Air New Zealand throws back to the '90s with its Men in Black safety video

Every day is Throwback Thursday in Air New Zealand's newest safety video, which casts members of the All Blacks rugby team as everyone's fave late 1990s special agents, the Men in Black. Several current and former rugby stars – including team captain Richie McCaw and coach Steve Hansen – make appearances, but the spotlight is on a RayBan-wearing Israel Dagg, who has to rap about everything from buckling your seatbelt to stowing your shoes. (And somehow, his airline-related rhymes don't sound any goofier than Will Smith's "Men In Black" theme song did).

There's a thin line between making a safety video that's entertaining and doing one that's so silly it's distracting, but Air New Zealand pretty much nailed this one (plus, Frank the Pug makes a cameo). Jodi Williams, the head of global brand development for Air New Zealand, told the New Zealand Herald: 

We think Men in Black Safety Defenders is our best safety video yet [...] By putting effort into making safety videos people want to watch we are helping to ensure our customers really engage with the important safety messages portrayed while at the same time receiving global attention for our brand and for New Zealand on a scale that simply wouldn't be possible through traditional marketing channels.

Of course, the only ironic downside of using the Men in Black – or the All Blacks in Black – is that those agents were known for erasing the memories of almost everyone they came in contact with. So much for remembering what those life preservers were for.