Looking at the Men In Black movies ranked shows that the franchise had a lot more potential that it has failed to capitalize on. After the universally beloved original film starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, the producers could never quite figure out where they wanted to take the franchise next. This has resulted in some disappointing sequels and a severe drop in cultural influence as time has gone on. The franchise about a government agency that monitors aliens on Earth is a terrific premise, but the Men in Black movies ranked show it hasn’t always been capitalized on.
The Men In Black’s cinematic history, again proves that capturing the magic of the original is a taller task than most realize. Two direct sequels and a spinoff failed to strike a chord while many are still disappointed the Men in Black/Jump Street crossover never worked out. But that doesn’t mean all the sequels are worthless, or even the same degree of bad. The majority of the films feature something of value, even if it’s a fleeting reminder of how great the original was. With the Men in Black movies ranked, fans can look back on the highs and lows of the franchise.
4 Men In Black II (2002)
It’s hard to articulate just how popular Men In Black was after the release of the first movie in the summer of 1997. There were toys, music videos, and even an Emmy Award-winning animated series that ran for four years. However, a sequel to the original film was in development for an unusually long amount of time for what everyone perceived to be a new franchise. When it did finally come, Men In Black II was met with harsh reviews and a largely apathetic audience. Ignoring how the first movie set up the next chapter of the franchise, Men in Black II simply attempts to repeat what worked the first time, reuniting Agent J and Agent K.
Men In Black II focuses on reenacting scenes from the original, every one of them less funny and exciting than the first time. The chemistry between Smith and Jones is still solid, but K’s self-imposed amnesia means it takes until the third act of the movie before their full dynamic is on display. The new Men in Black II characters are far less interesting with Lara Flynn Boyle’s main villain serving as a dull threat while Johnny Knoxville is obnoxious as her henchman. While the blame for Men in Black‘s failure to ignite a beloved franchise is not entirely on this sequel, it set the future of the franchise off on the wrong foot.
3 Men In Black International (2019)
After two lackluster sequels, it seemed like a wise decision to continue Men in Black with a reboot. The spinoff – with no involvement from Smith, Jones, or any of the previous writers – brought in F. Gary Gray, one of the most consistently solid directors of the last two decades. And while it couldn’t lean on Smith’s A-list box office power anymore, it did have Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson – Agent H and Agent M, respectively – whose Thor: Ragnarok chemistry is still very much intact here. Men In Black had been dormant for seven years by the time this film was released, so it felt like enough time had passed to try a new angle on the property.
Sadly, Men in Black: International proved yet again that the minds behind this franchise had no new ideas. Everything fans know about the world of the MIB is blandly reintroduced, there are surprisingly few laughs and a painfully obvious plot twist. Hemsworth and Thompson do what they can with the uninspired material, yet their shared charm is not enough to save what feels like a lazy attempt to simply remind people that this franchise exists. The unimpressed reception of the movie has people debating if the Men in Black franchise deserves another chance or if they should admit defeat.
2 Men In Black III (2012)
Though Will Smith might be seen as the big-name star of the Men in Black franchise, the third movie proved how integral Tommy Lee Jones is to the formula. Though Jones appears briefly in the movie, the time travel element means that it is largely Smith’s show and the movie feels off in leaning too much into the actor’s persona rather than the interesting world of these movies. Without Jones to bounce off of, Smith gives his least engaging performance in the franchise.
That’s not to say Men in Black III is a bad movie as there are a lot of elements that work. Chief among them is Josh Brolin’s underrated performance as younger Agent K. Brolin perfectly captures Jones’ understated charisma, and he completely steals the show from Smith. In fact, the movie would have perhaps been better as an origin of Agent K rather than bringing Smith in via the time travel storyline. However, there are some fun elements with that premise while Michael Stuhlbarg’s character shows there are some clever ideas left in this franchise. However, the mixed reception of the movie suggested that, if the Men in Black movies weren’t going to feature Smith and Jones together, then they might as well move on from the two stars.
1 Men In Black (1997)
Men In Black is, essentially, a note-perfect movie. Every joke lands, every alien is cool-looking, Danny Elfman’s score was immediately iconic. Director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Ed Solomon manage to craft a fully realized, lived-in world, making life in the MIB seem both exhilarating and coldly routine. The only other comedic genre movie to hit every note like this is probably the original Ghostbusters, which is truly rarified air. It feels like the balanced mix of fun humor and high-stakes action that many modern superhero movies struggle to achieve.
But the reason Men In Black works so well and has endured for so long – the reason we’re still talking about this franchise at all – is the dynamic between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The young rookie trained by the grizzled veteran is a tried and true cop movie trope, but we’d never seen it play out like this before. It would be difficult to think of two actors less alike than Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but their distinct styles mix in an unexpectedly delightful way, enhancing each other’s performances. It’s hard to imagine Will Smith’s career without Men in Black and he even contributed a hit song to the soundtrack. While both Smith and Jones have filmographies to be proud of, this remains a classic that holds up incredibly well.
