Tommy Lee Jones' First Sci-Fi Movie Was Written (But Never Seen) By John Carpenter
Tommy Lee Jones has had an illustrious career. You may know him best from "The Fugitive" opposite Harrison Ford, or as Two-Face in "Batman Forever" alongside co-stars Jim Carrey and Val Kilmer. He even has a fan-favorite role in one of my favorite childhood movies, "Small Soldiers." Some of Jones' later characters are less serious, more sci-fi than ever, à la "Men In Black" — one of the few great movies you probably didn't know was based on a comic – and "Captain America: The First Avenger." But there's one role that never quite materialized; at least, not in its originally intended form. It's from a film called "Black Moon Rising," starring a young Jones and Linda Hamilton — who you might recognize from the "Terminator" movies. Although it was released in 1986, the final vision is very different from what its creator, John Carpenter, had in mind.
Yes, that's the John Carpenter from "Escape from New York," the "Halloween" franchise, and 1982's "The Thing" fame. According to an interview with Justin Beahm, Carpenter says he originally wrote the script for "Black Moon Rising" while working on his first movie, "Escape." He refers to it as his "my car is stolen, and I'm going to get it back" story. Carpenter has never seen the final version of the released film.
Purportedly, the current version was retooled for a lower budget and rewritten to meet those limitations by Harley Cokeliss, who also directed. A few outlets claim Cokeliss received Carpenter's blessing to rework the script, including an archived BBC piece, but given Carpenter's reluctance to watch it in full, it's clear that his feelings soured at some point.
What is 'Black Moon Rising' about in its current form and how do audiences like it?
Tommy Lee Jones plays Sam Quint, a former thief hired by the FBI to steal a computer disc loaded with incriminating evidence from a corporation the agency is after. In a chance encounter, Quint hides the disc inside the bumper of a car while trying to escape pursuers. That car is a top-secret prototype called the Black Moon. The Moon can reach near-impossible speeds, up to 325 miles per hour, and runs on water as its fuel.
Before Quint can recover the disc, the Black Moon is stolen by car thieves, one of whom is Linda Hamilton's character, Nina. There's a lot more going on in the story, but essentially, Quint tries to recover the Moon and the disc, while supporting characters either help with his mission, like Nina, or get in the way. I'm being intentionally vague because I don't want to spoil anything. It's available to stream on Prime Video, Tubi, Pluto TV, Hoopla, and other platforms with advertisements.
As for what audiences think, the movie currently has a 46% rating from critics and a 26% rating from regular moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDB is more forgiving, awarding a 5.5 out of 10 rating based on over 7,700 reviews. I've seen it, and I'll share that it's an interesting watch one time to see what happens, but it doesn't warrant revisits. Take that as you will. Jones plays a different character here than in most of his other work. If you want to see him act opposite a realistic movie psychopath, according to science, check out "No Country for Old Men." Or, as an aging astronaut in the Clint Eastwood-directed and forgotten Armageddon-esque sci-fi. Both are more entertaining.