Review: After Earth

Release Date: May 31, 2013
Running Time: 100 minutes

Starring: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo
Who to see it with: No one

David:

In After Earth, directed by M. Night Shyamalan (which the advertising apparently doesn't want to highlight), humans were forced to flee our planet because of some alien that attacked us for some reason (to be fair, that's about as much back story as the movie gives). Father / son combo Will and Jaden Smith are forced to return to and explore Earth after unexpectedly crash landing on the planet. 

Pretty much everything about this movie is wrong. Will and Jaden speak with some odd accent that doesn't sound natural (and is especially bad during Jaden's opening narration). The sci-fi aesthetic is poorly done, with odd science sounding words being thrown out for no reason--such as an asteroid graviton storm. The world's technology appears to be an organic type of technology, but it just doesn't look right or feel believable. The Earth itself is alright except for the terrible CG animals  / monsters that Jaden encounters. You don't feel any drama or excitement because you always feel like you're watching the characters run from and fight poorly done special effects. Further, throughout the adventure, Jaden conveniently has exactly what he needs to overcome each obstacle, which is impressive because all he took was his suit and a tiny backpack. And Will Smith is cast as a man who feels no fear and shows very little emotion. Whoever's idea it was to cast WILL FREAKING SMITH as someone who shows no emotion should be fired. Finally, and worst of all, there was a perfect time that Will Smith could have said "Welcome to Earf" but he didn't. I could go on but I don't want to waste your time. There are two very good sci-fi movies out that can give you a fun adventure (Star Trek) or a beautifully created science fiction world (Oblivion). 

Don't See it.