After Earth (2013) [Movie Review]

After Earth is a film that many people have been talking about recently. Mostly bad things. The reasoning behind most of it is the fact that Will and Jaden Smith are working together again. For whatever reason people hate this. Bad thing number two is that this film has hints of Scientology present. These are the two biggest things, and as a result, the film has suffered poor box office results. These two things I will hit upon later in this post, in addition I will talk about the plot of the film (avoiding as many spoilers as I can) and in general the world that has been created for After Earth. 

Let's start with the Scientology bit. Yes there are bits of Scientology. It's being considered this years Battlefield Earth, but I can't attest to that. I didn't feel these themes were huge, in that if shut your brain off, you aren't forced to get a lesson on the subject. But, if you want a more in depth comparison, there is a nice review from a former Scientologist on the matter.

Next point of interest would be the real-life relationship between Will and Jaden Smith. By this, I of course mean the fact that Will seems to only do films with his son now. Let's take a moment and think about this. Will Smith has been acting for many years, and acting great for every one of those years. Chances are pretty good that he has the money to retire. It's not hard to understand why he wants to work with his son, and get his a son a nice career in acting while he's at it. Yes, it's true that Will has turned down a few roles because his son wouldn't have been a part of the movie, but that's not really much of our business. I think what he is doing for his son is a great thing, and I respect him for it. 

Unfortunately, however, this films "plot" is just terrible. They took the guideline for the genre a little to by-the-books, and ended with one of the most predictable movies I'd ever seen. The action was boring, the ending was just stupid, really everything about the writing in this film was bad.

But the world(s) that was created in this film is good though. The film features a new accent for the cast, which makes sense being a couple thousand years into the future. The worlds looked beautiful, and the few moments we see Will Smith, he does a pretty good job. But with all of the plot holes in the movie, and surprsingly static dialogue, I cannot recommend this film.

Rating: 5/10

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Discussion topic: What do you think about Will Smith's career choices?