All 4 Men In Black Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

What many may not have realized about "Men in Black" is that it proved comic book adaptations could be popular long before the rest of Hollywood caught on. Some folks may have never even known that it was based on such source material, but rest assured, the premise originally stems from Marvel Comics. And it's easy to see why it's become a full-fledged film franchise that's been running for several decades.

Mining comedy out of its simple odd couple situation, the grizzled, no-nonsense Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) takes Agent J (Will Smith) under his wing to show him that aliens have existed on Earth for a long time. Most aliens are just trying to make a living, and as is shown time and time again, some have more nefarious plans for the planet.

The dynamic between the two lends itself naturally to comedy, but between crude worm-like aliens who love coffee and talking alien pugs, there are plenty of visual gags in between to keep you entertained, too. Here are all of the Men in Black movies ranked from worst to best based on critical reviews and our own personal opinions. If nothing else, by the end of this article, you'll be humming that catchy theme song to yourself. 

If any franchise lent itself naturally to a legacy sequel, it's Men in Black. While Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are obviously great together, the Men in Black is a massive agency, so we could follow any set of characters. However, "Men in Black: International" proved that Jones and Smith might have been the secret sauce all along.

The chemistry Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson had in "Thor: Ragnarok" is sorely missing here. Hemsworth plays Agent H, a cocky veteran of the force, while Thompson plays Agent M, who discovered the Men in Black as a young girl and has devoted her life to joining them. It's fine even if it still doesn't match the pairing of grumpy old man and cocky upstart. In the original films, Agents K and J at least felt real. Agent H feels like he's teetering on the edge of parody.

As far as the plot, the agents discover there's a mold within the Men in Black, but the twist is telegraphed so obviously that you'll see it coming from a mile away. The thing separating "Men in Black: International" from previous entries the most is that it's, well, international. We see aliens from around the globe, and while VFX have advanced greatly, nothing can ever match the comedic heights of Will Smith roughing up a pug. Critics were just in their disdain toward "Men in Black: International," proving that some franchises don't need legacy sequels.

Many sequels wind up undoing the happy ending from the first film, and "Men in Black II" sadly fits into that category. The ending of "Men in Black" offers a ton of emotion, as Agent K reveals he's retiring. Agent J gives him a blast of the neuralyzer so that he doesn't remember any of his time in the Men in Black, and he's reunited with his wife after decades. A sequel could've followed Agent J with his new partner from the end of the first film, Agent L (Linda Fiorentino), Agent K is brought out of retirement, undoing all of that closure.

In general, the organization feels far sillier. The headquarters now has fast food joints, and Agent J has neuralyzed many partners when the film begins. It's a little odd since the first film made joining the Men in Black feel like such a big deal. But the sequel makes it look like people can join for a few weeks before getting their minds wiped and sent back to regular society. 

If anything, "Men in Black II' plays it too safe. There are so many callbacks to the original, the sequel never finds its own identity. Those callbacks even extend to Agent J now having to train Agent K. It would've been one thing if they were on somewhat equal footing as seasoned agents, but it just feels like we're starting from square one instead of fleshing out this world's potential. 

If "Men in Black II" played things safe, "Men in Black 3" was a breath of fresh air. It provided exactly what we wanted with new jokes and a fresh take on Agent K and J's dynamic. When an alien, Boris (Jemaine Clement) breaks out of moon prison, he travels back to 1969 New York to kill K, so J has to go back in time to stop him. The time travel plot offers a fresh spin on a franchise that seemed dead to rights.

Of course, the best part is Josh Brolin as a young Agent K, putting on a truly astounding Tommy Lee Jones impression. It's a perfect case study against the use of deepfakes for creating younger versions of established characters when you can just hire a great actor. But Brolin doesn't just exist in Jones' shadow. He brings an extra shade of warmth to the character while remaining hard-headed. Throughout the film, we learn why he's so closed-off in the present, offering a great emotional punch by the conclusion.

Whereas "Men in Black II" reheated many of the same jokes from the original, "Men in Black 3" gets creative with the new time period. Andy Warhol (Bill Hader) turning out to be an undercover Men in Black agent is a fantastic reveal. There are some plot holes and paradoxes you have to overlook, as with any time travel story. But overall, it's a solid follow-up that takes some risks. 

Nothing can beat the original. "Men in Black" is truly an impressive action-comedy, and even though it's a beloved movie, it still doesn't feel like it gets enough respect today. Maybe that's due to too many maligned sequels, but they really captured lightning in a bottle with this one. Agent J gets recruited to join the eponymous organization, and he and Agent K immediately get to work saving the world.

We've talked a lot about the relationship between the two main characters, and while it's a simple odd couple scenario, there's subtleties to it, too. They don't feel like caricatures because no one is playing the movie like it's a comedy. Everything, including the wacky aliens, is treated seriously. And that leads to surprisingly poignant lines like, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

"Men in Black" introduces an alien universe that feels entirely lived-in. And Vincent D'Onofrio's Edgar, an alien bug wearing a skin suit, is a terrifying villain. D'Onofrio's body language leans full in on body horror, but there's still something intrinsically silly about his appearance. "Men in Black' threads the needle between action, comedy, and horror wonderfully. It was basically "Ghostbusters" for the '90s, and we didn't realize how good we had it.