In an article recently published on New York Magazine’s
entertainment site Vulture, writer Rachel Handler presents an
oral history of Barry Sonnenfeld’s original “Men in
Black,” focusing specifically on the memorable “sugar water” scene that
introduces the film’s villainous intergalactic bug, Edgar (played by the
wonderful Vincent D’Onofrio).
It’s a
wildly entertaining read, and one that turns out to be instructive in
pinpointing exactly what’s changed in blockbuster filmmaking over the 22 years
since that film was released. What’s most surprising is learning how much
freedom D’Onofrio was given to play and experiment
with the role, working with his director and the special effects artist to
create an indelible, fully-realized character. And that work paid off with one
of the best and most underrated performances of the 90’s.
A comparison
between the picture painted in that article — of the value placed on the
creative process when making the first MIB film — and the one suggested by its
just-released third sequel, “Men in Black: International” is disheartening to
say the least.
Reuniting
“Thor: Ragnarok” co-stars Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth should have been a home run, but “Men in Black:
International” whiffs it by refusing to take any chances whatsoever. Gone is
the imagination and wit that made the original such a success; in its place is
a lifeless and unforgivably generic piece of studio content.
By this
point in the franchise, the film assumes its audience is already familiar with
the Men in Black organization, a secret force of black-suited and
sunglasses-sporting heroes who save the world from extra-terrestrial threats.
Much like the first film, the plot pairs an eager new recruit paired with a
more seasoned veteran.
We meet
Molly (Thompson), whose close encounter as a child left her obsessed with
tracking down the secretive organization. It takes 20 years, but she finally
succeeds, sneaking herself into the MIB headquarters. She’s found out, of
course, and in one of the film’s more delightful scenes convinces Emma
Thompson’s Agent O to give her a shot at the job.
Impressed by
her initiative, O makes her a probationary agent and sends her from New York to
the London office, presided over by High T (Liam Neeson).
There Molly (now Agent M) is partnered with the cocky H (Hemsworth)
to dig into a mysterious threat known as The Hive, an investigation that soon
suggests the MIB have a mole in the organization (which culminates with the
least surprising mole reveal possible).
The new film
does forge a slightly new path by being more of a full-bore spy movie than its
predecessors. But director F. Gary Gray and his screenwriters, Art Marcum and
Matt Holloway, make the mistake of piling on incident and plot to the detriment
of all else. For all its zany aliens and goofy action, what made the first “Men
in Black” work was the odd-couple, buddy comedy energy between stars Will Smith
and Tommy Lee Jones.
The contrast
between M and H’s personalities isn’t sharp enough to generate any fun
friction.
M’s
character is also frustratingly static throughout the film. It also might have
been nice to spend more time with her in her youth, learning how she gained so
much knowledge of a subject that was deliberately hidden from her. Meanwhile
H’s arc hinges on how he’s changed from the beginning of his career, but since
we don’t have the benefit from seeing that change ourselves, it’s hard to be
too invested.
It seems as
though the filmmakers assumed they could coast by on the charms of their cast,
but they’re hampered by a weak script. Most of the film’s laughs are more a
result of the actors’ (or in the case of its aliens, the computer animators’)
expressions and delivery than the actual words they’re saying. The film does
liven up considerably when the pair meet up with Pawny,
an adorable and hilarious pint-size alien voiced by Kumail Nanjiani.
Without a
compelling plot or fully-realized characters to play, there’s little to latch
onto. The result is a script with such a severe lack of imagination that even
some impressive production design and Danny Elfman’s
fun 90’s-tinged score can’t spice it up. I also couldn’t help but miss Rick Baker’s practical effects, which gave the original
film such a pleasingly tactile feel. The new CGI effects are fine, but the
characters they create have little weight to them, physically or emotionally.
“Men in Black:
International” opened on June 15, and over the weekend became the latest in a
string of summer sequel box office disappointments. Audiences stayed away in
droves, but the lack of interest can’t even be attributed to sequel
oversaturation: audiences have shown time and again that they’ll show up for
sequels, just not any sequel that the studios throw at us.
The problem
is a general laziness from studios who are content to repackage recognizable
properties without putting in the work to make them feel fresh. In the end, the
new film fails because it sticks to the tried and true, and never takes enough
chances to distinguish itself or justify its existence. Especially in a film
about exploring the mysteries of the universe, you’ve got to show us something
new.
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2019.
