Without delving into the foundational premise, MIB International opens with the assumption that viewers are already well-acquainted with the previous instalments and picks up from the well-kept secret of aliens being harboured by our beloved tellurian forces whilst making sure humans are never made aware of their existence.
That’s when Tessa Thomson’s character with all her smarts, passion and drive to “know the truth of the universe”, who has been doggedly pursuing the MIB headquarters, trespasses their offices and ends up being recruited. The alien we are introduced to right, in the beginning, is perhaps one of the most adorable works of CGI in the film; A Tarantian alien.
Tessa’s deputed to the London branch where she is teamed up with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) who is shown cavalier in his approach to missions yet somehow manages to shine bright in the eyes of the chieftain.
Agent M’s (Molly) bookish diligence is fused with agent H’s all-Australian care-free persona, and they’re zipping off to Paris, Morroco and Naples in a bid to protect the super-weapon designed to stave off the impending doom. Tremendous VFX, right from the way celebrity aliens waddle along with their extraordinary tentacles and whoosh past you to the way train converts into an advanced locomotive, whizzing from country to country in a breeze, the deployment of VFX imagery is absolutely photorealistic and faultless.
Green wonky aliens with pot-bellies, arms-dealing seductress alien lady who owns a fortress, to the tiny sidekick extraterrestrial critter named Pawny are perfect CGI creatures created with dexterity and skill.
A VFX-spectacle you can’t neuralyse for a long time plays host to a number of aliens species that come in all shapes and sizes. Action Sequences are also equally stunning with the way in which MIB agents try to protect Jababian friend Vungus from the onslaught of Dyads with their high-end weaponry.
Although the soul of the movie, considering the themes (buddy-cop, madcap humour, wisecracks and virtue) the previous instalment is known for, seems absent. The winning duo (MCU) is given scant content to work with. Chasing the McGuffin through the movie, the character arcs are oddly structured. But their backstories are woven in tune with their motives. They rather predictably resolve most of their conflicts, barring the initial convoluted plot point where the diplomatic efforts are made to keep the Jababians at bay. That plot-point is lost in the middle of the predictable “MIB is compromised, there’s a mole amongst the team”
As a multiplex monsoon popcorn movie, it is worth a watch but might not stay on your mind for very long. Although visually-stunning, Men in Black 4 fails to make a dent in your imagination as far as the plot is concerned.
We will keep you updated on the VFX aspect of the movie.