Men In Black International

2019's Men In Black International was the first film in the franchise to not have Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones. That's not to say that this film lacked star power as to why this has become the least successful of the MiB movies. Chris Hemsworth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson and Tess Thompson all star as members of the covert operative team that protects the Earth from alien invaders. Instead, what I think hurt this film was a number of things. Not having Smith or Jones hurt. Prior to 2022's infamous slap at the Oscars, Big Willie was still a massive movie draw in 2019. Without either original actor, I think a lot of folks saw this as a reboot instead of a continuation of the series as Emma Thompson's Agent O as well as many of the beloved aliens from the franchise make return appearances.

Having Tessa Thompson as the female lead had a lot of fanboys crying that this was going to be a 'woke' picture even though there have been strong female characters in the MiB movies before. Just not one in the main star role. That woke assessment really could not have been further from the truth. This is a film about a young girl who encounters an alien and witnesses fer parents getting neuralized by the Men in Black. Seeking to know the truth, the girl spends the next 20 years trying to get behind the truth of that faithful encounter, going as far to infiltrate the organization. The woman is quickly caught. But her tenacity impresses Agent O who puts her on a probationary status as the newly minted Agent M. 

M is sent to the London office where Agent O feels that a mole is entrenched within itself within the ranks of agents. Agent M meets the dashingly handsome Agent H who is billed as the savior of the earth from a wretched group of aliens called the Hive. Yet Agent H acts anything but heroic, often coming in late, sleeping at his desk and who's ineptitude has unfortunately caused a huge diplomatic issue by allowing a member of an intergalactic royal family be assassinated under his watch.

The dying royal family member tells Agent O to trust no one. This is the second time in as many days somebody has warned the probationary agent to be suspicious of everyone. However, Agent H is just about the only MiB member that Agent O knows and thus she must team up with him to find out who murdered the extraterrestrial diplomat and who at MiB London was behind the execution.

Tessa Thompson's swagger was less annoying than Will Smith's. She's cool and yet very vulnerable like Alice in an X-Files version of Wonderland. There's a lot of Thor in Chris Hemsworth's Agent H to the point that there's at least one God of Thunder gag in the film when H uses a hammer to battle a gigantic alien enforcer. 

The film does a good job making you think you know who the mole is and then having that character earn your trust and having to start the deduction process all over again. A couple of years ago, the big ending had actually been spoiled for me. Yet despite knowing who the villain really was, I keep falling for the red herrings. In my opinion that's an example of a good movie, not a stinker.

An example that I think this film was nowhere near as bad as critics rated this film was how they took an actor that I absolutely hate and make me fall in love with their character. I cannot stand Kumail Nanjani. He always has this look on his face like he's just smelled something really awful. His distracting facial feature is a big reason I have yet to seek out Marvel's The Eternals despite being a huge fan of Jack Kirby. Yet, here Nanjani is the voice of a diminutive alien guard named Pawny, who clings on to Agent O as his new Queen. Even though I knew it was Kumail Nanjani voicing the role, I was able to overlook my abhorrence of the actor and actually really become a fan of his character. 

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of scuttlebutt on social media was that this film was going to be the woke version of Men In Black. The first two MiB films starring Will Smith makes more commentary on race than this film. In fact, I don't recall a single reference to Agent M being black. There are a couple of jokes about how the Men in Black also have women in the ranks and neither jokes are all that good nor necessary. Especially as the follow up joke involves a character who wasn't even introduced in the movie yet when Agent O made the first comment about the organization. I'm thinking a big scene was cut for time or relevance. 

If anything ruined this movie, it was the use of Chekov's gun. It's a principle that states if something appears in the first act, like a gun, it must make a needed return appearance in the third act to complete the progression of the plot. A throw away line by one of the Men In Black that flashy-things Agent M's parents had me ready for the big reveal as soon as I saw that mystery character return in the final act. Maybe a lot of folks missed the Easter egg but I didn't and that ruined a big plot twist... and I had been spoiled on who the big traitor in the movie was months prior!

Do I need to see this movie again? Just like with the second MiB movie, I do not. But I would not balk at a sequel to this film. Though instead of being an international film, let's go intergalactic! You know there has got to be some humans living on other planets as operatives. How else will Earth know if some alien baddie is on their way? Okay, sure satellites can help. But there's got to be more to it. I would be okay if Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth came back. I would love to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones back in action. But let's face it. The actor we want to see return is Bill Hader who's Men in Black agent posing as Andy Warhol was single-handedly the best scene in the entire franchise!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thanks to COVID and my being of high risk, I haven't been to the movies in a very long time. Spider-Man: No Way Home was the last thing I've seen in theaters. Despite a love of Jack Kirby, Eternals just didn't motivate me enough to go amongst the crowds for over 3 hours. And while I really wanted to see the latest Doctor Strange movie, I just didn't. Thus, when my god son asked me to go see Thor: Love and Thunder, I had many questions.

For one, will my not having seen Eternals or Multiverse of Madness, along with still not having succumbed to joining Disney+, impact how to follow the plot. The answer to that question is that it will not. Second, it's been years since I have seen the first 3 Thor films, am I going to be lost? The answer is no, not really. That's because filmmaker Taika Waititi does a very good job keeping the viewers up to date with most of what has occurred in the 11 years Thor has graced the silver screen. But that might just about be all Waititi does perfectly in Thor: Love and Thunder. 

My feelings for the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie are all over the place. There were a lot of things I liked and quite a few things I thought were moronic. If Thor: Ragnarok was introducing the corn factor to the god of thunder, then Love and Thunder topped that corn with plenty of cheese. 

How about I list off what I liked so that way I can explain my dislikes:

• The reason Mjolnir chooses Jane Foster to become the new Thor. It was a whole lot more believable and acceptable than jerk-wad and former Marvel EIC Axel Alonso's need to make Thor a woman for the sake of pissing off fans. Plus, I have enjoyed that this film moves the needle in a lot of areas not really explored by Disney/Marvel without being preachy.
• Speaking of Axel. I loved the addition of Kieron L. Dyer (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story) as the late Heimdall's son Axel. In fact, I want Marvel to either make a series about him or add him to the comics. Or both! He was such a scene stealer.
• Speaking of scene stealers, Christian Bale was fantastic as Gorr the God Butcher. He was the perfect mix of betrayed acolyte and bat-crap crazy killer. I really think Bale channeled former The Dark Knight cast mate, Heath Ledger's Joker to play the role of Gorr.
• Speaking of Gorr, I liked how this movie was a family affair. Not only did Chris Hemsworth's daughter India play Gorr's daughter; but his twin sons Tristan and Sasha represent Thor as a child during flashback scenes. Plus, brother Luke is back portraying Thor in those ridiculous theatre scenes along with Matt Damon and some other popular actors whom might surprise you!
• Finally, I loved the Easter eggs in this movie. And I loved how interconnected things were. The Guardians of the Galaxy return. Though if you are wondering where Gamora is, you probably have to wait for GOTG Vol. 3 to get your answer. Several key players from past Thor movies make cameos and there are a bunch of deities from 60 some odd years of Marvel comics history that appear. Sadly, if there was a Stan Lee image hiding somewhere in this movie, I missed it. 

Okay. I've covered the hits. Let's look at the misses.

• The film's soundtrack, which is heavy on Guns n' Roses songs, was inconsistent with the tone of the film. There's a scene that uses the instrumental ending to November Rain and while as powerful as that tune is, some of the characters used were ridiculous and it took away from the serious of that penultimate scene. 
• Now on the plus side, Dio's Rainbow in the Dark was used in the closing credits. Perfect as the rainbow bridge known as Bifrost is a main plot point in the movie. But, I don't understand how if you use all GNR songs for the movie that you don't stay consistnet and close with such a song in the end credits...
• Speaking of the credits, there was a huge missed opportunity. The actors names were blasted on the screen using fonts of popular heavy metal bands from the 80s. But to not use the AC/DC logo with the lightning bolt to represent Russell Crowe who plays the Greek god Zeus was down right criminal!
• Speaking of Russell Crowe. I felt that his over the top Greek stereotype portrayal of Zeus was absurd. I had heard that Waititi had Crowe do every scene in both a refined British accent and as buffoonish Greek speak before deciding which dialect to use. Should have gone British. Again- the goofiness sprinkled throughout the film diminishes the serious overtones.

The film ends with a promise that Thor will return (along with 2 extra end credit scenes.) I have seen reports that the pledge of more  Asgardian hi-jinx was something of a surprise to both the director and Chris Helmsworth. Even though I thought that the silliness of this film was amped up to 11 at times, I would very much want to see Thor 5, if not for the promising ending. An ending of which I would very much like to see explored in the comics. Take note Marvel. I'm willing to buy new issues of Thor off the shelf, monthly, if you created a Love and Thunder comic book! 

Finally, I have to talk about the two real stars of this film. The goats Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher. As a recnt adoptive parent of a pair of goats, I enjoyed the presence of these two CGI wonders. Thankfully, my goats don't scream. With Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher added to the MCU, I think it's time for a Holiday special with Thor and Company. Odin's riding of a sleigh driven by goats is an inspiration for Santa's reindeer transport. And since Odin is dead in the MCU (not a spoiler, BTW), I think having Thor take over would be a hoot. I might even subscribe to Disney+ just to experience it.

This wasn't the best MCU offering I've ever seen. But it sure wasn't Thor: The Dark World! Thank God!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Thor: Ragnarok

Troubled by visions of the destruction of Asgard, Thor embarks on a journey to discover the secrets of Ragnarok. Joined by brother Loki, the Odinson is alerted to a forgotten evil, the goddess of death, Hela, who threatens not only Asgard, but all nine realms.

Going head first into battle results in the god of thunder becoming marooned on the Battleworld of Sakaar. The planet is ruled by the Grandmaster, who forces players into his extremely profitable Contest of Champions. Thor’s chances of returning to save Asgard from Hela are pretty dim. However,  learning that to win the event guarantees his freedom, Thor agrees to be a participant. Little does the Asgardian know that his first match is against the Grandmaster’s greatest champion of them all: the Incredible Hulk!

I really thought that Thor: Ragnarok was tons more better of a film than Dark World. It might even be far more superior than the first Thor film. But at the heart of this movie by New Zealand director Taika Waititi, is a comedy and this could alienate fans. Guardians of the Galaxy is known as the Marvel Universe's source of comedic relief and to have Thor dipping into this vast resource might be crowding the pool too much for fans.

One thing that I don't think any fan can argue against is the visual appeal of the movie. In particularly, the design of Sakaar and it's ships and people. This world is a stunning tribute to the King himself, Jack Kirby. The entire planet is decked out in psychedelic pastels, as are the costumes. No two members of the Grandmaster's army have the same armor and everything is decked out in sharps lines that connects but never intersects with perfect hollow circles. Kirby loved circles. Too bad there wasn't a scene with his iconic cosmic Kirby dots.

The acting was quite good. Chris Helmsworth and Mark Ruffalo make a great comedic pair. Tessa Thompson's addition to the MCU as Valkyrie was a superior replacement to the super dull Jane Foster played by Star Wars alum Natalie Portman. But the best female role was played by the amazing Lord of the Rings actress Cate Blanchett as the evil Hela. She added a wickedness to the film series that has been sorely lacking since Thor smitted the Ice Giants in the first Thor film.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, I really felt like a large chunk of this film was made of unused scenes from the scores of Peter Jackson films based on Tolkien's Middle Earth writings. I especially felt this for the scenes on Asgard. Maybe it's because director Waititi is a fellow Kiwi like Peter Jackson. Waititi does at least one thing like the LOTR director, he does triple duty as both the voice and stop motion actor of at least one character in the film: the rock creature and fellow Sakaar gladiator Korg.

At just about two hours, this is one of the shortest Marvel films. But the intense action, funny one-liners, and super fun cameos and Easter eggs made this film seem longer without making you wish that it would hurry up and be done with. Thanks to the popularity of the Guardians movies, I do think that Marvel's films are starting to get a little more mature and not really in a good way. There's at least one scene of a naked Hulk butt.

Plus some of the jokes are at the expense of sexual situations too grown up for the throngs of youngsters who are gonna want to see this. I also thought the joke about slaves was uncalled for and I don't doubt this will be blowing up the Twitter feeds of social justice warriors later this week. (I'm also betting that it will be removed by the time Ragnarok drops on DVD and Blu-ray.)

This wasn't the most perfect Marvel film. But I think it's a very good build up to the Infinity Wars films. It's probably the last movie to do so before the first one hits theaters next summer. Especially as I think the next Marvel film, Black Panther is going to be too busy establishing his section of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than add to the coming of Thanos.

A fun and funny way to spend a couple of hours. And cinematically, it's a visual stunner. But definitely not going to be every Marvelites cup of tea and not appropriate for all ages.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.