The easy chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson cannot save Men in Black: International from becoming the blandest entry in the series.

When Men in Black was released back in 1997 it was a cultural phenomenon. Will Smith was not only the biggest movie star in the world, he also ruled the airwaves, and it was a one-two punch that saw Men in Black the film and its theme song sit high above the pop-culture ladder. Yet such lightning in a bottle proved to be difficult to catch again, with two sequels – while financially successful – not quite able to recapture the imagination and spirit that film had.

Men in Black: International does not have much luck in doing so either. A soft reboot of the franchise, this fourth entry is the blandest in the series. Although sleek in design, there is hardly any sense of innovation or imagination to its plotting or creature designs, a major no-no during these superhero movie times. Directed by F. Gary Gray (The Fate of the Furious) the film has the tone and feel of an overlong commercial or music video. There is style to be sure, yet missing is any sense of stakes. It’s fast food filmmaking at its laziest.

Thankfully the key casting of the films leads in Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson saves Men in Black: International from being a total waste of time. Continuing with that easy, riff-laden chemistry established in Thor: Ragnarok, the pair star as Agent H and Agent M (respectively), the former a veteran agent of laidback persona, and the latter a rookie go-getter keen to prove her worth. As expected, the films script written by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum (Iron Man) deals with an end-of-the-world scenario as an extra-terrestrial race known as “The Hive” scour the Earth in search for a doomsday weapon. H & M are assigned to stop this from happening.

Along the way the pair meet a number of alien creatures that do not make much of an impression, save for Pawny (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) a pintsized ET who steals every scene he is in. A supporting cast consisting of Rebecca Ferguson, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson have their moments, yet are sparingly used.

Gray’s direction is very paint by numbers, following the MIB template but unable or unwilling to add anything new. Gone is the spirited filmmaking of series originator Barry Sonnenfeld, who knew how to deliver sci-f- adventure comedies of big visuals and big laughs, while also highlighting the strength of his movie star leading players. Ironically, Gray previously helmed Be Cool, a sequel to Sonnenfeld classic Get Shorty. That film was also a bust. Some people never learn.