‘Men In Black: International’ Review: Meh

Men In Black: International is just the latest entry in the ever-growing list of sequels/reboots/remakes that exactly nobody asked for. Sometimes these movies surprise us and offer legitimate entertainment. But often, it seems, we get movies like International. The studio banks on nostalgia for the originals and some star power to carry it through to success with the box office and fans. And those two points are literally all International has going for it. And at least they got those parts right.

It’s usually best for movies like this to let the nostalgia speak for itself; don’t try to shoehorn in references or cameos or too many Easter eggs. And credit to director F. Gary Gray for showing much-needed restraint in this regard. There are of course nods to the original trilogy, but thankfully only 1 or 2 that might elicit an audible groan.

After the nostalgia factor, stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson do their best here and they’re admirable efforts. The two MIB agents are easily the best part of the movie, having a chance to showcase the chemistry they’ve built up a bit working in the MCU as heroes Thor and Valkyrie. Pretty much everything good about International comes from these two. Hemsworth is his ever-charming self, and Thompson is right there with him every step of the way. But they can only shoulder so much of the load, as this is about where the goodwill ends.

The script is dull and doesn’t take anywhere near full advantage of the talented cast at its disposal. And that’s not limited to Hemsworth and Thompsons. Kumail Nanjiani is hit-or-miss as an alien sidekick. Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson (especially Emma Thompson) are grossly underused. Neeson gets a little more run, but it’s almost anger-inducing with how little screen time Emma Thompson receives. And poor Rebecca Ferguson. She plays yet another underdeveloped, misused villain (this after this January’s The King Who Would Be King). When the supporting cast is so poorly used against a bad script, you can only expect so much out of the lead characters.

In addition to the script, the story doesn’t do the movie any favors either. The plot points are pretty basic and don’t do anything to subvert the normal expectations for this type of fish out of water story. And I’m not saying every single movie that uses this basic plot line needs to do something to reinvent the genre. But when there’s nothing else innovative about it, it needs to do something to foster engagement with the audience. And here, so much of the story is predictable, with a few major points that you can see coming lightyears away.

As much as I will always support Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson working together, let’s hope the next non-MCU adventure they go on will be something worth of their immense talents. Hopefully they’ll have the chance to lead an original story rather than being forced into a dying franchise that shouldn’t have been revived in the first place.

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Matt Hambidge