Title – Men in Black: International (2019)
Director – F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen)
Cast – Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Rafe Spall, (voice of) Kumail Nanjiani
Plot – Agent H (Hemsworth) and Agent M (Tessa Thompson) combine forces in an extra-terrestrial landscape to stop a mole from within their team that is threatening the existence of the entire planet.
“You really think a black suit is going to solve all your problems?”
Review by Eddie on 03/10/2019
To be perfectly honest to all involved in this box office dud, Men in Black: International should never have seen the light of day and you almost feel sorry for them being a part of such a lame, tame and unwanted extension of a franchise that started off great but has slowly and surely been getting worse as the year’s wear on.
Brilliantly teaming up the dead pan Tommy Lee Jones with the then on fire smart talking Will Smith, the original Men in Black was a comedic delight with the 2nd and 3rd installments failing to capture the magic again, in what felt like tired attempts to recapture the lightning in a bottle moments that appeared from a natural place at the start of the whole adventure, that now seem like light year’s away from F. Gary Gray and his cast in International.
Another key aspect of this film that badly tries to input a modern day sensibility to proceedings is the fact we are for some reason still calling the big dance Men in Black despite the fact International teams up Thor: Ragnarok playmates Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson together as agents of an alien filled world, making you wonder why a whole refresh of the brand wasn’t the better way to go when the film’s title barely matches what happens on screen in the studios quest to appease the new venture of turning all known properties into female star vehicles too varying successes.
It’s a perfect summation of everything that’s wrong with International, with the whole affair feeling like a try-hard mission to be a funny action-packed sci-fi romp but coming off as nothing but a pale example of what not to do when given a big budget and a name brand property, in what is likely an experience that leaves die-hard MIB fans cold and disinterested in a series that now feels like its way past its use by date.
In many ways this is a shame, as the world of MIB still feels like it has much still to be explored but after 3 failings since the 1997 original, it’s safe to say that the studio won’t be rushing back to unleash more of this universe on audiences and critics who all seemed to agree that this instantly forgettable blockbuster was all types of bad.
On paper this result is somewhat unpredictable with Gray having some form behind the camera with efforts like The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen and Straight Outta Compton all entertaining in their own ways while Hemsworth and Thompson are some of the most engaging performers working currently and displayed fantastic chemistry together in Ragnarok, but that is not to be found here with their bland characters of Agent H and Agent M unable to stand out in a plot line that will have you rolling your eyes within the first few minutes.
When all is said and done it wouldn’t of mattered one bit if Hemsworth and Thompson could’ve added any extra spark to proceedings here as there’s little to no life on show in a globe spanning feature that is bereft of laughs, originality or imagination, all taking place around a story that is hard to care about in any way, shape or form.
Final Say –
It’s not hard to see why Men in Black: International became one of 2019’s biggest critical and commercial failures, doing nothing but reminding us just how fun the first Men in Black film was, this looks set to have ended the once promising cinematic universe in one foul swoop of mistimed and mismanaged franchise rebooting.
1 interrupted marriage proposal out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 