Men in Black: International

Story

The latest instalment in the Men in Black series follows Molly, who has an alien encounter as a child. This chance meeting has a profound effect on her and she dedicates her life to finding out the truth about alien life forms, their impact on Earth and the secret agency that interacts with them.

Finally, as a young woman, Molly (Tessa Thompson) manages to find the Men in Black offices. With tenacity and determination, she gets herself hired on a probationary basis. She’s soon sent to London as Agent M, where she finds herself working a case with the highly decorated and reckless Agent H (Chris Hemsworth). Their job is to give the Jubabian diplomat Vungus (Kayvan Novak) a night on the town.

Meanwhile, the Hive, an evil alien force, is intent on taking over the world. It sends alien shape-shifting twins (Laurent and Larry Bourgeois) to steal a secret weapon from Vungus and then kill him, along with anyone else who gets in the way. Shortly before dying, Vungus passes the weapon to Agent M but warns her not to trust anyone in MIB. When the weapon is stolen from them, Agents M and H set off to get it back, find the mole in their agency, and save the world no matter the risk or ultimate cost.

Themes

Saving the word from an alien species; good versus evil; the complexity of human relationships

Violence

Men in Black: International has some violence. For example:

Cars explode in mid-air, roads turn into fire, and spaceships crash.
Characters have fist fights. They slam, punch and strangle each other. They also shoot each other with all kinds of space guns.
A creepy many-headed snake is used in a card game. It’s knocked off the table in a fight, and then it attacks people, including Agent H. He begs for his life as the snake’s poison rushes through his body. It looks like he survives when he trades sexual favours for the antidote.
Evil aliens are shot repeatedly, and large holes are left in their bodies. They quickly regenerate and keep coming after the agents.
An alien queen and her retinue are murdered on a chess board. The act itself isn’t shown, just the characters lying motionless, broken and beaten afterwards.
A shopkeeper in Morocco is murdered in an attack. His lifeless body is left on the floor.
Agent H borrows a bike from a man in Marrakesh, and he and Agent M take off through a marketplace. They crash into things and cause chaos as they try to outwit evil aliens and MIB agents. They eventually crash in the desert, but neither is injured.
When testing out the secret weapon on its lowest level, Agent M inadvertently makes a crater the size of the Grand Canyon in the desert.
The secret weapon is fired at the Hive. It explodes a creepy alien and his long tangle of gruesome tentacles.

Sexual references

Men in Black: International has some sexual references. For example:

Agent H is told to take a diplomatic alien out and show him a ‘good time’. It sounds like a sexual encounter should be part of the plan.
Agent H makes a masturbation joke.
A male alien provocatively gyrates his pelvis at agent M.
Agent M accuses Agent H of ‘pimping her out’. She says that she ‘will not fornicate with the Jubabian’.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Men in Black: International shows some use of substances. For example:

Characters drink glowing blue alien drinks while Agent H gambles with some aliens.
Characters talk about a hardcore alien drug.

Nudity and sexual activity

Men in Black: International has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

Agent H wakes up in bed with a female alien, whose tentacled arm is slung across his naked chest. He’s wearing underwear and she’s still covered with sheets, but it looks like they’ve had a one-night stand.
A group of naked, scrawny, stick-like aliens walk through a door together. They’re seen from behind.

Product placement

None noted

Coarse language

Men in Black: International has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Men in Black: International is an action-packed science fiction movie. The plot is predictable and the dialogue lacks verve, but the special effects are excellent. Mature audiences and fans of former Men in Black movies will probably enjoy this movie.

These are the main messages from this movie:

Looks can be deceiving.
Good will triumph over evil.
If you keep trying, your efforts will pay off.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include perseverance, teamwork, wisdom, trustworthiness and courage.

This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like:

the use of violence to solve conflict
the effect of reckless behaviour on others
the effect of a lack of trust on relationships.