"Men in Black: International" is the fourth film in the satirical, science-fiction franchise, directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum (known for their Iron Man/Punisher comic-book efforts), based on Lowell Cunningham's successful, Malibu series.
"MIB: International" is a restart, if only for the lack of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones's Agent J and K. For the new, dark-lensed duo, we get Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson (reuniting from "Thor: Ragnarok") as Agent H and M respectively. Liam Neeson plays their boss, High T. Their home base is British; the action, globetrotting. (To recall previous chapters, there's Emma Thompson's Agent O and good ol' Frank the Pug.)
The concept is as basic as those that preceded it: Morphing, aliens (Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois) wreck havoc in pursuit of an "ultimate" weapon. Agent H and M investigate after attaining the device through an indirect sojourn.
Since this is a parody, H and M's aspirations don't always manifest as planned, lending icky goofiness and slapstick at every turn. The antics eventually lead to a dire discovery right at MIB's hub, which gives the story a science-fiction, Watergate ambiance, for a lack of a better label. (During the investigation, Ralf Spall's Agent C tosses persistent doubt on H, but not enough to throw the irreverent hero off track. If anything, C's interference makes the story more interesting.)
For traditionalists, Smith and Jones (and let's not forget good ol' Rip Torn's Agent Zed) oozed oodles of comedic chemistry, but as hard as their act is to follow, so do Hemsworth and Thompson (as they proved in "Thor 3"); Neeson is on target, too, though that should go without saying. It's more a matter of getting acquainted with these new personalities within the two-hour slot: not an easy task considering how much scene-skidding there is.
The latter is Bondian staged (typically colliding with the incessant pratfalls) and complemented by Danny Elfman's barreling score. Unlike the CGI competition ("Godzilla, King of the Monsters '19" being at the top of the murky list), the sprees are nice and bright, though sometimes a little too fast for their own good. (If one is going to invest in state-of-the-art imagery, slow it down a tad here and there; let the audience appreciate the work that went into it.)
The extra-terrestrials (some cutesy, some scary) layer enough weirdness to match those of earlier installments, though at this point, some might detect a predictability to the queue. Still, I gotta give credit to Kumail Nanjiani's little Pawny for his chivalrous cheer, and Rebecca Ferguson's Riza is quite sexy as a three-armed, arms dealer.)
Unfortunately, as bouncy as it is, "MIB: International" never reaches its own verve, but then why go all out with an unrecognizable reinvention? It's a damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't quandary, I suppose.
Heck, why argue the film's variances? They are what they are. The movie entertains. Those who've enjoyed the previous films should dig this one, even if the original remains a classic distance from the pack.
I grew up with spy adventures, on television and at the movies, both serious and funny.
"Casino Royale '67", "Get Smart", "Our Man Flint", among others, left an indelible impression on me. To this day, I still dig that sort of silly, spy thing, even when it's served in present-day form. As should come as no surprise, I'm a huge fan of Rowan Atkinson's "Johnny English" franchise. (I also find it interesting that the actor played a comedic, spy-assistant earlier in his career to Sean Connery's 007 in "Never Say Never Again". Things sure have a funny {ha, ha} way of coming round...)
"Johnny English Strikes Again" is the latest submission. It's as goofy as those that preceded it...maybe even more so. Much of the movie's success stems from Atkinson's suave, tongue-in-cheek portrayal, which incorporates sprinklings of Bond (obviously); Maxwell Smart; Inspector Clouseau; Barney Fife; the Black Adder (any version); and dear Mr. Bean. The combination feels ever so right and beams quite bright in "Strikes Again".
Directed by David Kerr and scripted by "English" veteran, William Davies, our bumbling, British agent and sidekick, Bough (Ben Miller) tackle a cyber-attack scheme that exposes the names of undercover agents (shades of "Atomic Blonde"), among other ghastly things. English is pulled from retirement (rather like 007 in "Never Say Never Again") since he, unlike his modern peers, possesses the furtive freedom (and alleged, putative skill) to stop the hacker's insidious spree.
English's sabotaging adversary is super-tech billionaire, Jason Volta, played with charismatic insincerity by Jason Lacy. Volta is "involved" with Russian agent Ophelia, played by "Quantum of Solace'"s ravishing Olga Kurylenko, who wins English's trust (and heart), but may have other motives up her elegant sleeve. Yeah, she's a real heart breaker all right, but even so, like most bad girls, she doesn't stay bad for long.
In an attempt to squash Volta's quest for global control, English, Bough and Ophelia visit a number of striking locals, as we'd find in any decent spy film. There is, of course, some nifty action to accompany the scenery, though most of it bounces from the traditional track, as an outrageous, virtual-reality sequence demonstrates.
The supporting cast does right by Atkinson and includes Pippa Bennett-Warner; Adam James; Matthew Beard; and Emma Thompson as the Prime Minister. (Charles Dance, Edward Fox and Michael Gambon cameo as fellow agents.)
Though English is high-ranked, he's still the dogged underdog, and like any such character, stays near to our hearts. He wrestles with modern tech, as do many guys my age, and in response to our predicament, English falls back on old-school techniques. Throughout it all, we relish his struggle, hoping beyond hope he'll win the girl, impress the Prime Minister, and at the very least, save the bloody day. "Strikes Again" gives him ample chance to achieve all of the above, to some degree or another, with generous guffaws to go along.
Hollywood and the United Kingdom don't make enough movies like this anymore. The English entries are throwbacks in this respect: silly, far-out fantasies that (despite a little, "lewd" allusion or two) the whole family can enjoy. (Even Austin Powers' trilogy can't claim that.)
I had fun with this one; so will you. Here's hopin' Atkinson returns for "Johnny English IV"...
