Men In Black International: What critics are saying about the new film starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson

Film coming on 14 June

The first reviews are in for Men In Black: International are in – and critics have mixed impressions about the fourth instalment in the film series.

While several reviewers acknowledged the movie’s sense of fun and praised the addition of Tessa Thompson to the franchise, they have been left disappointed by the movie as a whole.

Several described it as entertaining but uneven, and at least one said the film, which also stars Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson, has plot issues.

Here is what critics have said so far:

The Independent:

3/5

One of the film’s most engaging traits is its absolute inanity. It is not trying to hold up a dark mirror to humanity and to make points about pollution, destruction or political persecution. Instead, the main intention is to serve up chases, slapstick and knockabout comedy. Many Hollywood blockbusters are dragged down by their own bombast but this film has a lightness and carefree quality throughout. It is also instantly forgettable. Audiences may feel as if they’ve been instantly “neuralysed” (the process by which the Men in Black erase people’s memories) after watching it but the experience is fun while it lasts. (Geoffrey Macnab)

Variety:

(Mixed)

As he proved in 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot, Hemsworth has a natural comic talent that’s been under-exploited in most of his work – although his recent Marvel projects have picked up on that gift, pairing him with actors with whom he can spar. Meanwhile, Thompson’s star has been quick to rise, and the most satisfying thing about this outlandish extension of the MIB series comes from watching her step up to the challenge of co-headlining a blockbuster. The results may be uneven, unlikely to match the commercial heights of the earlier films, but H and M have kicked open the door to future fun from the Men – and Women – in Black. (Peter Debruge)

The Verge

(Mixed)

MIB:I is a perfectly fine piece of summer entertainment, easy on the brain and big on the shiny spectacle. But it feels polished to a fault, packed with straight-faced sincerity instead of Will Smith’s smarmy self-satisfaction or Tommy Lee Jones’ crisp, brutally insensitive professionalism. It’s a kinder, gentler Men In Black, without any of the sharp edges, which makes it feel curiously calm and inert. It’s still funny, but only mildly. And it still takes place in a dangerous world packed with invading aliens, but by this time, the threat seems familiar and predictable. (Tasha Robinson)

Gizmodo

(Mixed)

Men in Black: International will not be the best movie you see this year. There are plot issues, character arcs go unfinished, and the ending felt rushed. But it’s still a campy, cool sci-fi spy thriller – one that coasts on the natural charisma of Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, who may be one of this generation’s best comedic duos. In a sense, it kind of feels like the perfect sequel to the original Men in Black. It’s an entertaining movie made better by the people in it. (Beth Elderkin)

The Hollywood Reporter

(Mixed)

Scenarists Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who were two of the four writers on the original Iron Man, lay things out in a serviceable way that director Gray gooses up with more than adequate energy. But alongside the captivating composure of Thompson, Hemsworth’s performance feels overly frantic; his Agent H repeatedly testifies to his enduring luck in making things go his way but is unnerved enough to be sweating out the results this time around. He’s charming but ultimately a bit over-the-top. At the same time, the film’s finale is both overly protracted and lacking in emotion. (Todd McCarthy)

The Guardian

1/5

The story trudges through an uninteresting series of permutations and CGI detonations. The “International” of the title means we travel from New York to London and Marrakesh, although our trio’s appearance in each location could as well have been achieved via a green screen. All the sprightliness that Hemsworth showed in the Avengers movies and in the Ghostbusters remake is nowhere to be found: both script and direction mean that the spark isn’t there, and Thompson has no real chance to shine. (Peter Bradshaw)

Entertainment Weekly

C-

International is better than Men in Black II and worse than Men in Black III, and they’re all bad, so erase this sentence from your memory. This fourquel’s a special bummer, because Thompson and Hemsworth shined together in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Hemsworth reimagined his epic hero as a cheerful doofball with a busted hammer, letting Thompson dominate as a charisma firebomb on a millennia-deep bender. A good idea to reunite them, and that’s it for International‘s good ideas. (Darren Franich)