Movie Review: After Earth


You crash land on a planet and your only hope for rescue relies on your 13 year old child, what do you do? A) Realize the fault in this, find a cave, settle in for good and call it your new home. B) Encourage your child, because really with the right support a child can do anything. In May 2013, we watched a father choose B.

Directing this 100 minute action/adventure/sci-fi/mystery is M. Night Shyamalan.

The cast in this future flick is: Jaden Smith as Kitai Raige, Will Smith as Cypher Raige, Sophie Okonedo as Faia Raige and Zoe Kravitz as Senshi Raige.

In the future some things have changed, like we don’t live on Earth anymore. Some things never change, like a son will always try for the acceptance of the father. While on route to their destination Cypher and his son Kitai’s space transport ship hits a storm and takes severe damage. The ship crashes leaving them the only
survivors on a planet familiar to Cypher. Now they need to find and use the rescue beacon if they want to get back home. With Cypher seriously injured, it’s up to 13 year old Kitai to weather this dangerous planet with the watchful eye of his dad via remote. He’ll have to overcome his fear and personal struggles if he ever wants to see home again.

Now we all know M. Night Shyamalan is known for his “twists” in a movie, and I’m not big on spoilers but this one seems ok to give out because this really surprised me. The twist? This flick didn’t suck as bad as his last few. Was this one great? No, but it was good. Will and Jayden did really good in the roles of a well known father with a son growing up in his shadow… wait a minute! That’s why Jayden did so well. Guess it’s true; when acting, pull from real life issues. Anyway, the story had multiple points: Coming of age, survival, bridge the gap with father and son, while dealing with personal issues. Then again what else do you have to do when you’re stranded on a planet… walk and think. The scenery was cool with the special effects being ok. Really no matter the timeline, a father and son trying to reconnect through tragedy, gets a little old after a few and this was no different. I’m not gonna own, it but it’s worth a one time watch for some (like the Will Smith fans).

It’s rated PG 13 for violence.

No twists here, 2 stars.