Film Review: ‘Men in Black: International’

We were invited to a special screening of the new MIB movie, “Men in Black: International” presented by Listerine.  Check out our review of the movie below!

After many years since the last installment, the Men in Black series takes on two new faces: Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson-the hilarious duo from Thor: Ragnorak.  Hemsworth plays Agent H, a once shining and commendable agent who had helped save the world from the terrible Hive, is now a reckless, indulgent, and naïve shadow of his former self.  Tessa Thompson plays Molly, who, at a young age witnessed Men in Black agents and an alien, all while avoiding being neutralized.  Absolutely sure that what she saw was real and that there is something being hidden from the rest of the world, Molly dedicates her entire life in pursuit of the Men in Black.  After discovering a “meteor” following an impossible trajectory through her hacked Hubble telescope connection, Molly tracks down an alien and tails Men in Black agents who lead her to their base in New York.  There she fakes her way into the secret base and, after an interrogation and plenty of convincing, receives a probationary position as a MiB agent and becomes Agent M.

Her first assignment takes her to London where she hears about Agent H and his heroic exploits.  Again, she fakes her way into teaming up with him on a mission to chaperone a royal alien named Vungus and show him a good time.  Meanwhile in Marrakesh, two cosmic aliens appear, killing a local and assuming his form.  These two aliens are after Vungus and a mysterious object he has in his possession.  They appear in London where Vungus and Agents H and M are.  They poison Vungus and blow up his car, leaving him on the edge of death.  The two agents meet these strange aliens on the street where they unload every weapon they have on them to no avail.  Agent M sneaks by to check on Vungus, where he gives her the mysterious object and tells her that there is a mole in MIB.  With a mole in the most secretive administration in the world and two dangerous and nearly indestructible aliens on the loose, Agents H and M have to save not only the world but the agency that protects it as well.

 

While it was a bit slow in the beginning, Men in Black: International has a fairly straightforward story.  They have a mysterious object that aliens are after and a mole in the agency.  They have to find the mole and stop the aliens before something really bad happens.  They don’t try to make a complex story because they really don’t have to.  However, the movie does a great job of leaving the viewer unsure of who the mole could be.  The movie will throw one clue and you’ll think it’s this person, then another and you’ll think is someone else.  The constant subversion keeps you on your toes throughout the movie.

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson continue to be a funny duo, but Kumail Nanjiani, who plays Pawny, the tiny alien who pledges undying loyalty to his new queen, Agent M, adds so much humor.  The three of them riff off of each other really well and the chemistry between the three of them is really good.  Because the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, this humor is sprinkled generously throughout the film, maintaining a good amount of entertainment.

The CGI in the movie is pretty good.  The aliens looked good, but there wasn’t a lot of realism to them which I was somewhat disappointed in.  Other than that, the effects were very well done, the blaster effects and the destruction effects were all well done and looked great.  As for the fight scenes, they were alright at best.  When it came down to the agents fighting the two main alien villains, there wasn’t much of a fight.  These two alien twins, being largely indestructible, were basically just bullet sponges as they walked menacingly closer while Agents H and M mowed them down with blaster after blaster to no avail.  There was never a real fight between them.  There was also a chase sequence through the busy markets of Marrakesh, which was interesting, but again, I felt that there wasn’t a lot of action in that.  The best fight scene is actually a hand to hand fight where Agent H took on a buff and furry alien bodyguard while Agent M took on a three-armed black market dealer.  This was the first time the two protagonists truly struggled in a fight, which is why it stood out.

Given all of this, the movie still managed to be entertaining, with the comedy and mystery of the mole being the main things that kept me along for the ride.  If you’re a fan of the MIB series, then I think you’ll like this movie a lot, and even if you aren’t, I’d say the comedy is great for seeing it with friends and just having a good time.

The special screening we attended was presented by Listerine, who partnered up with Sony Pictures to promote their new Ready! Tabs.  Before the screening, Listerine was showing off how they work.  They are solid tablets that you chew on for 10 seconds.  After chewing it creates a liquid (there isn’t any gel inside from what I could tell) that you swish in your mouth.  Then, you can actually swallow it, without any harm, leaving you with a minty fresh breath.  It’s essentially the ultimate fresh breath boost, giving you the clean of Listerine mouthwash with the convenience of a normal mint that you can keep in your bag.  They’re sugar-free, last for 4 hours, and give you a “just brushed” feel.  I’ve tried them and I was genuinely amazed by how well they work and how cool they are.

Check out “Men in Black: International”, in theaters now, and give Listerine Ready! Tabs a try, in stores now!