Review of After Earth (2013) by Scrawnypunk — 09 Jun 2013

I think M. Night gets unfairly abused by critics many times, but this was not one of them. While the movie's themes are very good, the film is questionable at best. The heart of the film is a father's love for his son made manifest by forcing the son to become his own man not by coddling or insisting on an identical path, but literally kicking him out of the nest (ship) to find his own way with just enough aid not to get killed. I don't think this is a very common parenting style these days, but I respect the Fresh Prince for taking it to screen.

However, this movie was not the best vehicle for it. The science is bad enough to kill suspension of disbelief and the set pieces are just this side of 1960's French Sci-Fi (i.e. weird, incongruous with the implied technology, and already dated). The most glaring bit of weirdness is the idea that an old-growth forest can be flash-frozen every few hours without permanent cellular damage...it doesn't make a lot of sense, and neither does a lot of the "science" elements in this film (like turbulence in space).

Perhaps a present-time marooning would be a better vehicle? Or a slightly-improved attention to details which Sci-Fi fans normally obsess over? Or...and I am going out on a limb here...maybe a different planet? The fact that it is earth does nothing for the movie.

In summary not a good movie. As always, M. Night does a good job filming and pacing, but there are just too many other mistakes to overlook.