Review of Men in Black: International (2019) by Mrmoviebuff — 19 Jun 2019

'Men in Black: International' is nothing more than Sony trying to cash-in on another franchise they own and attempt to revamp it for modern blockbuster competition. While they knew what franchise they wanted to revisit, and they knew who they wanted to be the lead stars, the only thing they forgot is to tell a story.

Tessa Thompson ('Creed' and 'Thor: Ragnarok') is Molly, a dedicated and feisty young woman who, since she was a kid, witnessed the existence of strange extra-terrestrial beings among earth. This motivates her to be a part of a secret organization and she wants in.

She attempts everything she could to get recruited, and when she finally meets Agent O (Emma Thompson), she manages to pass and get what she wants. Molly then also meets a strange yet handsome gentleman of an agent, Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and she persuades him to let her join in on a mission together.

Their boss, High T (Liam Neeson) is concerned about H's behavior and his constant recklessness. They go on a few missions together, and they manage to win everyone's respects back at headquarters. The problem that faces this film is that it is extremely underwhelming.

The "Men in Black" franchise has been known for its imagination, as well as bringing out some surprising charisma and chemistry (previously with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith) between any two leading stars.

This one is actually rather frustrating and, dare I say, boring to watch. Hemsworth and Thompson are gifted actors, and have proven their worth ever since they showed their chemistry in 'Thor: Ragnarok' (2017), a movie that allowed them to do whatever they wanted and showcase their talents.

Here, it seems that they are weighed down by an uninspired plot and dialogue that does not give them a chance to be themselves. Even director F. Gary Gray ('Straight Outta Compton') seems to be punished from a creative perspective.

Not adding his own directorial traits to bring new life to the franchise. This film is only 1 hour and 54 minutes long, yet, you know it's an issue when earlier this year, 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) (also co-starring Hemsworth and Thompson) clocks in at 3 hours and 1 minute, yet that one felt much shorter.

I didn't get invested in any of the characters as Hemsworth was rather underdeveloped, he's just charming, but that's all he has. The action scenes weren't nearly as exciting as they should be, they're just fast and flashy.

Also, none of the jokes land, time and time again, we see two characters holding their weapons at their enemies and a good five minutes is spent on quipping, or one character side-whispers something to the other character, what they say is nowhere near as funny.

I honestly don't know why such talent, from F. Gary Gray, to Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, is wasted here. Perhaps Sony needed relevant names to bring some kind of appeal to the film, but you'll only find that appeal by looking at the poster.

The film won't do much for you.