Skip to main content

Men in Black International

A review by Brooks Rich

Sometimes I wonder if I can't enjoy certain movies anymore. Has my ability to just sit back, turn my brain off, and let something entertain me left me and is never coming back? It's possible because I hated this film with a passion. What a waste of time. This is a franchise that needed to die years ago. I love the first Men in Black. I remember seeing that in theaters when it first came out. It was a monster hit and still holds up as a fun entertaining science fiction comedy. This newest installment has Hollywood cash grab all over it and if not for Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson would be panned universally and relegated to a ninety nine cent rental in two months. The bright spots of the film are those two but if you really want to see them together, Thor Ragnarok is a thing and a million times better than this.

Chris Hemsworth is Agent H and is the best agent at Men in Black London. Tessa Thompson is new recruit Agent M, who found the MIB herself in the only interesting plot point this movie has to offer. The two must work together when it's revealed there might be a mole inside MIB, looking to gain possession of the most powerful weapon in the universe.

This movie is just kind of dull. It has some fun Men in Black stuff but on the whole it just doesn't get all that exciting. The identity of the mole can be seen eight thousand lightyears away and the two villains of the film are lame and not as fun or memorable as the villains from past films. How can we not have someone as funny and awesome as Edgar from the first movie?

This isn't the worst movie I've ever seen but it's so paint by numbers that I'm just not that excited about it. It was clearly written by committee and then sent through focus groups who complained anytime the funny alien guy stopped talking or the film tried to develop character. A major letdown as I thought this film could just be a fun summer ride. I think it's time to let this franchise bow out. Though to be fair, it was time to do that after the second one.

Rating: 1.5/5



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

A retrospective by Brooks Rich Let's kick off the spooky season with a bona fide classic. I love the horror genre, but not much really scares or creeps me out. Most horror films I just watch and enjoy. However, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' is one of those that really gets under my skin, and not just because the Sawyer family are eating people. The way Tobe Hooper shoots the film gives it an almost documentary feel. If you have never seen 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' you should probably fix that immediately. Do I need to explain what it's about? A group of '70s kids is driving across Texas in a van and runs afoul of the Sawyer family, including the man himself, Leatherface. It's a classic of the horror genre and one of the pioneers of the '70s and '80s horror boom. The film has a reputation for being sickeningly bloody and violent, but that is not true. It's essentially a bloodless film, which makes it even more horrifying. Most of the violence...

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...

John Candy month: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich I decided to extend John Candy month for a bit as I had some personal issues come up. So just wrapping up some film I wanted to cover. Works for me. Just an excuse to keep talking about a master like Candy.  Steve Martin is Neil Page, a marketing executive who is flying from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving. While trying to hail a cab he trips over a large trunk and has his taxi stolen by Del Griffith, the immortal John Candy, who ends up being one of Neil's seat mates on the plane. Bad weather in Chicago strands them in Wichita. Determined to make up for ruining Neil's travel plans, Del swears to get Neil home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Hilarity ensues.  I mean come on. Who doesn't love Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? This is Candy's best film and I don't think that's a hot take. Sure some people might vote for Uncle Buck but not me. My vote is for this masterpiece of '80s comedy. It is also John Hughes best fi...