The upcoming return to the world of Men in Black has endured its fair share of skepticism from the internet echo chamber. Discarding the storyline of the first three films, anchored around the characters portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, it’s easy to be a bit cynical about the prospect of getting back into MIB with two agents portrayed by “young, attractive people.” And yet, with trailers like the one below, MIB: International is going to make some believers.
With Emma Thompson’s “Agent O” serving as a bridge between the previous films and this modern re-imagining, MIB: International sees Earth under siege by shapeshifting aliens known as “The Hive”—a name and description that can’t help but draw allusions to the Skrulls from Captain Marvel. And naturally, only top field agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and rookie agent M (Tessa Thompson) can stop them. It’s obviously a reteaming of the very successful duo of Hemsworth and an ascendant Thompson from Thor: Ragnarok, Thompson’s Hollywood profile having greatly risen since then. If Valkyrie was playing second fiddle to Thor in Ragnarok, she’s certainly going to be an equal here—perhaps even the film’s true lead.
As for the trailer itself, it’s hard not to marvel at all the gadgetry, aliens and CGI wizardry on display. This certainly looks like a film with a budget into the hundreds of millions, but thankfully, the MIB series’ sense of humor seems to be intact as well. There are a lot of nice little moments, particularly the American Agent M’s confusion at the side-swapped position of steering wheels in British cars. And then there’s the pleasure of Kumail Nanjiani in the role of the diminutive “Pawny,” an alien who swears himself to Thompson’s service.
Men in Black: International is scheduled to hit theaters in the near future, on June 14, 2019. Check out the full trailer below to see what will likely be one of the big, early tentpoles of the summer blockbuster season.