Men in Black: International (2019)
Although the original Men in Black trilogy had mostly run out of ideas, not in its third film, but halfway through its first, Hollywood is never one to leave a once-popular franchise dormant for long, hoping that time has been kind enough to produce a wave of nostalgia among moviegoers to give a continuation a shot. That desire to draw on nostalgia would have seen the 21 Jump Street series merge with the Men in Black series, but the deal fell through due to not being able to get the two sides to agree on a clear and creative direction, and the project would proceed forward merely as a Men in Black entry.
For this follow-up, we get two new characters to follow working for the super-secret government organization to protect Earth from interdimensional threats and to keep knowledge of alien lifeforms away from human knowledge. The two are Tessa Thompson’s newly on-board Agent M (who we first meet as a civilian girl named Molly, with big dreams of exploring the secrets of the universe after she encounters an alien) and Chris Hemsworth’s roguish veteran named Agent H. The two “Men in Black” (there are a couple of jokes about the dated sexism of the moniker) get their assignment from their boss, High T (Liam Neeson), to look after an alien of some renown and influence that is sought after by sinister forces for reasons come to learn more about through the course of the film. In the ensuing attempt at assassination, M is given a mysterious crystal object, one she knows must be important enough to make her a target, but something that serves no use to her until she can unlock its secret purpose.
It would be incorrect to call this a reboot of the series, as it does acknowledge the characters from the original trilogy briefly in a representation of their heroism depicted in a painting hanging on the wall at headquarters. This is the first of the series to not have Barry Sonnenfeld in as the director, making way for F. Gary Gray (who took over a series for Sonnenfeld once before, in Get Shorty‘s limp follow-up, Be Cool), who doesn’t bring his own flair so much as try to emulate the look and vibe of the Sonnenfeld’s goofy, colorful vision. The screenplay from the team of Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, mostly known for bringing forward big comic book properties like Iron Man, Punisher: War Zone, and Transformers: The Last Knight, doesn’t exactly sizzle with ripe comedic material or fascinating new twists on the formula premise, with a modicum of mystery elements that will likely fool no one but someone who has never seen a film before. Much is made of the “International” aspect of its title, opening up the action to varied scenic locales around the world, from London to Paris to Morocco.
The interplay between the two leads is fine but not exactly the stuff of natural chemistry, despite having worked before to some degree in the before, mostly in Thompson’s debut to the MCU in Thor: Ragnarok. Nevertheless, they’re likable enough to enjoy in the roles, even if they fall short of scoring big laughs because they seem to be working on different levels much of the time. Things improve substantially when they get a third wheel to their adventures, in the miniature CG character cartoonishly representing a pawn from a chess board, Pawny, voiced by Kumail Nanjiani. Rebecca Ferguson looks like she’s having fun playing a zany multi-armed character named Riza, an alien that is so sexy that few species in the universe can seem to resist her.
Given the fact that this is a film series that literally could do anything or go anywhere in the universe in order to find new and interesting stories to tell, it’s a disappointment to see it go through most of the same motions we went through the first time around with this franchise. Even divorcing it from the original trilogy, on its own, it’s still nothing great. It’s a mystery without many genuine surprises and a comedy without many genuine laughs, leaving is only to be entertained by its zany vibe and a constantly shifting set of alien characters to inhabit in a variety of picturesque locations. As escapism, you could probably do worse, but it’s very little you haven’t seen before if you’ve seen the original trilogy of films. At nearly two hours in length, the longest MiB film to date, it does have a high share of prolonged lulls to weigh it down.
If you’re a longtime fan of the series, perhaps just seeing the dormant franchise revived will be enough to sate you into being content with what International has to offer. If you’ve never quite cared much for these movies, this entry is certainly not going to turn you around. as it doesn’t exactly break out into new territory, despite its new globe-hopping premise.
Qwipster’s rating: C+
MPAA Rated: PG-13 for sci-fi action, some language, and suggestive material.
Running Time: 114 min.
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Neeson, Rafe Spall, Emma Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Ferguson
Director: F. Gary Gray
Screenplay: Matt Holloway, Art Marcum