Men in Black’s unique world & high concept hides a strong plot structure

Men in Black released in 1997, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, showcases a unique world of extraterrestrials living in secret on our planet. The movie is about two government agents monitoring and policing them. The story of MIB explores basic human quests of vengeance, order and expedition. Mythosis uses 3 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.

1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story

1A. 88% of the events are borrowed from 3 mythological tales

Edgar Bug’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. Edgar Bug’s unscrupulous acquisition of the “Galaxy” is similar to Duryodhan taking over his cousin’s kingdom.

James’ quest is driven by the desire for social stability and mirrors the tale of Ram from Hindu mythology. Both Ram & James must recover their loved ones to ensure social balance.

Kay's quest is driven by the desire for finding an elusive person/object and mirrors the tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology. Both Gilgamesh & Kay set out to find the “elixir of life”.

Laurel & ZED don’t have a quest.

Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”

1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones

Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.

We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.

Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!

The ideal plot structure of Men in Black is # 30,291 that emerges from interweaving the quests of Vengeance, Order & Expedition.

2. Plot structure potential of Men in Black: $183-224MM

2A. Plot structure evaluation of Men in Black

An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.

All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Men in Black uses 3 universal quests of Expedition, Order & Vengeance.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Kay mirrors the quest of Expedition. James mirrors the quest of Order. Edgar Bug mirrors the universal quest of Vengeance.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Kay borrows 27% from the universal quest of Expedition. James mirrors 28% from the universal quest of Order. Edgar Bug borrows 40% from the universal quest of Vengeance.

Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Men in Black has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1. An example of interweaving the quests of James & Edgar Bug:

2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling

Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.

The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique.Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.

Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.

Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.

Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.

2C. Measuring the revenue potential of Men in Black

We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.

Men in Black has a script potential score is 0.51 and the movie will appeal to 14.62 – 17.86% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $183 – 224MM in the domestic market. The movie’s actual revenue was $251MM.

3. The ideal plot structure of Men in Black

We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.

We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.

3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts

Quest 1: Edgar Bug mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance

Edgar Bug’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.

Quest 2: James mirrors the universal quest for Order

James’ desire for Order stems from the need ensure social stability. The tale of Ram from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Order.

Quest 3: Kay mirrors the universal quest for Expedition

Kay’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person/object. The tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.

Tags: 1997, Amblin Entertainment, Barry Sonnenfeld, Blockbuster movies, Columbia Pictures, Duryodhan, Ed Solomon, Expedition, Gilgamesh, Lowell Cunningham, Mythology, Order, Plot Structure, Prediction, Ram, Sony Pictures Releasing, storytelling, Vengeance