“Men in black: international”: spin-off without a spark
The first “Men in black”, released in 1997, was very successful. And even in those years, success spawned sequels. The second and third films were not so good, and now, seven years after the end of the trilogy, Columbia Pictures releases a spin-off in the universe familiar from the adventures of Agents Jay and Kay — “Men in black: international” (Men in Black: International). Even it is unclear, in vain they do it or still not.
If the first “Men in black” came out now, fans would flood Twitter with howls about the damned filmmakers disfiguring the original. The film is based on the comic book of the same name, that’s just taken from him quite a bit. Judge for yourself: in the comics, the organization “Men in black” was engaged not only in aliens, but also in all other inhuman game-demons, zombies, vampires, various evil spirits. Unwanted witnesses were not neutralized by erasing their memories, but simply killed. And the main character — Agent Jay-in the comic book is a light-skinned blond (wow, there would probably be more scandals about this).But the Internet in the late nineties was just emerging, will Smith was the hero of the generation, and the film came out in General quite good for its decade. Cool animatronics, high-quality special effects for the period, at the same time frightening and funny in a beetle costume Vincent D’onofrio and terribly charismatic will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as the eternal alien theme, complete with skillful humor, ensured the success of the film.I just recently, just a couple of months ago revised the first “Men in black”. Good movie. Pleasant. Cult? Hardly. But it is definitely entertaining and now, more than twenty years later, touching the right strings of nostalgia in the soul.
I can say almost the same about international (except for the time check). It’s not a picture that’s going to go into any halls of fame or anything. This is an ordinary summer entertainment blockbuster that will go even without popcorn. If, of course, the brain is still able to perceive stories of this type-because they are now a bundle for a Piglet.
Me “international” is painfully reminded of the updated “Star trek” in its mood, character, even the premise and characters. From agent h came the wonderful Jim kirk (and, ironically, not yet famous as the star of the marvel film universe, Chris Hemsworth played his dad, George, in 2009’s Star trek, where he died in the first five minutes). Agent h is smart, blond, savvy, ostentatiously friendly, efficient and not averse to having fun with aliens. The best among the best, he prophesied a bright future in the office, where he works for many years.
Tessa Thompson plays Agent Em: as a child, she met an alien and people in black suits, but they did not notice her and blinded only her parents with a neutralizer. Since childhood, she had dreamed of working in such an institution, trying to get to the truth, and, rejecting all feelings and relying on logic, achieved her goal. Its methods are quite similar to Spock’s approach.
Or maybe I’m a Star trek fan. You never know.The plot is simple as a penny: there is trouble and the main characters have to save the world. The main villain the viewer can guess literally in the first half an hour, but to watch the adventures of negligent agents is still fun. The exposure is not the longest, the action comes quickly enough. There are a couple of dramatic moments that at home I would have squandered the arrows on the keyboard, but they are short, it is easy to endure them.
The action itself is a lot-still put the film one of the Directors of the eighth “fast and Furious”. Logic in it, however, there is no, as, unfortunately, and a hitch. Skirmishes are rather dull, chases are slightly tightened, a fight with aliens does not Shine with extraterrestrial — in General, it was possible to make brighter, more cheerful, zaboristy. In the film, it seems, in terms of action, they tried to cram everything and more, including a couple of pianos in the bushes,but they could not connect it all with each other with some more slender (I do not even say “good”) plot and somehow correctly calculate the proportions of events.I was short of humour and humanity. The Duo of Smith and Jones pulled out the films of the first trilogy even with an equally mediocre plot — and the characters themselves were very lively and vivid, and the interaction between them was just wonderful. To say goodbye at the end of the first film with the Agent who decided to retire Kay does not want even twenty years later — this moment, though quite expected, is still played very sincerely, realistically.
What happens between the characters of Hemsworth and Thompson on the screen, realism and liveliness does not smell. But Thompson knows how to play — have you seen her in “the Wild West”? And Creed? Yes, and Hemsworth, in General, since the first “Thor” has grown seriously, though, apparently, in Comedy plots addicted to the role of a stupid Jock, to whom everything is easy at the expense of good looks. In the third “Torah” between them straight sparkled-without any romance, but the characters had interaction, there was a wonderful mutual banter, there was mutual help… And here’s have fallen short. Give short. And still tried to clumsily cram a sprout of romantic beginnings. Offensively.
Most of the aliens in the frame, of course, humanoid species-well, such easier to make up, and digital faces easier to draw on the basis of human proportions. That’s just with the drawing of faces, everything is not so good-the graphics here are clearly not at the level of blockbusters in 2019. There are old friends from the trilogy, however, they are not so much. But all the same, the fauna of the Agency “Men in black” is shown diverse, multi-dimensional, though not the highest quality.
The elaboration of a highly technological environment inhabited by natives of other planets is quite pleasing. Creatures fit into the landscape, the landscape itself looks logical, sparkling, fleeting. Small pieces, particles of this world, drawn by the writers and Director, create a picture that can make an ardent opponent of conspiracy to look closely at the drawings in the mosaic tiles in the fountains of VDNH-suddenly there is also some shelter for talossians?
But even the world itself lacks coherence and integrity-as does the plot. Movement of heroes on locations are chaotic, as throwing of a fly in Bank. If, for example, in “John Wick” all the throws in different parts of the world resemble at least the story campaign in Mortal Kombat XI, then in “Men in black” there is not even that. And there is no stylish massacre.
The film eventually came out a passing summer blockbuster, which, most likely, is trying to leave on a big name and popular now with my generation of actors. Me look was fun, because I seen in offense not continuation of “Men in the black”, and some spin-off “Star trek”, – reaching on well-trodden team Kirk and Spock path (and continuation of rural “enterprise” me in the coming years not would give). The film is utterly secondary, plays on nostalgia, uses all the techniques that would seem to attract the viewer and the box office — but because of this loses integrity, idea, individuality and simply liveliness.
