Movie Review: Men in Black - International

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action, laughs, story

Cons: Predictable character development

The Bottom Line:

Men in Black return

Aliens, action, and laughs

Mindless but still fun

Saving the Earth from the Scum of…Themselves?

Given enough time, Hollywood brings everything back either with a reboot or a sequel or a remake.  That’s the case with Men in Black: International.  It really only has marginal ties to the original movies, but just the fact that it was Men in Black was enough to generate buzz.  I didn’t make it to the theater to see this film, but it was a good rental.

As a young girl, Molly met an alien and witnessed the Men in Black in action.  As an adult, she has become obsessed with joining them.  When she tracks them down, she manages to convince them to let her join the organization, becoming Agent M (Tess Thompson).  She’s still a rooky, but Agent O (Emma Thompson) sends her to the London branch, certain that something strange is happening there.  It isn’t long before she’s met Agent High T (Liam Neeson) and been paired with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) to protect an alien.  The problem is, H has not been quite the same since an incident in Paris.  Will their partnership work out?  Can they figure out what is happening in their own ranks?

I know that fans of the franchise were disappointed in this film, but I enjoyed it.  It probably helps that, while I’ve seen the original films, I was never a huge fan of them.  I’ve just seen them the once, and it’s been several years.  As a result, I didn’t come into this with huge expectations.  I was looking for a good story and some laughs.

And the movie delivered on that front.  This is really a mystery with science fiction elements.  You can guess how much I loved the story as a result.  Okay, so it was played as more of an adventure, but it still worked for me, keeping me engaged as Agents H and M when from one ridiculous situation to another.  There was enough action and suspense to keep me entertained.  And there were plenty of laughs at the banter between the characters and the situations they got in.

The special effects were great as well.  Okay, so it’s more news if they don’t look good these days.  I didn’t feel like they got in the way of the story, instead, they were there to support the out of this world story that we were being told.

I will say I found the character development rather predictable.  It’s hard to find something new, especially for a reboot where we have characters we’ve never met before.  I didn’t mind, but it was the most predictable part of the story.

This isn’t a slight on the actors at all.  They were all great, bringing their best to whatever the script called for whether it was action, comedy, or acting against special effects.

I’m sure the action and effects looked great on the big screen, but I’m fine with having waited to see Men in Black: International on my TV.  If you are looking for some mindless but fun entertainment, this will fit the bill perfectly.