‘Men in Black: International’ could be the sleeper hit of the summer

Sony

• "Men in Black: International" is a fun time at the movies that could be a sleeper hit for Sony.
• The jokes get better as the movie goes on.
• Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson have great chemistry.
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Seven years after "Men in Black 3" hit the big screen, the franchise is back with a new cast and the playfulness that made the original with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones such a hit.

"Men in Black: International" (in theaters Friday) stars Chris Hemsworth as Agent H, a star agent based out of the London office; while Tessa Thompson is Molly, who has dedicated her life to seeking out the Men in Black. After finally tracking down the MIB, Molly gets her chance to shine as she’s brought on for a trial run and given the name Agent M. She’s assigned to the London branch and hits it off with Agent H. The two quickly get caught up in a mission to save the world.

Honestly, the first half of the movie is kind of dull as it goes through the usual beats to build the character development and plot. The movie really takes off once the mission is at hand. The jokes hit better, the chemistry between Hemsworth and Thompson is stronger, and Kumail Nanjiani ("Silicon Valley") steals every scene voicing the alien Pawny, who befriends the MIB duo.

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What works well for "International" is the movie leans in head first on its zaniness, down to the "Beetlejuice"-like font in the opening credits.

Also, Hemsworth and Thompson are great doing the buddy cop thing. Coming off their work together on "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Avengers: Endgame," they really get to play off each other in this movie and it leads to a fun time (the movie also has a great Thor joke in it).

Perhaps it’s because I’ve gone through a bunch of weak sequels lately before seeing this, but I would not be surprised if "International" finds an audience throughout the summer and becomes a sleeper hit for Sony. You don’t need to have any knowledge of the three previous movies to enjoy it, and the star power of Hemsworth and Thompson is enough to get you through the slow start and still enjoy it.

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See Also:

• ‘Dark Phoenix’ proves it’s time for a big break from the ‘X-Men’ franchise, but the international box office could make that a tough decision for Disney
• ‘Dark Phoenix’ is the worst-reviewed ‘X-Men’ movie of all time, but the international box office could save it
• Kevin Hart explains why he ditched movie theaters for his stand-up specials and chose Netflix instead

SEE ALSO: All 12 "X-Men" movies, ranked by how much box office they made opening weekend at the US box office

Source: Business Insider – jguerrasio@businessinsider.com (Jason Guerrasio)