Men In Black
A high concept & a unique world hides a powerful plot
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$183 – 224 V $251MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
14.62 – 17.86%
Script Score
0.51
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. The invisible plot structure of Men In Black
1A. The script of Men In Black borrows 89% of its events 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.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 30,291
Tales interweaved
Duryodhan, Ram & Gilgamesh
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Men In Black’s plot structure: $183 – 224MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Men In Black
- 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 have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Men in Black has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1.
An example of interweaving the quests of James & Edgar Bug:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Men In Black
Men In Black’s plot structure reveals the missed opportunity in leveraging the quests of Kay & James.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.51
Audience appeal
14.62 – 17.86%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Men In Black
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Men In Black’s plot structure reveals the hidden potential of a powerful script.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Men In Black is a subset of blockbuster plot structure # 30,291 that interweaves the tales of Duryodhan, Ram & Gilgamesh.
Contact us for Men In Black’s plot structure # 30,291
Tags: Duryodhan, Gilgamesh, Ram, Vengeance, Expedition, Order, Barry Sonnenfeld, Ed Solomon, Lowell Cunningham, Columbia Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1997