Review of After Earth (2013) by Bruce722 — 18 Oct 2013

Finally an M. Night Shyamalan movie that doesn't suck, but then again the story was evidently written by Will Smith. While this film was far from perfect, After Earth does have a lot of good things going for it.

First of all, and most obvious, is the cinematography and the special effects. This movie looks beautiful and Shyamalan does a masterful job of creating a really special environment and the re-imagining of Earth was pretty interesting.

The acting of Jaden Smith and Will Smith was also really good. All of the characters spoke with an interesting accent for the film and, while it was strange at first, it gave the setting more of an authentic vibe.

Speaking of the setting, that's one of the only real weak points, in my opinion. I really wish they would've developed the setting more. All we're told is that the Earth suffered some cataclysmic event that forced humanity to evacuate and settle elsewhere.

We're also told that aliens attacked our new settlement with some strange creature called the Ursa. This is all essentially skimmed over and it leaves a certain emptiness to what seems to be an interesting story.

Maybe they're leaving it open for a prequel, I don't know, but it should've been covered more and it kind of feels a bit lazy. I honestly don't understand the harsh criticism of this film, nonetheless, I enjoyed it.

There were some elements of the plot and setting that forced you to suspend reasoning a bit too much but it was entertaining and interesting and even wise in certain areas.