Men in Black: International

One of the best surprises to come out of the MCU was when the third Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok, exceeded all expectations and was a fine mix of action and comedy. Much of this is owed to its director Taika Waititi but also because of Chris Hemsworth's brilliant comic timing. Whereas the first two films were holding him back with their serious tone, Ragnarok proved there was more to the actor so imagine if there was another film but outside of the Marvel series for him to showcase these talents and recast him alongside Tessa Thompson. This would be Men in Black: International from 2019, a sequel no one expected.

The third instalment in the MIB films from 2012 was a decent effort to make up for the so-so sequel while not quite living up to the 1997 original. Was there a calling for a fourth film? Not that I knew and with Will Smith's career in a weird place, MIB: International drops the original cast in favour of a fresh set of new leads. Thompson seeks out the organisation in New York after an encounter with them as a child, somehow passes the requirements and is sent to their London office where she is assigned to Hemworth's H and then stuff kind of happens from there. Suffice to say; this one isn't exactly big on plot.

MIB: International is pretty to look at but it is one of the finest examples of an empty Hollywood action flick. The plot and character motivations are missing while the films jumps around from location to location with lots of noise and colourful images hoping you won't notice this is as shallow as puddle on a sunny day. At its best, Hemsworth is good at what he does with a script that was being changed regularly throughout production which is commendable but the problems onset make this wholly forgettable. Thompson is given very little to do which is so disappointing when you consider their chemistry in Ragnarok.

If you want some colourful and inoffensive background noise, then MIB: International works well. There are some nice locations, the effects aren't too bad and Hemsworth shows he could work as a Roger Moore era Bond if the opportunity arose but this film is just a waste of everyone involved. Even the third film had characters with emotions and motivations but this just has plot devices that do whatever is needed at any given opportunity. This will pass as a distraction when doing something else but as a film this fails and I can't recommend this.