Review by
Ben Peyton
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Emma Thompson, Liam
Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson, Rafe Spall, Kumail Nanjiani
The good guys dress in black, remember that? Yes, it’s 22 years since the
first Men in Black film crash-landed onto cinema screens and
introduced us to Agents Kay and Jay with the perfectly cast Tommy Lee Jones
and Will Smith bouncing off each other with electric chemistry and easy
charm as they saved the day from aliens.
This time, the only acknowledgment of the dynamic duo is in an oil painting depicting their finest hour, as the series starts afresh with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson taking the leading roles and applying the self-assured camaraderie they’d created in Thor: Ragnarok to decent effect here, backed up by Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Rafe Spall and Rebecca Ferguson.
[ READ MORE: New Release Review - And Tomorrow the Entire World ]
As a child, Molly (Thompson) witnesses an alien arriving on earth and the
mysterious MIB neuralizing (flashy thing) her parents and wiping their
memories. 20 years later and fuelled by a desire to prove there’s
extra-terrestrial life on earth, she successfully blags her way into the MIB
offices and onto their team. Her first mission is to assist Agent H
(Hemsworth) as he babysits a member of an alien royal family. This doesn’t
go too well as the alien is assassinated for a planet destroying
super-weapon in his possession, leading to fears the MIB have a mole within
their ranks.
The rather simple story is one big black hole devoid of charm or substance and relies far too heavily on Hemsworth and Thompson to bail it out of mediocrity, which they just about manage to do. Their confident, easy double-act is perhaps the only highlight in a film that never quite hits light speed. There isn’t one memorable set piece and this is coming from the man that gave us the ludicrously absurd, yet guilty pleasure, Fast & Furious 8, director F. Gary Gray. Here, Gray gives free reign to some of his actors to improvise and, although it’s occasionally funny, some of the petulant squabbling between characters wears thin.
[ READ MORE: New Release Review - Fried Barry ]
Emma Thompson’s hardly in it, Neeson can’t decide whether he’s Irish or
English and Ferguson brings new meaning to arms dealer in a role that
finishes just as she’s becoming interesting. Kumail Nanjiani has fun
voicing Pawny, a comedy sidekick, and Spall’s bureaucratic Agent C proves a
formidable foil to H and it would’ve been good to have seen more of
him.
30 minutes longer than it needed to be, coming in at just under two hours, Men in Black: International is a galactic mess of a film. Strong performances from the two leads aside, the tenuous story, forced humour and surprising lack of action means this reboot should be kicked into a galaxy far, far away.
Men in Black: International is on
Netflix UK/ROI now.