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Where can I get a Pawny?
Men In Black (1997) is one of my favorite movies and I was so excited to see this new addition to the franchise. After seeing it, I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. In three words: it was alright.
The details of a film’s star rating in this blog generally go as follows:
3 Stars for beginning, middle, and end of the story
Star for casting/acting
Star for everything else- cinematography, soundtrack, etc.
Bonus Star 1- for marketing, release date, etc.
Bonus Star 2- for storyline fitting in with prequels/sequels, end credit scenes, etc.
If you would like to see a more detailed outline of how a film’s rating is created by me, there is a blog post on my dedicated page to just that. Also, I don’t do spoilers. I won’t mention any major plot twists or endings but I will hint at things and mention scenes that don’t give away any of those major points.
Let’s get into it.
Beginning: MIB: International started out well. I liked the setup of Tessa Thomspon’s character, Agent M. The beginning included a flashback of her character when she was young and the scene worked well because the transitions between it and the present weren’t awkward. In fact, the entire movie had good pacing. I also really liked how they changed Agent M’s origin story from Will Smith’s original character, Agent J. Agent M found the Men In Black instead of them finding her. The beginning also includes a good scene giving context to Chris Hemsworth’s character, Agent H. The whole beginning of this movie was crafted perfectly to set up this new take on the original MIB.
Middle: I only gave this movie half a star for its middle section. It had good action but my biggest issue with this was that they never gave enough explanation for me of who “The Hive” was. They’re bad and I get it. But what I never got was a good straight minute or two of who, what, when, where, why. There was a character introduced, Vungus, who I enjoyed because they somehow perfectly captured the essence of a drunk frat guy at a party. However, Vungus actually turns out to have depth of character and an overall drive to do good. The middle did flow well between the beginning and end.
End: Meh, half star. I enjoyed the twist at the end that involved Agent H and High T, a lot actually. But I didn’t see how it could fully go anywhere. In itself it was a good ending, but it is a movie that is part of a franchise, so I felt it needed more forward momentum. Agent M and Agent H teamed up to save the world this time but being from two different continents, that storyline would grow tired fast. Unless they have one of them totally relocate in a sequel, I don’t know how they will move forward. They could go fully international and do two new agents and new places every time but I hope they keep Chris and Tessa.
Casting/Acting: I enjoyed every casting choice made for this film. Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth were great in Thor: Ragnarok and they were good in this film. I gave MIB: International the full star for this category, but I do have an asterisk to add to that. When Tessa and Chris had scenes together they felt a little stiff compared to their scenes separately. When I say a little, I really do mean a little. They are both great actors so I don’t know if it was a directing issue, a dialogue issue, or if they just weren’t totally comfortable playing halfway love interests. Which, while I mentioned it, I’m glad they weren’t written to have a full romantic interest because they never had that in the original films and I appreciate movies that stay close to the originals. When speaking to someone else about this film, they mentioned that they thought Tessa’s character felt reserved in context of her other performances. After thinking of that comment, I don’t think that was a mistake. I think it was on purpose. Her character just got a job she waited twenty years for. She was reserved because she didn’t want to mess it up. If MIB: International gets a sequel, I think her character would be more outgoing in her job. In terms of other cast members, I loved the cast choices of Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson. I thought the two of them were great in their roles and when their characters were on screen, it really felt like I was watching a MIB movie. I also cannot sing highly enough the praises of Laurent and Larry Bourgeois. They portrayed the aliens so creepy/cool and I loved that. Also, if they do a sequel to MIB: International and don't bring back Kumail Nanjiani as Pawny...I'll cry.
Everything Else: One of my favorite things about this film is that they kept a lot of the music from the original MIB. For those of you wondering, they did keep Danny Elfman on from the original. The music was so impactful in the original MIB in setting the mood and I thought it was a good and important choice to keep it that way for this new franchise addition. I also enjoyed all the new aliens they included. The VFX department did a great job.
Bonus 1: I gave MIB: International this star because I got the movie I expected to see. I knew I would like it enough but that it wouldn’t rise any higher than my expectations. That’s exactly what happened. There is a good something to be said for a movie whose marketing and final movie are consistent with one another. That’s why this bonus star exists. I also think that the release timing as a casual summer movie was the best choice. This movie was never going to be a big blockbuster. It is a fun movie that will be a great time for anyone who is looking for something to see on a casual night out.
Bonus 2: I gave the film a half star for this bonus because it was a good nod to the original films, but it wasn’t quite there for me. My biggest issue with it was that it seemed to put quick wit and jokes before plot. MIB (1997) is known for its sarcastic one-liners, courtesy of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith; however it was a very action driven movie that just happened to also be funny. MIB: International seemed to be the opposite of that. The jokes and one-liners were funny but I missed the big action packed scenes and blow outs. There was one big action-packed scene, but just one. This trend of wit before plot is something I have noticed in other movies. I think it is a trend that is more slippery slope than innovation and movie makers need to be watchful of it. There’s no reason to pay to see action movies on the big screen if there isn’t any action.
Overall: I’m not disappointed in this movie. I do not feel like I wasted my money or time in seeing it. I appreciate that because I have felt that way before (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom I’m lookin’ at you). I’m not totally to the point that I would say I recommend it, but if you’re thinking you have nothing to go see this weekend, you should think of this movie instead.
MIB and MIB II are two of my all time favorite movies. I think MIB: International is a fine addition to the franchise. It didn’t blow my mind, but it didn’t hurt me either. If you go see it, I’m sure you will agree with me.
So let me know:
What do you think of this movie?
How do you feel of sequels in general?
What’s your favorite alien movie?
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