In an attempt to relieve stress, I invited a friend to watch a movie. However, on the way, we got into a car accident wherein a truck hit my car 🙁 A saddening experience that I do not want to ruin my day for. So I decided to go through with the plan and end my day watching Will Smith & his son, Jaden Smith on After Earth.
After Earth is the second movie that starred the Smiths. I wasn’t able to catch Pursuit of Happyness but glad that I didn’t miss to watch After Earth. I always have a soft spot for father & son/father & daughter movies. This film definitely fit that genre.
The story came a thousand years after a tragedy made humans escape from the planet Earth. Nova Prime has become a new home for humans but it’s not completely safe. An organization called the Ranger Corps are trained to keep humans on Nova Prime safe from the S’krell, a group of aliens that kills humans.
Kitai (Jaden Smith) is a 13-year old son of Ranger Corps General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) who continues to try to prove to his dad that he can be a ranger like him. In an effort to build a relationship with his son, Cypher tagged Kitai on his last mission before retirement. However, an asteroid damages their spaceship and they eventually crash-land on earth. The unfortunate accident kills everyone except Cypher and Kitao Raige. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must explore across the dangerous planet to recover their rescue beacon and save his dying father.
“Fear is not real. It is a product of the thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real. But fear is a choice.”
If there is something to take away from After Earth, that is to remember that we can choose not to be afraid. It’s a state of mind and I must say, I’m guilty of such. We just have to believe & have faith and we’ll eventually gather enough strength to overcome our fears 🙂
After Earth is a very simple film. Actually there were no twists to the story. It was straightforward but I love how it was panned out.
Effects are not something I would rave for but it was pretty decent. I liked the chase with the gorillas and the high tech features of the spaceships. Other than that, the CGI effects are just alright.
The film is definitely family-oriented. There were some tender moments wherein I shed some tears. True love for family specifically father & son relationship was the main theme here. Will Smith was brilliant! In spite of his role, you will be able to feel his love for his child. It was heartwarming!
It was also nice to see how Will Smith took the backseat and let his son, Jaden, carry the whole film. It’s such an irony considering that Jaden’s character was trying to save Will’s character on After Earth while in real life, Will was just there to help launch Jaden’s career as a box office star following his lead.
My Rating for After Earth: 4 out of 5 stars
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