Review: MIB International
I am still not entirely sure why we got this sequel but I guess we did. Maybe 'MIB 23' would have been a little bit cooler?
'Men in Black: International' follows some NEW characters in the universe as they uncover the case of a mole in MIB. The film is lead by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as Agent H and Agent M.
I am not really sure what to say about this one, but I think I will start with a little bit about the series as a whole. I have always thoroughly enjoyed the series. I even thought the third installment was a pretty solid way to close off the story of Agent K and Agent J. However, I had pretty low expectations when we saw the many... strange... ideas that the studio was throwing out for the future of the story. I really doubted the idea of throwing new characters into the mix, but I am pretty glad that we did not have to deal with a forced character for Jaden Smith (Yeah, I'm looking at you After Earth). The new protagonists definitely added a breath of fresh air and opened many new possibilities for more sequels.
I really liked the dynamic between Hemsworth and Thompson because it was fun and NEW. One of my biggest concerns going in was that they would try to replicate the characters of the original, but I was pleased to see that they developed something fresh.
My favorite character was an easy choice. Pawny was voiced by Kumail Nanjiani, one of my favorite comedians to see in movies right now. His character cracked plenty of easy jokes but I was consistently laughing when he spoke up, and that is a big credit to the movie. The comedy (for the most part) landed and seemed to strike well with the rest of the audience in the theater.
The story was pretty solid and kept me mostly invested, despite many predictable plot points. The twists and turns were very unsurprising, but that did not keep me from feeling fairly attached to the characters. Only one plot point felt very forced but overall, it did not take me out of the movie too much.
If you are a fan of the franchise, then the movie is definitely worth checking out. If you are new to the series, see it if you are bored, or wait until it is out on streaming services. I definitely enjoyed the movie, but it was not groundbreaking by any means. Hopefully it will open the door to another look at these characters in the future.
