Men in Black: International

For MiB: International to not only be careless about the built-in subtext of its franchise, but to be wilfully ignorant of it, is unforgivable. Especially now, when the themes that the original Men in Black was talking about have fully matured.

MiB: International, however, is a shockingly unambitious film; unfunny, unmemorable, and for most of its two-hour duration, utterly unbearable. It is at once overly complicated, yet plotless - which leaves you with the decidedly upsetting feeling of being left behind, but with absolutely no desire to catch up.

The Men in Black films have further distanced themselves from the wonky sensibilities of director Barry Sonnenfeld’s original with every new entry.

If you are a fan of the MIB franchise then get ready to be disappointed and if you aren't a fan of the series and haven't watched any of the previous films then as well you'll be disappointed.

But, I guess one can't really blame him here when the material he was provided with was itself lacklustre. Script by screenwriting duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway is weak. It's hard to digest the fact that they were the writers of the first film in MCU that kicked off the whole universe - Iron Man.

Liam Neeson gets a raw deal and he sleepwalks through his role. Rebecca Ferguson looks the part of a seductive yet dangerous intergalactic arms dealer. The sequence involving her is the best in the film. Rafe Spall as Agent C plays an interesting character and leaves an impact.

This franchise has mostly worked on smartly done literal jokes and the charm of its lead actors. F Gary Gray, the director, has also used these ploys but somehow the combination is way beyond salvation. He is way beyond the center of MIB films.

The first and most prominent casualty of this dilemma is Chris Hemsworth, who appears totally out of sync. In fact, at one point, in a desperate attempt to generate laughter, he resorts to a Thor joke. 

It’s not a film to be remembered for its surrounding, and what’s left in MIB International then. Let these agents pass without traffic signals.