“After Earth” must be
mocked. How else to react to a sci-fi survivalist tale from once-great director/writer M.
Night Shyamalan that is set on a desolated/abandoned future Earth, but one that
looks like a commercial for a tropical adventure? (Cities? There are none.) This is absolute unintended comedy, a wonder of miscalculation.
Despite MNS’s name, Will Smith is the man in charge as producer and story
creator, and it isn’t even his vehicle. The star is Smith’s teenage son Jaden, who
had better luck and better support in pop’s “Pursuit of Happyness” and the recent
“Karate Kid” remake. The syrupy story has a “Great Santini” father (Will) and
his green horn son (Jaden) all angry dinner scowls and then later crashing
their space shuttle on said Earth. Naturally, the duo must bond as son serves
as the “avatar” hero of his father, whose legs are shattered. Also in the shuttle
and now loose on Earth because no space cliché can go untouched: A slimy monster that eats people. I can take hodge-podge films that wink at their theft,
but “Earth” is blindly, awkwardly convinced of its own “inspirational” Hallmark gruel. It's just gruel. Younger Smith looks miserable. C-
Monday, December 9, 2013
After Earth (2013)
Labels:
2013,
After Earth,
cliche,
earth,
father,
Great Santini,
Jaden Smith,
M. Night Shyamalan,
monster,
sci-fi,
son,
unintended comedy,
Will Smith
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