MiB International’s Twin Assassins Are the Film’s Best Aliens

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the Men in Black: International, in theaters now.

Whether the movies hit or miss out, one of the things that the Men in Black franchises prides itself on is creating a universe of diverse sort of aliens, either seeking refuge on Earth or committing some sort of grave crime with our planet as its major backdrop. That said, director Barry Sonnenfield and his creative team took time to flesh out the look and feel of these extraterrestrials in order to make them pop out on the big screen and paint a versatile portrait of the cosmos.

Director F. Gary Gray, follows suit with the Men in Black: International, by giving us a vicious monster in the form of the shape-shifting Hive. However, the film kicks it up a notch with the break-dancing Twins, who stand out as the best aliens in the entire franchise.

The visual aesthetic of the Twins (played by Laurent and Larry Bourgeois) immediately catches you when they’re introduced in the film. They come off like walking beings of pure energy, reminiscent of characters like Eternity and Captain Universe from Marvel comics, where we can see stars and galaxies inside them. This ethereal, cosmic flair adds a new dimension compared to the practical effects we’ve seen over the course of these four movies, transcending animatronics and puppets. As you peer into the solar systems, black holes, white holes and supernovas inside them, you can’t help but marvel in wonder.

Now, that’s not to say that the other creatures we’ve encountered prior, like Edgar the giant Cockroach and Lara Flynn Boyle’s plant-like Sarleena, however didn’t resonate big time. It’s just that the Twins add a new spin to what we’ve seen before, and honestly, apart from coming off so sinister, barely saying a word, they have this intimidating look like they’re deadly  weapons of absolute mass destruction and galactic bombs ready to explode at any given time.

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Their powers are also super impressive as they can manipulate any kind of matter they touch, evidenced by them absorbing the asphalt in the streets and sending a tidal wave through it to kill Agents H (Chris Hemsworth) and M (Tessa Thompson). As the MiB shoot the duo with lightning and all sorts of other ammunition, they basically, simply absorb the hits and chuck the energy right back. Seeing as they’re shapeshifters too who can melt humans into goo with just a touch and also collapse cliffs by absorbing the tectonic energies of Earth, the danger factor is off the charts, truly giving the organization their deadliest foes to date.

The purpose of the Twins

Lastly, the purpose of these Twins is what really gets us. At first glance, they’re hunting down the Box (a crystalline structure that turns into a destructive super-gun) to seemingly go on a crusade of deadly war and bloodshed. However, the agents deduce that when the Twins said they want the weapon for the Hive, it doesn’t mean it’s to give to them now– it’s actually to kill this bloodthirsty race. That’s right, the Twins aren’t actually villains, they’re refugees doing anything and everything to protect their species from the Hive, Unfortunately, that means they’re prepared to become terrorists on Earth to achieve their goals,at any costs.

That said, you can frame them as antiheroes plunged into a bad situation, merely trying to avoid extinction. Sadly, communication wasn’t their strongpoint because all they had to do was speak to the agents and form an alliance. Nonetheless, saving the cosmos from merciless conquerors makes them aliens we can relate to and empathize with.

Release and Star Cast: MiB International

In theaters nationwide, directed by  F. Gary Gray’s Men in Black: International stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois and Larry Bourgeois, with Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson.

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