My 11-year-old nephew and I have been excited to see the movie “After Earth” since the first time we saw a trailer for the movie at least half a year ago.
It shows Will Smith and his son Jaden in a tough world with creatures that want to get them.
Donovan and I are about the same age difference as Will and Jaden (I’m a few years older than Will, and he’s a few years younger than Jaden), and when we went to the screening Wednesday night we wondered if we would also like the movie e qually.
Now, it’s a tough challenge to come up with a movie that an adult and a child will both like. This one turned out to be just right.
It’s a good Father’s Day film, in fact, taking place mostly between the father and son (even though they are separated most of the time.)
About 1,000 years in the future, the backstory shows that the Earth was ruined in a ‘Terminator’-like destruction involving machines and technology and pollution. The population migrated to another planet that could sustain life, but there an alien force that has unleashed a monster that keeps the human population in check. The monster sense fear and destroys humans.
One United Ranger of the future named Cypher (Will Smith) has discovered that if you don’t exhibit fear, you can seem invisible to the monster creatures and kill them. They call it “ghosting.”
On a training mission, taking his son Kitai along for the ride, Cypher brings along one of the creatures. But, they crash land on Earth, which is now dangerous because the plants and animals all want to kill humans. The air isn’t completely breathable, and the weather drops to deadly freezing temperatures at night.
Cypher broke both his legs and the ship broke up into parts. Kitai is going to have to get the beacon on the tail end of the ship that is a few days away. Cypher will be there with him through a cyber-link the whole way.
And so, Kitai comes across deadly baboons, a giant eagle, tigers and the most-lethal, a toxic leech. That is, until the monster finds him. There are a few scares, a few moments when things jump out, and some tender moments between the very stiff and stoic Smith character and his son, who needs a dad.
“Fear is not real, it is a production of your imagination!’’ Cypher tells Kitai. “Danger is very real but fear is a choice!’’
The whole thing comes from “Sixth Sense” and “Signs” director M. Night Shyamalan, who critics love to criticize (and I’ve done my share), but this time, it’s a good ride. (And Shyamalan doesn’t put himself in a cameo role like he has in many of his past films.)
(“After Earth” is 100 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for some violence, blood and gore.)
Read Donovan's review here: The Nephew's Review of 'After Earth'
Also see: After Earth' in Local Theaters Today (Sponsored)
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