The Correct Order To Watch The Men In Black Movies

"Men in Black" is a bit of a strange franchise. For instance: did you know there are actually four movies in the series? I bet you completely memory-holed the 2019 movie "Men in Black: International," but it exists! Hell, you might have even checked out after the disappointing "Men in Black II" and not realized there was a "Men in Black III." And yet, the original "Men in Black," released in 1997, is a near-perfect movie. It blends humor, heart, and incredible visual effects to craft a memorable blockbuster that still holds up to this day. The basic set-up of all the film is the same: a secret government agency known as the Men in Black police outer space alien activity here on Earth. Four movies later, the franchise remains lopsided, but you really can't beat that first film.

Just hearing about the series might make you want to revisit it, which is where this handy article comes in! We're going to break down the correct order to watch the series, and while it might seem like a simple task, there will be some curveballs. So let's get to it.

The "traditional" way to watch the "Men in Black" franchise is the official release order. Start off with the original "Men in Black," the film that teamed up Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as a pair of intergalactic secret agents. Even after all these years, the movie remains fast and fun and one of the best sci-fi blockbusters to come out of the 1990s. Then keep things going with "Men in Black II," released in 2002. Even though it came out several years after the first film, "Men in Black II" feels strangely rushed, as if they shot it really quickly to cash in on the popularity of the first film. It is easily the worst movie in the series, but if you want to be a completist, that's where you have to go next. 

Next up, we have 2012's "Men in Black III," and you know what? This is a surprisingly good entry in the series! It's definitely a step up after part II, that's for damn sure. For one thing, you have Josh Brolin doing a killer Tommy Lee Jones impersonation (he plays a younger version of Jones' character). For another, you have the always-great Michael Stuhlbarg showing up as a friendly alien. The film's time travel shenanigans add a fun new wrinkle into the franchise, and Will Smith is as charismatic as always.

Finally, we have 2019's "Men in Black: International," the film that time forgot. This legacy sequel could have been great. For one thing, it reunited Marvel stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who proved they worked together perfectly in "Thor: Ragnarok." The movie also stars Rebecca Ferguson, and that's never a bad thing. And yet, "Men in Black: International" is a dud. It's not a terrible movie. It's just incredibly forgettable. I saw it when it came out and I can barely tell you what the heck happened during the runtime. That's not because the movie was confusing. It's because I just didn't care to retain the knowledge. It's almost like one of the Men in Black immediately used the neuralyzer on me and erased my memory after I watched it. 

Okay, now that we have the "official" order out of the way, let's have a bit of fun with what I think is the "correct" order. In my humble opinion, the only films you really need to watch in the series are "Men in Black" and "Men in Black III." That's right — go ahead and skip "Men in Black II" and "Men in Black: International." They add nothing of value to the series. Watch part I, and then have fun with part III, which doubles as a prequel to part I. You might think that means you should watch part III first — but no. Part III is both a prequel and a sequel, and it won't make any sense unless you watch the first film first. It's a fun double-feature overall.