Review: After Earth

by Joe Moss
★½

M.  Night Shyamalan’s latest movie “After Earth” starring Jaden and Will Smith is so dismal in its plot and character development that it left me wanting to leave the theater for 50 of the 100 minutes of the movie’s run time. Jaden Smith steps beyond a typical teenager into the realm of instantly unlikable, spoiled brat in his role as Kitai Raige—a student attempting to become a United Ranger Corps member like his father (conveniently, Will Smith as Cypher Raige).  The movie doesn’t work from the start as Cypher and his son lack any type of bonded relationship—which could work for a decent plot if the remainder of the movie wasn’t so cliché.

Cypher and Kitai crash land on a hostile planet (Earth in the long distant future) and the God-like URC General breaks both legs and remains as unfeeling as ever even while dictating via com-link what his son has to do. Now his untrained and careless son needs to undertake a journey wherein he learns self reliance and earns his “stripes” in manhood fighting off the creatures of earth and an escaped Ursa (captured prior to the crash landing) that can smell human fear like bad cologne. The Ursa, blind and bred to kill humans are the best part of the movie. I wish that there had been more back-story on their creation—would have allowed for a better understanding of how the future of humans came about as portrayed in the film.

The plot is credited as co-written by Gary Whitta (Book of Eli) and Shyamalan, but it is apparent before the end of the first scene that there was no saving this movie from itself. Will Smith does a decent job portraying a hardened military veteran, but Jaden does not have the acting acumen to carry the movie by himself. The CGI effects were outstanding, and I almost wish the film had been silent save for sound effects—I would have not been staring at my watch nearly as much wishing that Jaden would stop.

Personally, I think that M. Night Shyamalan needs to stop directing/writing movies and go back to basics to reset. His films have been on a steady downhill decline since Unbreakable (I believe this to be his best movie) and I cannot understand why Hollywood keeps allowing him to make films that flop. I had strong hopes for this movie as there are not many Will Smith movies I do not like (save for “Made in America”)…but I have definitely found another one here.