Let's put it on.
Put what on?
The last suit you'll ever wear.
This is Men in Black, one of the most beloved sci-fi comedies
of the 1990s.
And this--
You are no longer part of the system.
Check please.
Well, the kindest thing to say is that it
fell short of expectations.
In fact, while Men in Black International
marked a particularly low point in the franchise,
none of the MIB equals would quite
match the greatness of that first movie.
And it doesn't take an alien level intelligence
to understand why.
Hey, what's this thing?
This thing caused the 1977 New York blackout.
When the original Men in Black came out in 1997,
it was a success in every sense of the word.
To put it simply, Men in Black was a perfect blend
of the trends of the decade--
secret government agencies, aliens, buddy cop antics,
and Will Smith.
Smith had just become a certified star
by the time of Men in Black's release day,
coming off of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
and into starring roles in Bad Boys and Independence Day.
And MIB would only launch him further into the stratosphere.
Smith's Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones' K
became an instantly iconic duo and really elevated
what could have been just another old man and rookie
pairing in an action movie.
But no discussion about the performances in Men in Black
is complete without mentioning Vincent D'Onofrio as the bug.
Somehow managing to keep comedy and body
horror in perfect balance, D'Onofrio really
took the concept of the Edgar suit
and ran with it on stiff, rotting legs.
Your skin is hanging off your bones.
Is that better?
The actors can't get all the credit, however.
While the movie was based loosely off a comic book series
by Sandy Carruthers and Lowell Cunningham,
the characters and world of Men in Black
were brought to life by Director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Ed
Solomon.
Between all the exciting sci-fi action and laughs,
there's a sense of adventure and awe in Men in Black
that takes viewers into the impossible underground world
of aliens hiding in plain sight.
Everyone on those screens is an alien.
In public, they're as normal as you are, but in private, well--
you'll get the idea.
And at the end of it all, the movie
is punctuated by a feel good wrap up
and a promise for more with Agent L being
inducted into the MIB.
Even today, the original Men in Black stands up to scrutiny.
The premise is still solid, its messages are still poignant,
most of the jokes still land, and the effects
have aged remarkably well.
Add to that the frantic and oddly dark score
by Danny Elfman, and it's no wonder
the movie was so well received.
It was so popular that the movie got its own animated series
on Kids WB that ran from 1997 to 2001.
The episodic adventures are still remembered fondly
to this day as some of the only good supplementary
Men in Black material.
Because just when it looked like the MIB franchise held
the world in its hands, they found themselves under threat.
Not by an alien force, but by their own subpar sequels.
What the hell are you doing here, worm boy?
Excuse my partner.
He's new, and he's kind of stupid.
The second Men in Black movie came out in 2002
and is an indisputably unworthy follow up to the first film.
Barry Sonnenfeld came back to direct,
but for unknown reasons, Ed Solomon
did not return to write the script,
and the movie suffered greatly for this loss.
Men in Black II is a bizarre film
in that it wanted to replicate the first movie down
to the last detail, but at the same time,
it actively undid as much of the established story
as it possibly could.
In order to recreate the magic of Tommy Lee Jones and Will
Smith's partnership, the ending of the original Men in Black
was retconned.
Old and busted.
New hotness.
Agent L went back to the morgue, and the emotional backbone
of the story was tossed away when
they brought Agent K back from his happy retirement
with his beloved wife.
And even though they took great pains
to get Tommy Lee Jones back, the dynamic
between Agent J and Agent K falls pretty flat
as K doesn't have all his memories for most of the movie.
The story itself is fine.
It simply doesn't capture that level of awe
that the first movie did.
Lara Flynn Boyle's shapeshifting villain
Serleena could have been really interesting, but very little
is actually done with her.
But the biggest flaw in MIB II is the special effects.
Hollywood was fairly obsessed with CGI
and pushing the limits of the technology at the time.
Most movies used it really well.
Others are still mocked today.
Men in Black II definitely falls in the latter end
of the spectrum, which is doubly terrible when
you consider that the movie's own predecessor looks markedly
better.
You're back.
No.
How'd you know his head would grow back?
It grows back?
2012's Men in Black 3 was again directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.
It introduced the concept of time travel
into the MIB universe and gave the world something
we never knew we needed--
Josh Brolin giving a damn good Tommy Lee Jones impression.
That one was truth.
Wasn't the whole truth, but I guess it'll do for now.
It's so good, that most of the time,
it really feels like Will Smith's character is
interacting with a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones's.
So even when Jones isn't literally
on screen, that dynamic MIB II tried and failed to replicate
is on full display in MIB 3.
Once more, we have a heartfelt ending with an emotional twist
that takes full advantage of those dramatic acting chops
Will Smith has been honing in the years between MIB releases.
Some of the effects send viewers straight
into the uncanny valley.
Really, MIB 3 only thrives because of the talented cast,
the relationships between their characters, and the adventure
those characters take the viewer on.
These are extremely important components
that MIB II clearly understood in concept
but fumbled in execution.
Good?
Yeah.
Thanks for bringing me back.
No problem.
2019's MIB International is a soft reboot of the franchise,
and production was troubled from the start.
The script in the finished movie is
nowhere near what it allegedly had
been back when it was rumored to still
be a crossover event between Men in Black and 21 Jump Street.
Apparently, that version of MIB International
would have dealt with the inherent xenophobia
and propaganda in the series, but this was deemed too risky
by the film's producer who would eventually jump ship.
But the problems didn't stop there.
International's director reportedly almost
walked off the project multiple times due to clashing visions,
and probably a not insignificant amount of stress as the script
was actively being rewritten while they
were filming the movie.
Given all this turmoil, it shouldn't be surprising
that MIB International underperformed commercially,
was universally panned by critics,
and stomped out any remaining life the series might
have had left in it.
None of the leading creative minds behind the original movie
returned, and the main cast is made up
of mostly new characters.
But that's not really the reason it's so terrible.
Or at least, it's not the only reason.
Bringing new agents to the forefront of the story
shouldn't be a death knell, especially when
those new agents are played by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa
Thompson, two solid actors with proven onscreen chemistry.
What's with the--
It's my disguise.
But I can see your face.
Not when I do this, you can't.
The movie was definitely intent on taking viewers
on a journey, one entirely devoid
of the charisma, fun, and awe that made us all fall in love
with MIB in the first place.
It's certainly true that simply switching the primary location
from the United States to Europe is probably
the most inspired choice a reboot about space aliens
and secret government agencies could make,
but those problems pale in comparison to the fact
that Men in Black International has no relationship
to his audience.
A stunning absence of identity plagues the whole movie
to a point where it's difficult to trace its origins back
to the 1997 story.
Why don't you get a massage, take a cruise--
Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head.
I warned him.
Do you have any idea how much that stings?
Show us the merchandise or you're going
to lose another head, Jeebs.
Sure, the sunglasses, big guns, and the coolness
are still there on a surface level,
but imagery alone is not enough.
The meaningful substance, thoughtful commentary,
charming characters, and compelling world
building that MIB was built on is totally MIA.
The movie could have been great.
Like the original film, MIB International
could have been unique and timely.
Luckily, we still have the original film to treasure,
because 1997's Men in Black will always be out of this world.
And that's all we have for you today.
Thanks so much for watching.
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