There's something deeply nostalgic—almost romantic—about fan films done right. Not the cheap green screen stuff we scroll past on YouTube. I'm talking about the ones that feel like they should be canon. Enter MIB: Neuralize This!, a slick, silly, slime-heavy 7-minute short that's more Men in Black than Men in Black: International ever managed to be.
Written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Martin Sofiedal, Neuralize This! isn't just a tribute—it's a defibrillator shock to a franchise that's been clinically dead since 2019. Remember that one? Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, $110M budget—and somehow, nobody cared? Yeah, this one's better.
Chaos, Polish Muscle, and a Broken Neuralizer
Set in Oslo (yes, Oslo—who knew MIB had a Scandinavian branch?), the short throws us into the thick of intergalactic mishap: an alien explodes, a neuralizer fails, and a little girl sees everything. Agents fumble with Nerf guns, there's goo in places there shouldn't be goo, and a Polish strongman is not amused. The cast, including Torgny Gerhard Aanderaa and Cecilie Svendsen, goes full tilt into absurdity—never winking, always in character. That's what sells it.
There's a strange elegance to how the chaos unfolds. It's slapstick, sure—but choreographed like a dance fight between Ghostbusters and The Office. The neuralizer, the franchise's iconic memory-wiper, becomes less a gadget and more a punchline. And the punchline lands—hard.
So… Why Does This Work?
Because it gets the tone. The original Men in Black films weren't just alien shootouts; they were bureaucratic farces. Intergalactic DMV meets acid-trip noir. Sofiedal taps into that blend—equal parts deadpan and deranged. And he doesn't fake the production value, either. The cinematography by Øyvind Svanes Lunde gives the short a slick, high-concept look. The VFX (by the team behind Troll 2), practical effects, and yes, actual stunts, make this feel like a real film, not a fandom sketch.
Even the original score by Roy Westad leans in—playful, percussive, and just a touch retro-futuristic. It's all there.
More Than Nostalgia
There's a deeper question humming beneath the slime: Why are fans still making MIB films when the studio clearly isn't?
The answer might be simple—because they still care. Fan films like this aren't just homage; they're frustration turned creative. When a beloved franchise loses its spark (International was all sizzle, no soul), fans sometimes have to do the job themselves. Sofiedal's Neuralize This! is more than a short. It's a reminder. Of what Men in Black used to be—and what it still could be, if someone in Hollywood remembered how to have actual fun.
And Now What?
No, this won't reboot the franchise. And no, Will Smith doesn't cameo (unless he got neuralized and forgot). But it will make you laugh. Maybe even cheer a little. And isn't that what we wanted from the real sequels?
Watch the full short on Martin Sofiedal's YouTube. If nothing else, it proves that even a dead IP can still flash its light and make us forget the bad parts.
Actually—neuralize me now. I want to watch it again like it's the first time.
