Men In Black International movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Men In Black International

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour, 54 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

I’ve been such a fan of this creative, fun franchise for years. I was so excited to see another one, after waiting 7 years since the last installment. I wasn’t blown away, but I also wasn’t completely disappointed like many critics have been. This fourth installment in the intergalactic kegger that is Men In Black is full of new and delightful creatures, cool gadgets, plenty of action, and some respectful nods to the past movies that fans will enjoy. It’s the only movie in the franchise to not be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Instead, F. Gary Gray takes the director’s chair on this one.

If you enjoyed watching Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson together in Thor: Ragnarok (Theatrical Version), you’ll get a kick out of seeing them wear the black & white suits of the secret government agency that deals with the scum of the universe. They have great chemistry together. The movie has a fresh take on the franchise in a couple of new ways: female agents and international agency.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some crude language.
A man and alien are seen in bed together. Later, there is talk about how that worked.
Lots of destruction and fighting
Yet one more female empowerment movie that your daughters will enjoy

THEMES:

“Just remember, the universe has a way of leading you to where you’re supposed to be at the moment you’re supposed to be there.” – Agent High T (Liam Neeson)
Friendship
Loyalty
Courage

THINGS I LIKED:

Liam Neeson! Chris Hemsworth! Emma Thompson! Tessa Thompson! Kumail Nanjiani! What a fun cast. Emma Thompson, by the way, reprises her role as Agent O from Men In Black 3 Besides Frank the Pug, she’s the only former cast member who returns. Sadly, she’s not in the movie very much but she’s awesome when she’s in it.
Tessa Thompson is relatable, smart, cool, humble, capable, and stylish as Agent M.
Two of my sons are break dancers in the Hip Hop world, so I’ve been watching twin brothers Laurent & Larry Bourgeois dance on YouTube years before they won World of Dance! I’m so happy for all of their success and it was awesome to see them in a movie! Good for them! We even get to see them dance a little bit in this movie.
Pawny was adorable and had some of the best lines in the movie. He was voiced by the talented Kumail Nanjiani.
I absolutely loved Rebecca Ferguson in The Greatest Showman . She was so elegant and graceful. I also really liked her in Mission: Impossible – Fallout so I was disappointed she didn’t have more screen time in this movie. The wig and dress they put her in were both hideous. What I thought was hilarious was that she was an arms dealer and had three arms. ha ha
There is a funny Thor moment when Chris Hemsworth stretches out his hand to reach for a hammer that made me laugh out loud.
When I first saw that young Tarantian in the beginning, I was worried it was going to be a Jar-Jar Binks moment, but it really was adorable.
Love the MIB watch!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Sooo disappointing that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones passed on this project. Their first 1997 Men In Black was classic gold. All of the sequels have never quite measured up, yet they have all been entertaining.
This script is clunky and the plot doesn’t have the charm, wit, or memorable moments that the original Men In Black had that wowed us.
Some of the CGI looked super fake and cheesy. There were a LOT of green screen moments in this movie, but some of the visual effects looked great.
Rumor has it that they were originally going to do a Men In Black crossover with 22 Jump Street. Can you imagine that? I’m so glad they decided not to do that. It sounds like a messy combination that would ruin it for fans of both franchises.
That big blue Tarantian guy looked like the big blue Beast guy in X-Men.
Chris Hemsworth spends the entire being goofy as people swoon all over him.
The humor falls flat OFTEN.
You can pretty much guess the ending by watching the trailer. Don’t watch the trailer!

FUNNY LINES:

“We are the Men in Black.” – Agent O (Emma Thompson)

“The MEN in Black?” – Agent M/Molly (Tessa Thompson)

“Don’t. Don’t start. I had that conversation. It’s a process.” – Agent O

“This is non-negotiable.” (explosion) “Slightly negotiable.” – Pawny (Kumail Nanjiani)
“He’s just so yummy.” – blue tall alien creature talking about Agent H (Chris Hemsworth)
“Are you a queen?” – Pawny “Well, to the extent that all women are, yes.” – Agent M
“What is this, the sequel to The Notebook? I never saw it but I assume it’s a lot of this type of nonsense.” – Pawny

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Men In Black