Men in Black MR. WU Used Figure

Men in Black: saving the Earth (and making you forget about it)

In 1997, Will Smith traded his Independence Day pilot gear for a black suit, shades, and the galaxy’s slickest job title: Men in Black agent.

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and based on Lowell Cunningham’s comics, Men in Black follows NYPD cop James Edwards (Smith) as he’s recruited by the deadpan veteran Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) into a secret organization that monitors alien life on Earth. Their tools? Ray guns, flying cars, and the legendary neuralyzer — perfect for erasing inconvenient memories.

Packed with practical effects, quirky alien designs (shoutout to Frank the Pug), and razor-sharp banter, the film became a box office smash. It spawned:

• Men in Black II (2002)

• Men in Black 3 (2012) with time-travel hijinks

• Men in Black: International (2019)

• An animated series

• Video games and endless merch

And of course, Will Smith’s chart-topping theme song that’s still stuck in our heads.

Cool, funny, and endlessly rewatchable, Men in Black is proof that sometimes, the best way to save the Earth is… to make sure nobody remembers it.