Men in Black spoofs the conspiracy of secret governments withholding evidence for the existence of extraterrestrials. Before Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith became Agent K (Kevin Brown) and Agent J (James Edwards) respectively, the franchise began with the 1990-1991 comic book series of the same name by Lowell Cunningham. The agency was established in the 1950s (the prime time for science fiction and B-movies) where a nongovernmental agency oversees paranormal and alien activity on Earth. The Men in Black are tasked with keeping humanity safe and ignorant from the otherworldly beings while remaining aloof themselves.
Agents are addressed by the first initial of their first names. All ties from the lives they lived are cut in service to the organization. They are issued alien weaponry for missions as well as neuralyzers, a memory-erasing device used on civilian witnesses. MIB agents retiring are neuralyzed and can return to their normal lives. In case of emergencies, a deneuralyzer restores their memory. The MIB is funded by confiscated alien innovations they turned into patented technologies like liposuction, microwave ovens, and Velcro. What’s stranger than fiction is the aliens they make contact with.
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10 Archanans (Men in Black 3)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Space soothsayers are a special kind of alien. Griffin the Archanan has eyes that can only see into the future and many concurrent futures. Griffin is a witness to parallel universes competing and changing from one future to the next. He also possesses the ArcNet, a shield that protected the Earth from the alien species, the Boglodites, during the 1960s. His meticulous narration of events to come is charming, mind-boggling, and a clever use of time travel antics.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Boglodites (Men in Black 3)
Boris the Animal prefers the name Boris and holds a pet peeve with Agent K. After shooting off his arm and leaving his species for dead on the Moon, Boris has every right to hold a grudge. He is the last of his kind with a face only a mother could love. His crab-like and arachnid body is able to shoot projectile needles as well. Boris travels back to the past to kill the young Agent K and reverse the timeline to save his species and conquer the Earth. If you see him walking on the beach, it’s best to bury yourself in the sand.
8 Ballchinians (Men in Black II)
Distended testicles look like an accident. They already look like an alien, too; why not make them one? The afro stands in for a hairy pubis, and the long, sagging face with wrinkles are a given. Ballchinians are impervious to damage, but their Achilles’ heel happens to be wrapped in a sack. It must be hard-luck living being a walking joke.
7 C-18 (Men in Black II)
Locker C-18 is the dwelling place of these tiny furry creatures. They are a mix of a Furby and Teletubby, giving praise to a wristwatch and prophesizing other ordinary objects that built their enclosed society. One of the more innocent and gullible aliens, they don’t pose a threat, but they do often speak by chanting in unison. They’re like if the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie story came to life. You could give them your pocket lint, and they would hail you as royalty.
6 Bugs (Men in Black)
Cockroaches can survive a nuclear holocaust and a space cockroach can survive exploding in half. It can also live inside a host body like The Thing and does so with farmer Edgar, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. In his rotting corpse puppet, Edgar the Bug gives an impressive display of body horror before crawling his way to a pocket-sized galaxy protected by Arquillians he aims to destroy. Familiarity with other insects and the ability to hide in plain sight makes this arthropod alien a widespread threat.
5 Squid (Men in Black)
Baby Squid aliens would dominate the Discovery Channel. J delivered the bundle of joy after tangling with its mother’s tentacles. Before it grows up to be a terrifying Kraken, a private fish tank and a steady diet of fish flakes will get him ready for the Black Lagoon.
4 Arquillians (Men in Black)
A perfect example of hiding in plain sight, the Arquillians are a petite alien species in command of human-shaped vessels. They belong to a royal lineage that makes them a target for envious and dangerous lifeforms. It makes you think twice about the people you run into; maybe they’re aliens in disguise.
3 Kylothians (Men in Black II)
The mimicry-adaptive worm colony can take on the likeness of any image or figure they see. Serleena belongs to the Kylothian military, and her chosen form is a Victoria Secret model. Shapeshifting into a femme fatale was an ironic yet clever move.
2 Remoolians (Men in Black II)
Frank the Pug is a sideshow freak for being a talking dog. His alien species happens to look exactly like the dog species. He’s cute, funny, and, best of all, a tone-deaf singer!
1 Annelids (Men in Black)
The Annelids are the hip and kooky counterculture alien Worm dudes you want to share a drink with. They deserve their own spin-off series to showcase their unbridled, rambunctious, Casanova personalities.
