AFTER EARTH
PG-13
100 Minutes
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: Gary Whittaker, M. Night Shyamalan
Will Smith, Jaden Smith, David Denman
'It's a full time job to be a good dad.'
-Will Smith
CAST
Jaden Smith ... Kitai Raige
Will Smith ... Cypher Raige
Sophie Okonedo ... Faia Raige
Zoë Kravitz ... Senshi Raige (as Zoe Isabella Kravitz)
‘From the mind of M Night Shyamalan...’
Please, try to hold your laughter. I've got a film to review.
There is an interesting relationship between the public and M. Night Shyamalan. It's like that of my parents on report card day. As long as I didn't threaten to blow up the school, I surpassed their expectations. But Mister Shyamalan-ding-dong has pissed of far too many people, and his reputation is coming back to haunt him, like a well-conceived character in one of his movies.
M. Night has yet to direct a good movie. UNBREAKABLE was okay, even good in specific parts, but it merely approaches good without arriving at the destination.But I know AFTER EARTH will be different.
Earth to Will
In AFTER EARTH, Will Smith plays a black Captain Picard. Or shall I say Captain Picard plays a white Will Smith. Will has played many a military, and law enforcement personnel. But none of those roles prepared him for this. Except, I AM LEGEND, ID4, LEGEND OF BAGGAR VANCE, I,ROBOT, MIB, INDEPENDENCE DAY, HITCH, and THE SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION.
Some time in the future...
Kitai Raige and his son, Cypher, two homeboys in outer space, are looking for are a nice place to crash. When their spaceship collides with into planet Earth, it renders Kitai immobile, so his son has to complete a dangerous obstacle course.Every step of the way, he instructs his son to navigate the planet.
Kitai goes back to earth and back in time. He arrives at the year 1990, and Jayden is going to West Philadelphia to prevent Will from getting in one little fight. No, I'm joking, he's going to Bel Air to prevent Carlton from taking speed at a dance.
Back To The Real Story
Cypher is a military officer, who is never fun to be around. I believe he has Asperger's or something. His son, Kitai, only wants his father's approval, but has a tough time getting it. Good thing we have a couple of hours to resolve this issue.
Just The Two Of Us.
This film, should we place the blame in on Will Smith or M. Knight. The credits show the story was written by Will Smith, but is that the truth? I think so. Look at the character names: Kitai, Cypher, Faisal, Senshi. Only one man, with a daughter named Willow, could give human beings such bizarre names.
AFTER EARTH has many flaws, but it's not awful, just shy of average. More than anything, this film is forgettable.
Final Verdict: 60 out of 100
