Summary
- Will Smith surprised Coachella fans with a
Men in Black
performance with J Balvin and alien theatrics. - J Balvin set the stage with an alien invasion storyline before Smith came out in his iconic suit.
- Smith’s return post Oscars slap includes several upcoming movie projects like Bad Boys 4.
Will Smith made a surprise appearance at Coachella on Sunday to blast through a throwback performance of Men in Black with J Balvin. Bringing together some impressive stage visuals, and a heavy feeling of nostalgia, Smith arrived on the stage dressed in the movie’s iconic blank suit and shades as he took fans all the way back to 1997 when the song, and his movie, dominated the music and box office charts respectively.
The unexpected collaboration thrilled fans, and Smith’s brief appearance blended perfectly with alien dancers, a gigantic alien head prop, and a little touch of theatrics involving a MIB memory-wiping Neuralyzer, all of which culminated with Balvin being dragged off-stage by some of Smith’s black-suited colleagues. You can see the video of the performance below:
Even before Smith arrived on the scene to rap and dance his way through a short version of the song, J Balvin had been playing out an alien invasion storyline that spanned the entire show. The concert opened with a mock-1950s newsreel that introduced the extraterrestrial theme and announced Balvin as the alien invader. This setup led to his dramatic rise from beneath the stage, positioned under a colossal UFO prop. The Colombian reggaeton artist’s attire transitioned from a spacesuit to a dazzling silver glitter suit, and his set includes a mix of hits including Mi Gente, as well as hits of others such as Usher’s Yeah! and Cardi B’s I Like It.
Release Date July 2, 1997
Runtime 98
Tagline Protecting the Earth from the scum of the Universe!
However, it was the inclusion of Smith’s Agent J that really sealed the deal on the performance, bridging a gap of some 27 years since Smith first brought the song to the world on the back of one of his biggest movie hits.
Will Smith Continues His Career Revival Post Oscars Slap
ABC/Red Table Talk
It is now two years since Will Smith hit the headlines for the wrong reasons after slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. Dubbed “The Slap Heard Around the World” by the press the following day, the incident was widely condemned, and saw Smith’s Best Actor win for his role in King Richard take a backseat as his actions in reaction to a joke made by Rock about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head snatched the headlines.
Despite his initial apologies to The Academy and the audience, but not at the time to Rock, the punishment for Smith’s outburst was almost immediate. He was banned from attending any Academy-run ceremony for the next 10 years, and saw a number of movie projects put on hiatus, which included a fourth Bad Boys movie.
Related The 10 Best Will Smith Movies, Ranked Will Smith is truly a jack-of-all-trades in the entertainment industry; he’s a highly-revered actor, talented rapper, and visionary film producer.
Now, two years on, Smith has explained his actions, and his regret over the incident, on numerous occasions, and it seems that he is gradually returning to some kind of normality again. As well as his well-received Coachella appearance, Smith’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die recently released its first trailer and will be released on June 7, after being moved up a month from its original release date a week later. Other upcoming roles for the actor include the sequel I Am Legend 2, Netflix movie Fast and Loose, Universal’s action movie Sugar Bandits, and a reported remake of the Steve Martin/John Candy comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
For those wanting to revisit the original
Men in Black
, the movie is available to rent or buy from Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
You can check out the trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die below.
You can view the original article HERE.
