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Movie Review: Men In Black International (2019) *Spoiler Free*

I wouldn't necessarily say I was a fan of the Men In Black franchise, I think I'm more a fan of the concept than its actual execution since the first film in the series.

The first movie was pretty great, two and three were okay but not particularly memorable. Which is about where Men In Black International sits with me too.

I went to see this movie almost entirely because I thought I'd get to see a lot more of Chris Hemsworth doing comedy and, of course, this movie reunites him with his Thor Ragnarok co-star Tessa Thompson.

Unfortunately as a comedy it's more action adventure with s sprinkling of jokes - not unlike a Marvel movie actually.

The idea of MIB being international is a welcome expansion of the organisation that could really play well in future sequels, if by some miracle they were to happen.

...and I guess it might, since this one happened. They just need to figure out a better story arc than stop the alien from getting the thing that makes it possible for them to destroy the Earth. Oh and character development, so we care more about the main cast to want to see them again in sequels.

MIB International totally works with the new cast. Sure it's not Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones but Tessa is a pretty great "I make this look good" alternative to Will, and Chris is boyishly charming despite not really getting to be anywhere near as funny and fun as he can be.

The story is a bit by the numbers and, other than the international aspect, doesn't bring anything all that new to the franchise. There's plenty of nods to the earlier films, making it clear they're in continuity with this film (which isn't a reboot) and they get to rehash jokes from the earlier films too.

Overall, I did enjoy this movie. It never gets too slow or feels like it's dragging at any point, and by the end I can say I was entertained. I'd certainly like to see Tessa and Chris get another go at this with a much better story that really gives them more to work with.

As it stands MIB International is fine. It expands the concept across borders, which gives sequels many more options to perhaps exploit alien mythology from around the globe, but it doesn't do much more... Tessa does look great in a suit though. Every bit as sharp looking as Will Smith.

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