Title: After
Earth
Year of
Release—Film: 2013
Year of
Release—DVD: 2013
The year is 1000 AE, which stands for "After
Earth," a time when Earth, ravaged by pollution, has been rendered
uninhabitable for human life. General
Cypher Raige (Will Smith), the emotionally void legendary head of the Ranger
Corps, is heading out on his last mission before retirement. Cypher's wife Faia (Sophie Okonedo) convinces
him to take their petulant son, Kitai, who recently failed his promotion to Cadet,
along for some father/ son bonding. During the flight, the ship encounters a
meteor shower and, although warned against flying through it, Cypher orders the
crew to stay the course. The badly
damaged ship crash-lands on Earth and all aboard are killed. Except Cypher, who has two badly broken legs,
and Kitai, who is unhurt.
Discovering their rescue beacon has been
damaged, Cypher orders Kitai to walk to the rear of the broken-in-half ship,
now lying 100 kilometers away, and retrieve the other rescue beacon. If Kitai fails this mission, they will both
die. So begins Kitai's dangerous journey
through uncharted land and past the blind but fear-pheromone smelling combative
alien creatures called "ursas" where he battles apes and giant eagles
to save his father and prove his worth.
Knowing before-hand that After Earth had won the Razzie for Worst Actor (Jaden Smith), Worst
Supporting Actor (Will Smith) and Worst Screen Combo (Will and Jaden) and
having read a multitude of scathing reviews, I tried not to let those influence
my opinion. Now I am left wondering if After Earth deserves the abysmal 11%
Rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes. So, in
order to remain unbiased, I interviewed an Average Joe audience member:
Me: Sir,
after having finished watching After
Earth, what are your immediate thoughts about the movie?
AJ: It
needed more people in the script. It was
too ambitious a movie for just two people.
They got rid of the entire supporting cast so quickly, they should have
all been wearing red shirts from Star
Trek!
Me: You
have stated you are a fan of Will Smith. What is your opinion on his acting in this
movie?
AJ: Will
has shown he can do comedy well as proven by the Men In Black trilogy and he can do drama, such as in I Am Legend. In After
Earth, it felt phoned in. Like he
was purposely under-playing his role so as not to over-shadow his son's acting.
The acting felt sluggish.
Me: And
what did you think of Jaden's acting in this?
AJ: Jaden
shows signs of growing up to be a decent actor. But he hasn't got the chops yet to lay an entire
multi-million dollar movie on his 14 year-old shoulders. Maybe a TV show ... like on Nickelodeon. Or Fresh
Prince.
Me: Do
you have any thoughts on the directing?
AJ: M.
Night Shyamalan has sucked the life out of every movie he's directed since Signs in 2002. In After
Earth, he proves he's just another has-been hack for hire! Still, no worse than The Last Airbender.
Me: On
a scale of zero stars for worst film ever made to five stars for greatest
picture since the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, what score do you give After Earth?
AJ: 2
stars.
Me: Why
so high?
AJ: Really rad special effects and CGI! Had it
not been for that, I'd have walked out of the theater half-way through this
movie.
Me: Thank you so much for your time!
It's rumored that Will Smith came up with the
plot to this movie while playing a video game with friends. Maybe that explains why After Earth felt like a video game with motionless Cypher sitting
drearily as he monitors Kitai’s actions though his video screen and sternly
instructs his son's every move. Even the
precious few times Kitai disobeys his father's commands and goes by his
gut-instincts feel as if he's less than a budding hero and more like the
insubordinate pre-teen that he is. This
is heightened by the let-us-walk-you-through-this script. An effortlessly gifted father who presses his
less-talented son to follow in his foot-steps. Real life? Or …After
Earth?
Bobbie
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