We ’re living in a moviegoing   landscape where franchise are king , but whether or not one will succeed relies on so many factors that it can fundamentally be tighten to a coin toss . Some franchises cansurvive healthily for 23 installments ; others postulate to be put out of their misery after four . TheMen in Blackfranchise started off promisingly by putting a sci - fi whirl on a distinctive “ buddy cop ” movie .

However , the subsequence have been very strike - and - overleap , as Rick Sanchez can bear witness to . So , here are five reasons why theMen in Blackfranchise should be given another chance , and five why it should just be permit to die .

DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: Men In Black 3 Proved New Spins On The Premise Can Work

The secondMen in Blackmovie show that reprize all the jokes from the first movie is n’t a great formula for have a subsequence , specially when the premise has so many chance to be imaginative . piece in Black 3proved thatMIBsequels can sour if they put a fun unexampled twirl on the original construct . InTerminator 2 , there ’s a second Terminator protecting the Terminator ’s object . InAliens , there aredozens of the one alien that terrify Ripley the first prison term around .

And inMen in Black 3 , Agent J travel back in clock time to the ‘ 60s to prevent an revelatory outcome . Introducing time traveling to the story opened up all sort of avenues , and the threequel took vantage of all of them . This is a honorable ruler of quarter round for continuing theMen in Blacksaga .

LET IT DIE: It Doesn’t Work Without Will Smith And Tommy Lee Jones

Anyone who saw the first threeMen in Blackmovies might have suspected that the keystone to their success wasWill Smith and Tommy Lee Jones ’ screaming on - covert chemistry . Anyone who sawMen in Black : Internationalhad those mistrust sustain .

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are two talented , popular , well - jibe actors who have proven they can direct a rollicking sci - fi clowning together , both coming off the highest grossing movie of all prison term , and yet , Men in Black : Internationalbombed at the box office . Without Smith and Jones , Men in Blackdoesn’t detention up .

DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: All It Needs Is A Good Script

The box office failure ofMen in Black : Internationalclearly ca n’t be attributed to the draw of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson because it ’s surd to name two movie star who are more popular than them right now . They play two of Marvel ’s most beloved role , and have each prove their range outside of the MCU .

The veridical trouble withMen in Black : Internationalwas its script . It was   bland and uninventive from the offset , and the mid - filming rewrites make the whole thing feel disjointed . This led to negative reviews , which led to fiscal tumult . To catch one’s breath sprightliness back into theMen in Blackfranchise , all Sony need is a respectable script   — which is easy said than done , but also easier done than Hollywood makes it seem .

LET IT DIE: The Franchise Can’t Be Driven By The Lore Alone

In the late attack at aMen in Blackmovie without the participation of Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones , all that remained of the previous three films was the set purpose and the gadget   — or , in other words , the lore . In the original trilogy ( if you will ) , all the contrivance were introduced to serve specific jokes . Taking the lore seriously and contribute back the old gadgets to say , “ Hey , remember these ? , ” will just result in fall returns .

These movies are clowning ; the worldbuilding does n’t have the depth of , say , Star Trek . Ghostbusters ’ 2016 reboot made this same mistake . If sequels and reboots are just endure to use fans ’ nostalgia against them like how countless other Hollywood franchises are doing , then there ’s no real point in time .

DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: The Premise Has Satirical Potential

One of theMen in Blackfranchise ’s funniest go jest isrevealing which celebrities are in reality aliensor cloak-and-dagger MIB agent . InMen in Black 3 , Bill Hader plays Andy Warhol as an cloak-and-dagger MIB factor who ’s sick of Warhol ’s postmodernist schtick , and wants to be necessitate out of the field .

There ’s a luck of satiric potential in peeling back the pall on a society that ’s been infiltrate by aliens . Men in Blackhas the potency to be a more mainstream version of John Carpenter’sThey Live .

LET IT DIE: The Abandoned Jump Street Crossover Sounded Promising, But It’s Not Happening

When the Guardians of Peace hack into Sony ’s servers and leak C of its e-mail , an exchange was reveal in which a crossover voter between theJump StreetandMen in Blackfranchises was discussed .

It seemed like an interesting way to shake up both franchises : man in Blackwould get a nip in the branch by exploring an entirely different kind of humour , and theJump Streetsaga could go on without undermining22 Jump Street ’s incredible end credits gag . However , since the program were loose to the world before they ’d been nail down , the studio ended up dropping the approximation completely .

DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: There Are Plenty Of Talented Directors Out There

When F. Gary Gray was directingMen in Black : International , he reportedlywanted to give up the flick multiple timesas studio apartment executives increasingly took over creative ascendence . It ’s a shame , because Gray is a fantastical filmmaker   — as exemplified by his varied employment , ranging from his debut filmFridayto his masterpieceStraight Outta Compton — and if Sony had just loosened the rein a little , he could ’ve made a greatMen in Blackmovie .

The same fail for many gifted directors out there , who could do wonder by bringing their unequalled interpreter to aMen in Blackfilm . Taika Waititi ,   Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg , Kay Cannon , or Edgar Wright are just a few example .

LET IT DIE: The Title Is Outdated

The titleMen in Blackis taken from the idiom “ men - in - black , ” found in many UFO conspiracy theory . They ’re supposedly the government suits who restrain UFO witnesses into maintain quiet . As a name that keep out women , however , it does n’t really have a spot in the current social climate .

Men in Black : Internationalhad an awkward laugh about it between Emma Thompson ’s Agent O and Tessa Thompson ’s Agent M. O says , “ Do n’t start . I ’ve had the conversation . ” So , if the options are for the movies to either continue feature their cake and eating it too with these on - the - nozzle put-on , or transfer the name of the dealership , then it ’s not deserving it .

DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: The Storytelling Possibilities Are Endless

TheMen in Blackmovies are sic in a vast universe filled with exotic specie that have infiltrated the company of contemporary Earth . The total known universe survive within a random locker in a gigantic alien string station .

All kinds of report can be evidence in this domain . As long as it sticks to the general theme of intergalactic law enforcement , theMen in Blackfranchise ’s storytelling possible action are endless .

LET IT DIE: The Story Is Over

InMen in Black 3 , Agent J went back in time and come across that Agent K recruited him to join the authority and mentor him through the rank because he owe his life to J ’s father . J subtly imply   in the diner that he knows why K appear after him , which Griffin calls his fresh favourite moment in human history , was the perfect manner to stop this story .

Men in Black : Internationalcan be seen as a sort of addendum , orRogue One - style MBD - on , but theMen in Blackstory proper has give a satisfying ending .

NEXT : Alien : 5 Reasons The enfranchisement merit Another Chance ( & 5 Why It Should Die )

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Men in Black

Will Smith as J and Josh Brolin as young M in Men in Black 3

Men in Black K and J 2

Men in Black K and J

Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth aiming guns in Men in Black International

Andy Warhol in the Men in Black film

Men in Black Jump Street Crossover Movie

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Tessa Thompson and Liam Neeson talking in the MIB headquarters in Men in Black International

Agent J holds up the neuralizer in Men In Black II.

J and K sit in a diner in Men In Black 3

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Men In Black