The Inevitable Downfall Of Men In Black

When Men in Black first hit screens back in 1997, it instantly became a fan favorite. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made the perfect odd couple taking on a planet full of Aliens hiding in plain sight. Though as Men in Black progressed into sequels and animated shows, it became obvious the franchise was in a tail spin. But how exactly did Men in Black go from beloved sci-fi blockbuster, to the forgettable sequels we all got.

#meninblack #willsmith #nerdstalgic

Written by Ash Mitrano
Edited by Nick Murphy

[ashclaw]

The first one was truly iconic, the second did not feel bad and the third felt like the closure it should have had.

[awashington]

Usually when movie studios try to "recapture the magic" of original films *AND* try to "play it safe" they fail in spectacular fashion. This is a prime example of that 😩

[Ozzymandius]

As a New Yorker, the original MIB movie holds a special place in my heart. They strategically placed aliens throughout New York City in a way that felt oddly natural.

[brickhouse]

This might be stupid but the scene in the first men in black movie where he moves the table to write on his paper has had a large influence on my life

[ThePepelones]

One thing to note is that he first one was ad libbed a lot, making the chemistry between Jones and Smith feel very real and witty. International didn't quite have this.

[jeremy]

Outside of the original classic, the animated series is easily my favourite instalment of this franchise. Jeff Kline really knows how to do great adaptations 😊

[andrewelder]

I REALLY liked MIB3! I thought they delivered on the character dynamic, the most important element, and the Young K concept and execution were GREAT!

[VideoGameAutopsy]

Men in Black 1 is amazing, and still holds up to this day. It’s an amazing blend of sci fi, action, with great characters and a tightly written story. And it was pretty funny.
Men In Black 2, much like “Thor, Love and Thunder, focused too much on comedy, and side stepped everything that made the previous installment so great.
Men In Black 3 was truly a return to form, and the proper sendoff that the series needed. It has everything that made the first one so great, and they went above and beyond to delivery one hell of a finale.

[fastertrackcreative]

One of the key issues I noticed with International was Tessa's character. There seems to be a trend of interpreting equality as female lead who's super amazing and praised by everyone and everything is centred around.

[HMF]

Hollywood has been taking all the wrong lessons from Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and MIB International may be the biggest example of that. He's a talented actor and deserves a more diverse career than just standard blockbuster fare.

[biguy]

The main downfall is when they got rid of L. I liked the character and she was bad ass in the MIB animated series. That is my opinion.

[wereallmadhere]

I'll be honest I enjoy MIB 1-3 all equally. There's just so much nostalgia for me behind the trilogy. Sure its not perfect all the way through, but I thoroughly enjoy watching the trilogy of films. MIB International definitely failed for me, but I'll always enjoy the first three films no matter what

[archive]

Fun Fact: In the first Men in Black, the crew blew up a 25-gallon drum of blue goo for the scene in the beginning of the movie

[BrendanPappas]

I never really felt the first two MIB sequels were that bad. They definitely paled in comparison to the first one, but they were enjoyable enough in their own right. I didn’t really trust the fourth movie from the start, though. It had been too long since the last movie and introducing a new cast felt like writing on the wall for a potential disaster.

[therealseanw.stewart]

Men in Black is one of my first beloved childhood films. It's an absolute classic, and proved to have captured lightning in a bottle in the long run.

[averyeml]

I agree that the sequels feel like they’re trying to mimic the originality of the first and that it REALLY didn’t work for International, but 2 and 3 are actually solid. 2 is right up there with the first just about, though it is annoying they had to retcon so much to try and mimic it. 3 had no right to be as good as it was given the time stretch and cash grab vibes. They managed to give it more emotional depth and heart than I actually think they achieved with J’s broken heart in the 2nd. Putting them in the same “bad sequel” bucket along with International is unfair, I feel.

[Frostmourne]

I think the biggest issue of the fourth film was that they tacked on "International" - like you didn't see, when Zed is talking with some agents you can see that they're all over the world, or during the reveal that many famous people are aliens they also show that they don't live in New York City - the organization is already international.

[Blade-hfpo]

MIB 3 worked for me because of the twist near the end. There were hints to it throughout the film, but that twist, they nailed it beautifully.

[doorbox]

hollywood’s obsession with CGI is like gaming obsession with open world 3D games. Sure when done well it’s awesome, but when done poorly (which let’s be honest it usually is) it literally ruins what otherwise would’ve been a pretty decent piece of media

[Locadel]

After I watched Men In black international, I came back to truly like Men in Black 2😂