Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Men in Black: International 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 27, 2019

Men in Black: International, the fourth film in the franchise and the first to move away from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the leading roles, offers more of the same and less reason to watch. New faces do not equal new plot dynamics; this is a familiar if not passably watchable and ultimately stale formula regurgitation jazzed up by some snazzy visual effects (that in truth aren't much better than what the first film threw onto the screen more than two decades ago) and...not much more. Franchise fans yearning to return to the universe will appreciate the fresh coat of paint but that's really all this movie has to offer: a few bells and whistles and but little purpose beyond big box office business.

An upstart MIB agent known as "Agent M," or "Molly" (Tessa Thompson) in the civilian world, is thrust into a world of danger and adventure when she's teamed up with veteran agent "H," or Henry (Chris Hemsworth) to his friends outside the agency, in a globetrotting race against time to unravel a nefarious alien plot and save the world. Sound familiar? International's plot and character dynamics share much in common with the original film (though one of the more obvious changes is that the newcomer, Molly, approaches the work with more seriousness like Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K while the veteran Henry is more like Will Smith's brash agent J). Director F. Gary Gray’s (Law Abiding Citizen) MIB entry benefits from the foundational structure established by the other three films, even if there’s not much of a deviation from it. There’s opportunity to push more directly into the story (as derivative as it may be) rather than build the world from the ground-up. Gray rightly only employs minimal backstory seen through Molly’s eyes, eyes that were not subject to the neuralyser and led to a lifelong fascination with the MIB and a do-anything approach to becoming a part of the team. Molly, like the audience, has been living with the knowledge of the secretive world of MIB and yearns to inject herself into that world (whether the audience really wants to join her is another question), serving as a point of entry for anyone who might only be tangentially familiar with the franchise in what is, here, a soft reboot.

The plot plays second -- and distant -- fiddle to the peripheral elements, dominated by two well rounded performances from the leads who mercifully carry the film through the otherwise rote and recycled narrative beats, the surrounding special effects, and verbal tongue ties that drag rather than draw the viewer into a world that’s all too familiar and, by now, fairly stale. The story is interchangeable with any other MIB iterations: a couple of hotshot agents tackle the same problem by way of their own, sometimes clashing, approaches, surrounded by various creatures and carrying powerful silver weapons of various sizes. A few twists that aren’t difficult to see coming pop up here and there, adding only light intrigue and minimal draw into the story. There’s just nothing of even remote interest here; the plot exists merely to make transitions from scene to scene possible, not to test the audience’s mental mettle. And in some ways that’s OK; MIB is not a franchise meant to stretch the brain, but a story of slightly more originality and purpose is still welcome and, indeed, necessary if there’s to be another film beyond this one.

Men in Black: International 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Men in Black: International's Blu-ray release delivers a quintessential, standout performance within its 1080p/SDR parameters. The same cannot be said of this UHD. Make no mistake, it looks quite good and performs exceedingly well, but it's not amongst the best of the best the format has to offer, nor is it a particularly monumental upgrade from the Blu-ray, even if it bests it. To be sure, details and colors are both refined for the UHD presentation, sourced per IMDB from a 2K digital intermediate. Texturally, the image finds a modest bump in overall clarity and object sharpness. Facial close-ups benefit from enhanced definition of fine point details, such as hairs and pores and makeup, while the MIB suits showcase ever-so-finer material definition and density. Environments, from dense city streets to the sleek MIB headquarters interiors, likewise show more raw clarity but not earth-shattering leaps thereof over the Blu-ray. It's a modest but welcome increase.

The HDR color enhancement likewise falls into the "refinement" category. Colors are certainly brighter and more intense. Light sources and metallic surfaces in the aforementioned MIB offices are amongst the greatest beneficiaries, showing and reflecting more intense light and producing a more brilliant blend of steely blues and grays. White shirts are noticeably more crisp and the contrasting black suit jackets and neckties hold a deeper black than the Blu-ray can provide. Alien colorations are playgrounds for the HDR color scheme, allowing the multicolored and multifaceted creatures to leap off the screen with more pleasing, eye-catching, and screen-commanding luminance, nuance, diversity, and exactness. This is a very nice looking movie on both formats; it just doesn't rise to the level of "reference" on the UHD, even if it bests a reference quality Blu-ray.

Men in Black: International 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Atmos configuration only enhances the film's mesmerizing sound design, adding a tangible feel for greater spacial immersion both around and, of course, above the listener. Booming thunder and blustery winds are the first highlights in the film, teases of the sonic goodness to come. Any of the film's action scenes offer a high yield intensity that saturates the listener in sonic bliss, delivering highly active but harmoniously balanced surround integration, precision but deep bass, and a perfectly tuned feel for spacial dynamics and perfect object positioning whether stationary or mobile. Music is likewise fully immersive, making surrounds nearly as dominant as the fronts but in a way that pulls the listener in rather than force a feel for surround's sake. Environmental details are wonderfully full and finely defined while dialogue delivery is flawless. The 5.1 track is terrific; this is better.

Men in Black: International 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Men in Black: International contains deleted scenes, a gag reel, and several generic featurettes on the bundled Blu-ray; there are no extras on the UHD disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:13): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Alien Shopping Network! (1080p): A two-part feature. Alien-cestry.com (1:20) features Frank pitching an ancestry website while The Neuralyzer: Like It Never Happened (1:04) is an ad for the most famous gadget from the MIB universe. Both include new footage and clips from this and past franchise films.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 11:35 total runtime): Included are Do Not Turn Around!, We Need to See the Queen, Extended Nightclub, How Did They Recruit You?, Ready for Riza's, Pawny Holds Court, I'm Not Quite Feeling Myself, History Repeats Itself, and An Annoying Friendship.
• New Recruits, Classic Suits (1080p, 7:04): Talking up the cast and the qualities the actors bring to the film.
• Let's Do This! Inside the Action & Stunts (1080p, 5:43): As the title suggests, this supplement explores the more physically demanding components necessary in making the film.
• Look Right Here: Gadgets, Weapons & Rides (1080p, 4:20): A quick run-down of some of the fictional tech that appears in the film.
• Expanding the Universe of MIB (1080p, 5:57): Shooting in London and Marrakesh and working within the complex sets.
• Frank & Pawny's Peanut Gallery (1080p, 5:36): The obligatory "cute" characters view a few clips from the film, MST3K-style
• Les Twins Leave it on the Floor (1080p, 2:22): Making a dance club scene.
• In Case You've Been Neutralized: MIB Recap (1080p, 3:21): The franchise condensed into three minutes.
• The MIB Meet the NBA (1080p, 2:36): H and M look to the world of basketball to find some aliens.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Men in Black: International 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Men in Black: International is in no way super but it is in every way superfluous. This is, admittedly, a perfectly serviceable but entirely forgettable light reboot that is exactly the kind of film Hollywood loves: a familiar brand retooled with fresh faces and an opportunity to plaster the screen with the latest and greatest in digital technology. In other words, a guaranteed moneymaker. Hemsworth and Thompson slide comfortably into the suits but the film is otherwise fully forgettable. Sony's UHD is very good. A solid 2160p/HDR presentation bests a reference Blu-ray. The Atmos audio takes a high performance 5.1 track and makes it better. Extras are limited to those on the bundled Blu-ray. Highly recommended for fans.