It is hard to describe how different and fresh the original “Men in Black” felt upon it’s release in 1997. The film was very much a product of it’s time but still feels delightfully quirky to this date. The film was so popular that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones returned to star in two sequels. The newest film in the franchise, “Men in Black: International”, stars two new lead actors. Despite the fact that I am a fan of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the decision Sony made of not having either Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones return kept me from wanting to see this film in theaters. Still, I was curious enough of how this film turned out that I ended up buying it when it was released.
The film starts in 2016 with men in black agents H and O on a mission to stop the Hive from invading Earth. Agents H and O start to fight off the invading Hive as the action cuts away to leave their fate ambiguous. The film cuts to the year 1996 to show a young girl named Molly who befriends a little alien the men in black are looking for. The film then takes us to present day where Molly is on a quest to find the men in black organization and join it (due to her experience as a child). Molly is finally successful and impresses Agent O so much that she recruits her on a trial basis and transfers her to the UK division. At the UK division, Molly (now known as Agent M) reports to High T and we learn that he and Agent H were supposedly successful in stopping the Hive and are considered to be heroes there. Agent H was become something of a mess since the incident however. Agent M quickly teams up with Agent H on a case which has links to the Hive. The pair quickly discover all isn’t as it seems however.
This film ended up getting mixed to poor critical scores and most audiences compared the film to hot garbage. I have known more than a few people who saw it and hated it. Naturally, I wasn’t expecting much when I watched it. Color me surprised when I actually found myself enjoying the film. Now, I don’t think it is a masterpiece or as good as the first film, but it was at least on par with “Men in Black II” (although that film also did poor critically).
“Men in Black: International” wisely went with the soft reboot approach, meaning that it was mostly a new cast but all the other films are still cannon. There are nods to the original film including a painting featuring Agents J and K which were nice pieces of fan service. It was also nice seeing Frank the Pug and the worm guys make cameo appearances.
F. Gary Gray steps in to helm this installment. Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the first three films, does executive produce this chapter. Gray doesn’t quite have the same quirky charm that Sonnenfeld brought to the franchise. Gray tends to make very polished and clean looking films which doesn’t quite fit the style of a lived in world like “Men in Black”. It’s easy to see why Sony wanted Gray, he was hot off the incredibly successful “The Fate of the Furious” and is a very talented filmmaker but I am not sure if he was the best man for the job this time.
The cast definitely helped elevate this film and while no one can replace Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson do about as good as anyone could. Hemsworth and Thompson have a natural chemistry and are fun to watch together. Hemsworth is an extremely gifted comedic actor and he is able to showcase his comedic chops in this film. Liam Neeson also adds some prestige to the film as High T. “Men in Black 3” actress Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O which was a nice little acknowledgement of the previous films. The highlight of the film, for me at least, was the character of Pawny. Kumail Nanjiani voices Pawny and the character adds a lot of levity to the action set pieces. Nanjiani is one of those comedians who can be given average material and make it gold.
The franchise has come a long way from it’s origins in Malibu Comics but still has something to offer in my opinion. “Men in Black: International” is not as good as the first movie (by a long shot) but it is still on par or better than a lot of other movies I have seen this year. It is a fun popcorn flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously and the lead actors make it feel a little more special than it is.
Grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment