Film Review: "Men in Black: International" (2019).

"The world's not going to save itself" in Men in Black: International. This science fiction action comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray, written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, and loosely based on the Malibu/Marvel comics of the same name by Lowell Cunningham. It is a spin-off of the Men in Black film series. The Men in Black have expanded to cover the globe but so have the villains of the universe. To keep everyone safe, decorated Agent H and determined rookie M join forces - an unlikely pairing that just might work. When aliens that can take the form of any human arrive on Earth, H and M embark on a globe-trotting adventure to save the agency - and ultimately the world - from their mischievous plans.

In June 2012, after the release of Men in Black 3, talks of a fourth Men in Black film began with various concepts with Oren Uziel penning the script. In February 2018, a spin-off was announced with Chris Hemsworth to star and Gray to direct. In March, Tess Thompson was cast. By early July, Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Ferguson, Rafe Spall, Laurent and Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson rounded out the cast. At the same time, principal photography began and wrapped in mid October under the working title M.I.B. Filming took place in New York City, Morocco, Italy and at Leavesden Studios in London. The production itself was a troubled one due to frequent clashes between Gray and producer Walter Parkes since Sony's executive Vice President of production David Beaubaire's exit in Summer 2018. The script, which originally had an edgier and sociopolitical tone and that had gotten Hemsworth and Thompson to sign on, had gone through several major rewrites throughout pre-production and filming overseen by Parkes on a daily basis. Hemsworth and Thompson, confused and annoyed by the rewrites, hired their own dialogue writers. In addition, Parkes also stepped in on directing duties without violating Director's Guild of America rules. At several times, Gray tried to exit production but was convinced otherwise by Sony. In post-production, Parkes and Gray clashed over colour-correction and final cut, which Parkes ultimately won. The release date was pushed back from May 17 to June 14, 2019.

The film stars Hemsworth, Thompson, Nanjiani, Ferguson, Spall, Les Twins, Thompson, and Neeson.  Despite their best efforts, the cast gave performances that pale in comparison to the performances from the previous instalments. Especially that of Hemsworth and Thompson who both proved to be no match for Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.

Lacking the freshness of its predecessors, the film regurgitates various elements from its predecessors with abysmal results. The film suffers from a clichéd plot, familiar-looking aliens, and a boring climax. The film proves that the franchise no longer has a hold on the pop cultural zeitgeist, and it doesn't exactly have a valid reason for the franchise's continuation. The film is not worth watching. Period.

Simon says Men in Black: International receives:

Also, see my reviews for The Fate of the Furious and Men in Black 3.