommy Lee Jones at his prime during his 90's
Fugitive era, a unique type of buddy cop/Sci-Fi action movie was being created. The script was smart, the makeup effects were out of this world at the time, its action set pieces were impressive, and charisma between its two leads being so effective it essentially was what
X-Files would've end up if it dropped the serious tone. What
Men In Black: International is missing that would've made it a similar hit with audiences is the same type of creativity that went into making the original as well as the inclusion of the original leads. As hard as the franchise tries to move past Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones characters, the audience can't help but miss their presence as the leads despite being strong in their own right ultimately don't compare in the end. The films greatest flaw lies within its writing making the overall film come across as being rather bland. The characters for the most part are rather flat and cliche as they don't really give audiences any compelling reason for them to exist. The films big plot twist is interesting yet predictable the more you think about it, with the overall plot lacking the drama and emotion that generally comes with a typical
MIB storyline.
For a reboot that almost no one asked for,
Men In Black: International is not the disaster its been made out to be in the press nor does it stand up with the best films in the series, it just falls into the category of being average. There is enough fun and entertainment value to get one through a Redbox rental but beyond that its ultimately forgettable and gives little reason why a universe that's clearly peaked and burnt out should continue. You're better off watching the first
Men In Black, skipping
Men In Black ll, and head straight to
Men In Black lll as one genuinely gets the feeling that the story comes full circle with the way the third one ends.
International wants and desires to be
The Force Awakens of the
Men In Black sequels in terms of rebooting the franchise but without much connection to the originals or supporting roles from Smith and Jones, its not worth the time and investment. Danny Elfman's return to the franchise though was a much appreciated and welcomed gesture.
Final Verdict: Worth a Redbox rental but that's about it.
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