MiB International: Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson vs Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones

Sometimes when a popular franchise gets a sequel after a long hiatus, the original actors may not be as interested in playing the same characters. That’s why you either recast new actors or make up new characters. Neither of these methods work, BTW, they seem to only make people yell like crazy something about their childhood being ruined. But let’s disregard the opinion of those whiners for a bit and take a look at a real example – “Men in Black: International”.

Was it a good idea to make this sidequel (like a side-sequel) without Will Smith and/or Tommy Lee Jones? Which team did a better job at entertaining the viewers? And, most importantly, does the MiB franchise still hold up? Let’s try to find out!

1) Old VS New

Straight to the point: is the new duo more fun to watch? The answer is … it’s complicated. You see, Smith and Jones had their own thing going on, the “old pro and a rookie”, let’s call it. Almost all of the chemistry and most of the jokes were based on that one dichotomy. What about Thor and Valkyrie? This is where it gets tricky. Both of their characters are goofy. One’s a semi-serious newbie and the other one’s Chris Hemsworth playing himself, basically. Who am I to say which is better?