Men In Black: International (2019) (Review)


Here come the Men in Black- and this time they're going international. The latest franchise to undergo a cinematic reboot, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are out for Thor: Ragnarok's Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as agents of the MIB UK branch, saving the world from extraterrestrial threats. Helmed by F. Gary Gray, Men In Black: International is Sony's latest attempt to resurrect a past-its-prime property for a new audience -- unfortunately, this is a neutralising effort unworthy of your time.

Molly Wright becomes Agent M after managing to track down the Men In Black organisation, where she is recruited on a trial basis and assigned to the London branch. Partnered with Agent H, they find themselves investigating a mole in their own team after a friendly alien meeting ends in tragedy. Also starring Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Rafe Spall and the voice talents of Kumail Nanjiani, International's talented ensemble are unable to elevate the fourth film in the Men In Black saga beyond disposable summer box office trash.

Never have creative possibilities and actual execution felt so at odds like this before, as Men In Black: International is one of the blandest blockbusters to hit our cineplexes so far this year. Although early set pieces within the film are decent, and the production design introduces you to the world effectively, it becomes quickly apparent that there's so little personality to the unfolding spectacle: a hollow, cookie cutter summer tentpole that will be forgotten by the time the next is unleashed.

Director F. Gary Gray brings such little style or swagger to the visuals, working around large swathes of CGI which can only be described as serviceable at best. Even as we dash around the continents, it never inspires a sense of awe that a sci-fi film really should. A director with vision could have perhaps enhanced this experience but Gray demonstrates depressingly little in this instance: it's no more so evident than during the anti-climatic final act, which already seems dated (if it hasn't already been forgotten) when the credits roll moments later. It could have been torn from any sci-fi entity this century and we'd know no different.

Predictable with its every narrative beat and arc, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway's screenplay wastes the talents of its leads and cast with a dull, paint-by-numbers story that offers very little in the way of surprises. Clunky dialogue and weak character development result in a general halfheartedness, with its distinct lack of imagination its greatest fault. Lazy and forgettable, a Men In Black reboot should be so much more than whatever they have churned out here.

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are one of the most comic pairings working today, having previously demonstrated their compelling on-screen dynamic in Marvel's Ragnarok and (admittedly more briefly) Avengers: Endgame. While the film survives thanks to their commitment and chemistry, you cannot help but think it could've been far stronger with a more robust screenplay, one that doesn't develop an oddly romantic connection that is entirely unneeded and detrimental to future films, should they come to fruition. Still, both are comedically-talented actors whose natural charisma and effervescent rapport just about win out over a stilted and uncreative screenplay.

Amongst the supporting cast, Kumail Nanjiani's voice role is a real highlight: his Pawnie may be little but packed with more personality than the rest of the film has culminated, with Nanjiani's charm selling the funny one-liners and spunky attitude of the alien chess piece for all its worth. Emma Thompson is woefully underused but a highlight during her fleeting appearances, while Liam Neeson's entire character arc is painfully predictable and you can understand why he bothered as little as he does.

On the most basic, unchallenging level, Men In Black: International is fine. It's painfully ordinary but fine; you could perhaps even tempt me to call it entertaining if it didn't feel so bloated at 115 minutes. It's unfortunate that the dynamite pairing of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson doesn't deliver something more worthy of their talents and efforts though, and further disappointing that the filmmakers don't embrace the creativity that comes with this series' sci-fi possibilities. As such, Men In Black: International is a lifeless blockbuster that lands into our cineplexes with a real thud, despite the surrounding tentpole competition hardly inspiring little enthusiasm either.

4/10

Summary: Here come the Men In Black! But maybe best to avoid them, as this bland and lifeless reboot wastes the talents of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in spectacularly disappointing fashion.