Men In Black: International Trailer: Chris Hemsworth And Tessa Thompson Are Back In Action
Well, this all seems oddly familiar.
The second trailer for Men in Black: International is here, and this much is clear: the comedic chemistry between Thor: Ragnarok co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson hasn't gone anywhere. The spot also showcases a cool origin story for Thompson's Agent M, and introduces Pawny (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani), a character that seems destined to spawn a thousand memes.
The fourth installment in the series comes seven years after 2012's Men in Black 3, which was the final go-round for Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agents J and K, respectively, and director Barry Sonnenfeld, who relinquishes that chair to F. Gary Gray. Gray has proven his action bonafides several times over, having helmed such pulse-pounders as 1998's The Negotiator and 2017's The Fate of the Furious — but he's equally adept at comedy, having made his directorial debut with the 1995 masterpiece (we said it) Friday. He seems like a perfect fit for this franchise, and the trailer sports a tone right in line with the earlier films in the series while also tweaking the dynamic between the leads. No hard-bitten, experienced agent mentoring his cocky young counterpart here; Agent M and Hemsworth's Agent H are true peers, even if they are from slightly different necks of the woods.
The spot opens with the voiceover of Agent O (Emma Thompson) reciting a variation of the speech given by Rip Torn's Zed in the original Men in Black. "We are a rumor," she says, "recognizable only as déjà vu, and dismissed just as quickly." We see Agent H dealing with the aftermath of some destructive incursion in the middle of the city, illustrating her point, as she continues: "We are the best-kept secret in the universe." Then, we see whom she's addressing: the soon-to-be Agent M, seated in the MiB headquarters, who responds, "I know. I want in."
We then get a flashback sequence to M as a young girl, as her family receives a visit from the MiB. Her narration reveals the character's interesting background: "You erased my parents' memories, but you didn't get mine," she says. "It took me twenty years to find you — how many people can say that?" Then, we're back at headquarters, where M drives her point home. "I. Found. You. Which makes me perfect for this job."
It's tough to argue with that, and there's a brief montage of M suiting up. Before long, she's dispatched on an assignment to London, where she's welcomed by Liam Neeson's High T. "You will be with Agent H," he explains, and we see M's new partner busting up an alien hideout ("By the way, your little club here sucks," he deadpans). The pair saddle up together, with M insisting on driving (and forgetting which side the steering wheel is on). A brief, high-speed, very high-powered car ride later, and we're introduced to Pawny — a diminutive alien fellow who is apparently from a race where disputes are settled on the battlefield (that is to say, the chessboard). Pawny appears to be the last... thing standing, and he delivers the perfect response when M asked what happened: "What do you think happened? We got our asses kicked!" He asks M if she's a Queen, and when H answers in the affirmative, the little guy pledges his undying loyalty, which makes M a bit uncomfortable. "No, no, no, I'm not interested," she says. "Too late," Pawny replies, "I already pledged the loyalty, I wish you'd said no, no, no before."
Finally, we're introduced to the flick's Big Bad, as High T is seen addressing a council of presumably high-ranking agents. "We've never faced a threat like the Hive," he says, as M and H are seen taking on a pair of bizarre-looking, shape-shifting baddies. "They can take the form of anyone," T continues in voiceover, "even our own agents." Indeed, the next shot is of M, H, and Pawny on a flying rocket cycle that would make Flash Gordon jealous, racing headlong above a huge pool towards a squad of over a dozen MiB agents with their guns drawn. "Do we have a plan?" Pawny inquires casually. "You know, sometimes you have to trust your gut," responds H, before cranking the cycle up to full speed and performing a maneuver that leaves their would-be attackers soaked.
"Men in Black has been compromised," T's voiceover informs us over the spot's closing action montage. "Trust no one." H then gets a badass little monologue of his own: "We're here to protect the Earth," he says, "and that means everyone and everything on it. We are the Men in Black." We then see the setting for his little speech, which he is delivering to an unseen party on a barren beach as M and Pawny look on. H corrects himself: "The Men... and Women in Black." He turns to M and gives a self-congratulatory thumbs-up, which she exasperatedly returns. "Yeah, ha," says Pawny. "Perfectly done." After the title card, the trio are seen in the middle of the desert sporting a massive piece of alien weaponry. "Are you suggesting that we try the most powerful weapon in the galaxy for fun?" asks M; the others goad her into doing just that, with predictably hilarious results.
It may be a new cast and creative team, but it sure feels like classic Men in Black; the spot suggests that perfect mix of action, humor, and really, really weird-looking creatures that defines the series. Incidentally, the flick's screenwriting team of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway know a thing or two about achieving a nice balance with material as funny as it is flat-out exciting; the pair wrote inaugural Marvel Cinematic Universe effort Iron Man, and are currently at work on the second big-screen adaptation of Masters of the Universe.
If you ask us, this looks like the perfect early Summer popcorn flick, and we see big box office bank and probably a sequel or two in the future. At least, we can hope; it's not clear whether we'll ever get Thor 4, and Hemsworth and Thompson together are quite simply gold. Men in Black: International hits theaters on June 14.