Stubs - Men In Black: International

Men In Black: International (2019) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson Directed by F. Gary Gray. Screenplay by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Based on The Men in Black (Comic Book) by Lowell Cunningham. Produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald  Runtime: 115 minutes. USA Color  Science fiction, Action, Comedy

Even if you agree with Rick Sanchez's critique of Men In Black II as a "joyless cash grab," there is some room left for new stories. At least that's the hope of director F. Gary Gray and the cast of Men In Black: International, that opened this past Friday.

The film reunites two of the co-stars from the Avenger's series, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie) and sets them off on a new adventure involving aliens. But this time it is played for even more laughs, though humor was a strong suit of the MCU.

The new Men In Black film pays little homage to the trilogy of films that proceeded it, which is frankly a good thing. While the original film Men In Black (1997) was a pretty good film, the quality slipped as the production costs rose to the point that by Men In Black 3 (2012), the bloom was definitely off the rose. Time for the franchise to end or else reboot without Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Thankfully, they chose the latter approach.

Tessa Thompson plays Molly/Agent M who self-recruits herself into the MIB.

After a seven-year hiatus, we get MIB: International, with the action switching from the main headquarters in New York to the London office run by High-T (Liam Neeson). Tessa Thompson, around which this reboot circulates, plays Molly/Agent M, a new self-recruited probation agent, partnered with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth). Two things are self-evident. First, Thompson and Hemsworth make a pretty good team and no matter what happens with this film, I would like to see them paired up again. The other is that Hemsworth shorn of his long hair is still a very pretty man and will no doubt impress with both his looks and his sense of humor.

Like the other films, the mission of the Men In Black is to secure Earth and provide a safe place for aliens seeking refuge here. One of the big differences between this film and the previous entries is that while the MIB are all business, they actually seem to be more well-rounded here. They still wear the suit, but they occasionally loosen their ties and seem to have real lives with emotions. It is a change that I prefer.

Agent M and Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) can be all business without the ties.

The film has some good action and also has a good sense of humor beyond a couple of references to Thor. But the film also seems to drag a little bit, which is not a selling point. And before the film is over, you'll probably guess who the real bad guy is, which means the finale loses a little of the surprise punch that would have helped the film. Despite that though, I would recommend MIB: International for the pairing of Hemsworth and Thompson. They are cute together and should this film get a sequel, it would be great to see them together again.