THE FIRST Men in Black (MIB) movie that came out in 1997 was a fun science-fiction action flick based on a comicbook series, and it spawned two sequels and an animated series.
Fast-forward 22 years, and the franchise returns with Men in Black: International – and all is not well.
The movie begins with two prologues, which ultimately slow down the pacing of the story to a near halt, before presenting the most woodenly-acted opening scene that looks more like a reshoot.
MIB: International then proceeds to break the cardinal rule of good storytelling: “Show, don’t tell!”
In the first MIB, we were introduced to Jay and saw him as a dedicated and intelligent cop. We understood why he was recruited by the MIB. We then saw his transformation into a secret agent alongside his partner Kay.
In MIB International, we get none of that with Eem (Thompson). We see things happening to her, and we know that she has some skills, but we are only told that she has all it takes to become a MIB field agent, we don’t see it.
Her knowledge and abilities seem to ebb and flow however the plot requires.
In MIB, Kay’s serious seniority contrasts well with Jay’s youthful rookie antics. Together, they make a great duo.
In MIB: International, everyone is a goofy sidekick. We are told a lot of things about Agent H (Hemsworth) and how he is the perfect male specimen and MIB agent, but just like with Eem, we are never shown how he gets to where he is.
So there is no character building.
The only drama to be found came not from the big screen, but from the antics of someone at the screening who loudly sent an angry voice message about how it was none of the business of whoever was on the other side of the conversation what movie he was watching.
But I digress. All that MIB: International has to offer is a story arc that offers a good ending, a payoff from what happened at the beginning of the film.
However, that feels like something that should have been an hour-long TV series, instead of a two-hour film.
