Men in Black International review round-up: An 'eerily bland fourquel' that never lives up to its potential

Ever since the trailers of _Men in Black: International_ have released, fans have been wondering whether it will do justice to its much-loved predecessors, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson play Agents M and H, tasked with fighting a malicious alien force called The Hive. [caption id=“attachment_5769171” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Still from Men In Black: International trailer. YouTube screengrab[/caption] The film is directed by F Gary Gray, who previously helmed films like The Fate of the Furious and Straight Outta Compton. Men In Black: International is written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway; Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing, while Steven Spielberg is executive producing. The review embargo on the film was recently lifted and critics shared their opinions on the fourth installment. Peter Dubrege of Variety said, “As he proved in 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot, Hemsworth has a natural comic talent that’s been under-exploited in most of his work — although his recent Marvel projects have picked up on that gift, pairing him with actors with whom he can spar. Meanwhile, Thompson’s star has been quick to rise, and the most satisfying thing about this outlandish extension of the MIB series comes from watching her step up to the challenge of co-headlining a blockbuster. The results may be uneven, unlikely to match the commercial heights of the earlier films, but H and M have kicked open the door to future fun from the Men — and Women — in Black.” Screen Rant’s Molly Freeman’s wrote, “Though Gray brings a new and exciting perspective to the sci-fi franchise and Hemsworth and Thompson have an established comedic compatibility, Men in Black: International never lives up to its potential. Much of the plot is a basic retread of past movies, with an easily guessable twist that puts a new spin on the formula.” Eric Kohn of IndieWire is of the view that sequels have to “prove their worth each time out.” “Men in Black 3 worked better than anyone could have predicted with an amusing time-travel plot that poked at ’60s-era fashion and counterculture. What does “Men in Black: International” have to offer?” Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly called the film “eerily bland”. “This fourquel’s a special bummer, because Thompson and Hemsworth shined together in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Hemsworth reimagined his epic hero as a cheerful doofball with a busted hammer, letting Thompson dominate as a charisma firebomb on a millennia-deep bender. A good idea to reunite them, and that’s it for International‘s good ideas.” “The promise International does deliver on is in expanding the Men in Black Universe. Where the original three entries played like intergalactic battles that took place solely in New York, this film trots some serious globe, hopping from the UK to Marrakesh to Italy to France,” wrote  Collider’s Vinnie Mancuso.