Men in Black: International
I know he started his feature directing career with “Friday,” but at this point in his career, F. Gary Gray is not someone I would necessarily turn to for directing a comedy. Of course, the “Straight Outta Compton,” “Italian Job” and “Set It Off” director is definitely capable of pulling off the action and set pieces for a film like a new “Men in Black,” but in terms of getting comedic chemistry from actors- especially those not typically known for comedy- he feels out of his element. This was an interesting step towards rebooting this sci-fi comedy series after the tired “Men in Black III” with Sonnenfeld, Smith and Jones felt like three people phoning it in.
This feels like a fresh start, as well as a continuation, in the same manner Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters” tried to do in 2016. That film did a better job of it, although I think there’s some interesting ideas in “MiB: International” that could have worked with a more sure-footed script than the one by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. There’s a good storyline here, as Agent H (Chris Hemsworth), a hotshot MiB agent out of London, finds himself mentoring Agent M (Tessa Thompson) when she gets in the door by seeking MiB out after a lifetime realization that not only did they existed, but alien life. It’s a dynamic, and character arcs, that are slightly different from the original film in 1997, and as it unfolds, there are some interesting twists at work here when an alien threat comes to Earth.
The basic story of this film is a good one, if you’re going to reboot and expand the MiB premise. All the script feels like it’s missing is a sense of humor that works with the actors in place. (For the record, Emma Thompson is the film’s MVP as Agent O, who gives Thompson’s Agent M her shot.) This is most distressing when it comes to the dynamic between Hemsworth and Thompson, who had natural chemistry in “Thor: Ragnarok,” and we see some glimpses of that here, but the script is not giving them material worth their talent. (Heck, Hemsworth stole scenes in “Ghostbusters.” How can they not realize his potential?) Gray stages everything well, but he isn’t really able to give this film a rhythm and comedic voice that is worthy of the first two films in this franchise. (The original was a lean and bouncy 97 minutes- how is this one nearly two hours?) Having Danny Elfman compose the score helps, and there’s some fun work by Kumail Nanjiani as the alien, Pawney, and Rebecca Ferguson as Riza, a former lover of Agent H’s, but the film just feels like its spinning its wheels, hoping people will go along for the ride. I’m not sure if I want to go on another one.
