Based purely on financial loss, Men in Black: International may end up being the largest flop of summer 2019. In most cases, a big-budget flop is rightfully contributed to a film's poor quality. Oftentimes, films that bomb are deserving of that fate. Maybe it's because I've never been a huge fan of the previous Men in Black features, but I find Men in Black: International completely undeserving of its dismal box office take and lackluster critical reception.
Unlike the previous MIB sequels, it doesn't repeat plot points and events from its predecessors and introduces almost an entirely new cast of characters and storylines. In other words, it does exactly what a sequel should do. While 'International' isn't the most original movie ever, it does at least bring a few fresh ideas to the table. Most significantly, this is a male/female buddy comedy. Buddy comedy being my favorite genre, I can't off the top of my head think of another that combines a man and a woman together, which, being 2019, is kind of surprising. Yet, 'International' doesn't get hung up on gender politics. It doesn't even have much in the way of social commentary. What it does have is an interesting story, a few decent twists, and great one-liners delivered by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who have the same natural chemistry that made Thor: Ragnarok work so well. The downside is that the movie spends so much time moving from plot point to plot point that neither character gets as much development as they should.
A lot of big-budget blockbusters these days get bogged down in endless CGI-heavy fight scenes that take over for story and ultimately becoming boring. Refreshingly, there is something somewhat smaller scale about the action sequences here. Entire planets don't get destroyed. There's not a body count in the hundreds. There aren't overly long battles that take up the whole third act. The action scenes in 'International' are relatively brief compared to modern day action pictures, but they are much more satisfying than most. There's plenty of variety on display here: a good fight scene, a solid chase scene, and occasional gunplay. None of this is overblown or overdone. It's well shot, nicely edited, and, above all, exciting to watch.
Obviously there will never be a sequel to MIB: International. The poor reception guarantees that. But compared to the likes of say last summer's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, 'International' demonstrates a franchise that is willing to go in a different direction to survive. I can't argue it's a great movie, but it is one of the best sequels to come out of Hollywood in a while. Recommended. 7/10
Unlike the previous MIB sequels, it doesn't repeat plot points and events from its predecessors and introduces almost an entirely new cast of characters and storylines. In other words, it does exactly what a sequel should do. While 'International' isn't the most original movie ever, it does at least bring a few fresh ideas to the table. Most significantly, this is a male/female buddy comedy. Buddy comedy being my favorite genre, I can't off the top of my head think of another that combines a man and a woman together, which, being 2019, is kind of surprising. Yet, 'International' doesn't get hung up on gender politics. It doesn't even have much in the way of social commentary. What it does have is an interesting story, a few decent twists, and great one-liners delivered by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who have the same natural chemistry that made Thor: Ragnarok work so well. The downside is that the movie spends so much time moving from plot point to plot point that neither character gets as much development as they should.
A lot of big-budget blockbusters these days get bogged down in endless CGI-heavy fight scenes that take over for story and ultimately becoming boring. Refreshingly, there is something somewhat smaller scale about the action sequences here. Entire planets don't get destroyed. There's not a body count in the hundreds. There aren't overly long battles that take up the whole third act. The action scenes in 'International' are relatively brief compared to modern day action pictures, but they are much more satisfying than most. There's plenty of variety on display here: a good fight scene, a solid chase scene, and occasional gunplay. None of this is overblown or overdone. It's well shot, nicely edited, and, above all, exciting to watch.
Obviously there will never be a sequel to MIB: International. The poor reception guarantees that. But compared to the likes of say last summer's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, 'International' demonstrates a franchise that is willing to go in a different direction to survive. I can't argue it's a great movie, but it is one of the best sequels to come out of Hollywood in a while. Recommended. 7/10