After Earth Review

After Earth releases tomorrow (May 31) starring Will and Jaden Smith, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

(Please note: this review is SPOILER FREE. Read away, friends!)

It’s no secret that M. Night Shyamalan has still not recovered from the fame and success of The Sixth Sense released in 1999. A quick review of his IMDB page reveals a depressing spiral of critical flop after critical flop culminating anticlimactically with the travesty known as The Last Airbender (go watch the incredible animated Nickelodeon series to see how amazing that movie should have been). I wasn’t expecting a sudden and remarkable masterpiece from Shyamalan and my hopes for After Earth hinged solely on the sci-fi plot and Will and Jaden Smith’s performances as the father / son duo.

I’ve always liked Will Smith. From The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Independence Day and I Am Legend, I’ve always thought he did a good job on the big screen and doesn’t get enough credit. So I was excited to see how the father / son duo would perform in After Earth.

Here’s the trailer.


 

And then I actually saw the movie.

Will and Jaden Smith seem conflicted with their characters. I’ve always believed that Will Smith was pretty good at emoting, so for him to play a character that is required to be extremely stoic and disciplined was odd to say the least. I get why he acts that way (his character can “ghost” — eliminating all fear so he appears invisible to alien creatures that smell human fear), but it comes across as wooden and is usually really boring to watch. Jaden doesn’t fare much better. In scenes where he is allowed to act naturally or joke around with his unresponsive father, Jaden seems comfortable and is fun to watch (in fact, he has one of the best comic relief lines in the whole movie). However, while acting like a strict and serious military cadet, he comes across as awkward and stilted. Perhaps that’s because of his age? It doesn’t matter, M. Night Shyamalan should’ve directed these actors differently in order to get the best performances out of them. He did not. It’s clear that this movie is a vehicle for Jaden’s acting career, but restricting Will Smith and sending Jaden to the metaphorical sharks does neither Jaden nor the film any good. This is a shame because I felt a very real glimpse of honesty in the moments where Jaden’s character looks up to his father or asks his father for help. You get the sense that what’s shown on film might be similar to how Jaden feels in real life, however, this isn’t properly developed throughout the movie, instead it is only shown when it’s convenient and you only catch glimpses of it.

Jaden and Will Smith play wooden marionettes, I mean, “soldiers” in After Earth. (Picture courtesy of g4tv)

The story didn’t help at all either. Beforehand, I had checked out the website to research the movie. I was actually quite impressed by the backstory and the lore created for the movie. It is interesting, fairly fleshed out and hits most of the sci-fi hallmarks. Too bad the movie didn’t talk about any of this. What it does mention of this intriguing back story is relegated to the opening exposition, a short lecture on how things got to where they were. After that, the majority of the movie centers on Jaden trekking across repetitive landscapes with a few action set pieces and recurring flashbacks. This would have been ok if it wasn’t so predictable and overdone. You essentially know what will happen throughout the movie. There is also a ridiculous and tedious accumulation of unnecessary plot obstacles for the characters. It seems that Shyamalan just threw random problems at them in hopes that some would create tension. None of them did because of how they are presented. One well done and recurring plot point could have been more suspenseful than dividing the audience’s attention amongst several smaller setbacks continuously hammered at the audience. Ultimately, the plot is a predictable, tired and overstuffed jumble of leaps in logic, improbable circumstances, and bland acting and settings. That being said, it’s not a horrible sci-fi movie and it is interesting, albeit mediocre, at times.

Visually and acoustically, the movie is underwhelming. There’s really not much to say. Some legitimately neat and fun sound and visual effects are outweighed by  obnoxious dialects / accents, a forgettable soundtrack, repetitious landscapes and a subpar alien creature. There were also some questionable camera angles and cuts that made a few parts lackluster. It seems that a lot of care went into the little things, but the larger aspects were given less effort. The sound and visuals were average at best.

And really, that sums up the entirety of the movie. It was a generic sci-fi action movie that did nothing special and fell flat in moments where it tried to reach for more than it could handle. The whole concept of “Danger is real, fear is a choice” is an interesting notion but, like much of the film, seems underdeveloped, unfocused and only a concern when it’s convenient. At some points Jaden acts accordingly, in others he does not. Either he’s frightened or he’s reckless, which is it?  The ultimate test of the movie is the fact that I really am not interested in talking much more about it. It was better than M. Night Shyamalan’s recent offerings, but that’s not really saying much. The movie is real, but seeing it is a choice…one you might not want to make.

 

[easyreview title=”After Earth Review Ratings” cat1title=”Experience” cat1detail=”Boring, predictable and at times irritating, this movies action set pieces can’t outweigh its flaws.” cat1rating=”2″ cat2title=”Story” cat2detail=”Will Smith is restricted, Jaden Smith is awkward and the audience is left uncomfortable. A rich backstory is pushed to the side so Jaden Smith can have center stage.” cat2rating=”2″ cat3title=”Visuals” cat3detail=”Neat gadget and technology effects are dragged down by repetitive landscapes, serviceable special effects and a messy, nondescript alien. ” cat3rating=”3″ cat4title=”Sound” cat4detail=”Fun sound effects could not overcome a largely forgettable soundtrack and an ear-grating accent / dialect / whatever-the-hell-was-coming-out-of-their-mouths.” cat4rating=”2.5″ Summary=”Honestly, go to the website, the sci-fi backstory is interesting. Unfortunately, none of this comes through in the movie, and numerous flaws and subpar plotting make this one to skip until it comes out for On-Demand (and even then, don’t pay the extra $1 for HD).”]