¨Fear is not
real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger
is very real. But fear is a choice.¨
I really
wanted to like this sci-fi film considering I have great respect for M. Night
Shyamalan and I also like Will Smith, but I left the theater very disappointed with
the movie. I know a lot of people hate Shyamalan, but I have always been a huge
fan of his work. The Sixth Sense is one of my favorite movies, and I also loved
Signs and Unbreakable. His latest films: Lady in the Water, The Village, and
The Happening might not have been that great, but I still managed to enjoy each
one of them. Then came, The Last Airbender, which was his biggest blockbuster
movie that really tanked. I hated that movie, and I was afraid After Earth
might head in that same direction considering it was yet another big budget
film. Shyamalan has always done his best work with a very low budget to work
with and simplifying the story by focusing on one or two main characters. I was
afraid After Earth would be similar to The Last Airbender since it also seemed
like a blown out of proportion sort of film which Shyamalan has trouble
adapting too. But since I knew Will Smith would be involved in the project, I
thought he would save the film through his charisma. I enjoy most of his films
as well (Wild Wild West and Hancock being one of the few exceptions).
Unfortunately my fears came true as soon as the film began. Everything seemed
so false and out of place. The scenes in space looked false and the
performances were terrible. Will Smith´s emotionless performance was way over
the top and it didn’t work for me. Jaden Smith was given too much
responsibility since he practically had to carry this film on his own and he
has developed the talent yet to have a lead role. He was ok in The Karate Kid,
but I think it worked mostly because he had Jackie Chan along his side. I was
hugely disappointed with After Earth.
A thousand years
have gone by since humans were forced to leave Earth after a series of natural catastrophes
made the planet uninhabitable. They found their new home in Nova Prime, but they
were not alone. They had to fight off creatures which killed humans by smelling
their fear. General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) became a legend when he
singlehandedly began to kill these creatures once he became fearless. Cypher,
might be a war hero, but he has trouble relating to his 13 year old son, Kitai
(Jaden Smith). His wife, Faia (Sophie Okonedo) convinces him to take his son
for his next mission, but something goes wrong after an asteroid storm damages
the ship and they are forced to crash land on Earth. Cypher and Kitai are the
only two survivors, but Cypher suffered a severe injury which makes him
incapable of getting off the ship. He commands Kitai to try to recover their
rescue beacon which is on the rear part of the craft which crashed some 100 kms
away. Kitai must make this journey on his own, while his father guides him from
the ship. This is Kitai´s chance to prove to his father what he is made of, but
Earth has become a very dangerous terrain and danger is all around the corner.
One of the
problems I had with this film was the underlying message it was trying to give.
I strongly disagree with fear being a choice; it is what makes us humans. We
all face fear and we can´t just turn the emotion off. What we can do is face
those fears. Courage is about facing your fears, not trying to hide your feelings.
I think it is an impossibility not to feel fear when your life is in danger.
But we can face those fears and confront them. There is nothing wrong with
feeling fear; it is what makes us humans. The problem with Will Smith´s
character was that he lacked almost any human emotion. His performance was dull
and robotic. He left the entire responsibility to his son, who really doesn’t have
the acting chops to deliver a movie like this. He could have used some help,
but the movie completely misses its mark by taking this direction. I thought
the scenes in Earth were pretty well done and I enjoyed them, but the opening
sequence in space and the final resolution of the film made me forget how
enjoyable the middle was. Shyamalan has missed his mark for a second time in a
row, and I think he should go back to doing what he does best: smaller scale
movies. This film makes Oblivion look like a masterpiece. If you haven’t seen
that movie, then I recommend you see that instead of After Earth (at least Tom
Cruise is able to show his charisma on screen).
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