After Will Smith’s surprisingly successful revival of the Men in Black franchise back in 2012 – oh, how time flies – it makes sense that they would want to capitalise on that success and continue the franchise with some younger, on-trend talent, and given their playful chemistry in Thor: Ragnarok, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson seem like a perfectly logical choice.

Despite being one of my most highly anticipated movies of 2019, poor timing and a host of negative reviews meant that the hubby and I kept prioritising other films over this one until it finished its theatrical run and slipped out of my mind until its recent addition to Netflix.

“You will not stand out in any way. Your entire image is crafted to leave no lasting memory with anyone you encounter. You’re a rumour, recognised only as deja vu, and dismissed just as quickly. You don’t exist…”

We all know the MiB’s main ethos; save the planet from extraterrestrial threats and don’t be seen doing it. But in New York City 1996, as they search for an unlicensed alien, two agents fail to nebulise little Mollie Wright; a sweet, curious and obviously very bright young girl. This interaction fuels an obsession that lasts into adulthood and Mollie applies for many different government agencies in her search for the mysterious organisation. Tracking anomalies on her computer, Mollie finally gets a chance to infiltrate the agency but she gets caught as an intruder, bringing her to the attention of Agent O (with Emma Thompson returning to the role). Desperate to take her chance, and with no life to go back to, Mollie persuades O to recruit her as a probationary agent – after all, she was able to find and infiltrate the top secret agency.

Mollie, now known as Agent M, is assigned to the London field office where she meets famed department head, High T (Liam Neeson) and is partnered with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth). With alien aristocrats being assassinated in the streets and a weapon of mass destruction hidden somewhere on Earth, they must leave no stone unturned in their mission to save the planet from intergalactic terrorism, but the threat may be a little closer to home. Does the Men In Black have a mole in their midst?

Frank, the fast-talking prickly pug does have a minor cameo but is ultimately replaced as the quirky sidekick by the rather adorable Pawny, a tiny alien whose species resembles chess pieces. Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O but without the same level of humour that she brought to the third film, seemingly acting more as an anchor to ensure this instalment is grounded within the franchise as a whole.

Although, there are enough similarities and references to the original trilogy to satisfy my innate need for nostalgia, MiB: International also carves its own path, hopping across the globe from London to Marrakech to Paris. Even though the location changes don’t do a huge amount to move the story forward, they do provide some visually interesting backdrops for the film’s action sequences.

Ultimately, it’s the story that is the weakest link here. The concept of a rookie learning the ropes from a seasoned, and somewhat isolated, agent is something of a carbon copy of the first film. Typically, that is not something that bothers me too much but one of the reasons it worked so well originally is because of the chalk-and-cheese personas of Smith and Jones’ Agents J and K. Anyone who has seen the later Marvel films will know just how good Thompson and Hemsworth can be together on screen but the script wasn’t strong enough to channel into that energy. No matter how hard Thompson and Hemsworth tried, they just couldn’t quite lift the lacklustre writing into anything particularly memorable.

If I’m honest, Men In Black: International didn’t quite live up to the expectation set by its predecessors although I would also argue that the host of negative reviews aren’t quite justified either. Yes, the story is a teensy bit predictable and the Thompson-Hemsworth double team isn’t as naturally charismatic and cohesive as it is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe BUT the film is massively enjoyable and fun to watch if you just switch your brain of a little bit. And sometimes, escapism is all we want – or need – from cinema.