INS Division 6

also known as; the Men in Black

I chose to write about the movie “Men in Black”, because it has always fascinated me with its incorporation of the idea of the existence of extraterrestrials. Also, it was one of the scariest VHS tapes (I thought as a 7 year old) we owned that I was allowed to watch, which has always stuck with me.

The plot follows two agents working for a top secret organization, who monitor alien lifeforms living on Earth cloaking their existence from ordinary people. After the opening scene the movie begins with the recruitment of character James Edwards (later known as “agent Jay”), to replace agent Kay’s retired partner. The main plot is to stop an alien known as the “Bug” species, an over-sized cockroach-like creature, who is threatening the the safety of Earth and possibly the entire galaxy. Aside from the witty humour and running gag that almost everyone you know may be an alien (celebreties, politicians…), the most memorable moments from the film, are the great one-liners and the gadgets used. The most famous of these gadgets is probably the “Neurolyzer,” in short, it erases memories; programmable for long or short term effects.  My other favourite weapon in the film is the Noisy Cricket, both for its fire power, and comedic purposes.

 “I feel like ima break this damn thing!” —J

There’s no question that the franchise has sparked interests in possible technologies and the existence of out of this world life. There are countless blogs and pages out there dedicated to proving the actual existence of MiB, and the actual existence of aliens.  One entertaining page about alien sightings and influences here.

The futuristic technologies of this movie always seemed a bit far fetched to me. From the secret layer, to the weapons, to the cars, and even the fact that the ordinary people were completely oblivious to what was really going on. But to paraphrase Kay, I suppose they have a point when he says it would only cause panic and chaos. Though some of the science behind some  of the ideas are fairly sound, we’re just not there yet (article). And it’s not like this was the only alien sci-fi movie out there, the 90’s were full of them. For example, some Star Trek films, Star Wars I, Predator 2, Aliens 3, Independence Day, Mars Attacks!, and so on…  Because the movie took place in the present (1997), I never believed that the technology used in the movie could be a present or even a near future reality. Not that I wouldn’t be totally stoked to actually see the stuff in real life. 

Now more about the characters: aside from some of the poor or cheesy acting from some of them, I think that where the writers and director were coming from seemed pretty believeable. In the sense that, the MiB characters all seem like dry, serious, boring, hard working people, who’s personalities may have been transformed into these traits because of their recrutment into the MiB in the first place. No contact with outsiders, their existence erased, risking their lives for the sake of those who don’t even know they exist; it seems like a hard life. It particularily shows in Kay, obviously showing signs of regret by leaving his wife for the job at the end of the movie. And it doesn’t faze me at all that Jay fits in to the whole operation without so much as double-take. Maybe with all the reported UFO sightings in the world, theories, and even movies and stories about extraterrestrials embeded into our culture and lives, that he was honestly not fazed by the idea that they are real and living among us (only in the movie of course… right?).

What would it be like to actually encounter aliens in this day and age? Would we take the news as lightly as Jay or even the Coroner? Or no? Though some of the technology in the film arguably already exist, I don’t personally think that the general public is ready for it either. Just like Kay said to Jay when he asked the question. People in general are not smart, and it would only cause panic, so maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to have the MiB looking out for us. For now at least.

“No, Elvis is not dead. He just went home” —K

MiB related memes: meme 1, meme 2, meme 3, meme 4, meme 5