Our reviews of After Earth

[Jazzy Julie]

So ive just seen After Earth and im looking to see where to put this and i cant seem to see anyone else's comments about seeing this movie. Has anyone else actually gone to see this? haha.

Maybe mild spoilers.

OK so i was going in with low expectations after all these terrible reviews however i know from past experiences that critics like the complete opposite things to what i like. It took a little while to get into the movie, the accents are kinda weird, Jadens acting isnt awful but its not amazing either. At first the movie is just a bit odd, its not like your typical movie, there are all these weird gadgets, evolved animals, sometimes they mention something and your like, what the heck is that. But after a while its actually quite refreshing, some movies can be a bit samey. This was different. Will does get injured like 20 mins into the film and Jaden does all the action, its a bit dissapointing because i like to see Will out there doing his thing, but he also has some pretty cool speeches while hes sat there. I liked his fear speech, it was like something Will would actually say. As for his acting, he was kinda limited with his role. This isnt a typical Will Smith movie, He doesnt smile, he plays a very straight faced commander. I did miss his charisma, but also i think Will is trying to do something different.

Im hoping this picks up and the reviews have put people off but word of mouth gets round that its ok. And most of all, you guys need to get of your asses and go and see it.

[Ale]

How would you rate the movie on a scale of 1-10, Julie?

[Da Brakes]

Just came back from seeing it and what I would say is IGNORE the critics and go and see this movie. Like Julie said, this is a very different movie to what we are used to from Will but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I can see the message Will was trying to put across with the movie and I think it was executed reasonably well. Jaden's acting does have some work but I could see glimpses of Will in him. Especially when he

learns how to Ghost

.

Even though this was a serious film there were still some comedy elements in it and moments where the cinema were laughing. One of my critiques for the movie is that Jaden seemed too young for the part. I think this should have been played by someone older and I think that would have helped some of the problems. I'm not sure what that would have done for the whole father/son element but something just wasn't quite right with his performance. As this was essentially Jaden's movie, I can see why decisions were made to have Will injured early on and not have any action scenes.

My cinema was surprisingly empty considering this was the opening night so I'm hoping word of mouth changes that over the next few days.

All in all an enjoyable experience for me. If I were to rate this movie (in comparison to Will's other films) I would give this 6.5 out of 10.

[Jazzy Julie]

I would say about a 7. My score is probably higher than what a lot of you guys would rate it because this film is totally my thing, big budget, nature, weird creatures, cool technology.

Im glad you enjoyed it Brakes, i was wondering if this was going to be another WWW thing.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Jazzy Julie

[Silver Tiger]

I probably won't be seeing it for a few months but when I do, I'll let y'all know. I know you'll be on pins and needles in the meantime.

[BWS.com]

Short: 7/10

Long: Give me a while for it ;)

In German (or faster way): www.big-will-smith.com or the new fb site: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BWS-Fan-und-Newsblog/154415684718180 and then run it trough your translator if you want ;)

[MaxFly]

So I finally got to see After Earth with my girlfriend. Our work schedules have made things difficult for us to see it. I was glad to go today because we're going to see Man of Steel tomorrow. We're trying to get all the poorly rated movies out of the way now that we have the time. lol

How did I feel about it? After the movie was done, my girlfriend exclaimed.. "Wow, that was a good movie!" Perhaps the negative reviews and press lowered my expectations because I found myself saying the same thing in a surprised voice. We both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just to touch on a few of the negative points mentioned by the critics. The accent is not a problem. I probably wasn't entirely necessary, but it certainly helped in reminding us that these people weren't our contemporaries, but rather from a different time and culture. I read one critic who mentioned how they stopped using it halfway through the movie, but no... the same accent that they started with is the same accent that they ended with. It's likely that he got used to it.

The back story could and should have been flushed out more. I was interested to find out more about the mythology behind the story. We found out enough to properly advance the film, but I think more of a back story would have been beneficial.

Will's acting was great. He really pulls off the more serious, hard nosed role, and while his voice is generally even and his words measured though out the movie, you can still sense the intensity in his tone and see his emotions in his facial expressions as he fights to keep that stern, even exterior. He obviously cares about his son and he obviously has reservations about sending him on this mission, though he plays it off very well.

Jaden's acting was good. I honestly don't see what all the criticism has been about. He's not perfect, and he has room to grow... but I really think he did a good job. A lot of people have described him as whiny in the movie. I'm sorry... if I was asked to trek 100 KM through dangerous terrain with dangerous animals, and with the kind of emotional baggage that Kitai was carrying, especially concerning his confidence in himself and the perception that he feels his father has of him, I would be on the verge of tears at every turn. Jaden played that perfectly... and I don't say that lightly... he behaved exactly how I would expect a young man of his age would behave. He wants to be brave for his father and to prove himself, so he puts up a brave front, but the overwhelming danger of what he has been asked to do forces the obvious terror that he feels to belie the brave face he tries to put on. I know grown men who would have been just as "whiny" had they been tasked with a similar mission.

The father son dynamic was great and believable. I don't want to get into too much less spoilers find their way into this post, but I like the fact that the movie explored tensions between them that weren't all together obvious. You really come away feeling like you know these characters and liking them.

I'll definitely be getting this on Blu Ray when it comes out. The scenery and scope was amazing and the action was quite good. Definitely interested in seeing the deleted scenes.

Questions are welcome. Looking forward to talking about how little attention I will be paying to critics from here on out... especially given what they are doing to Man of Steel now.

Edited June 14, 2013 by MaxFly

[JumpinJack AJ]

I just saw it and I loved it for the most part. Let me first say that I'm not a pompous movie critic. When I go to see a movie, I just want to be entertained. There are times when dialogue sucks or acting sucks, but I feel that a lot of the time, people are just being over critical, as is the case with the critics of this movie.

If I had to be critical, I would say it was the first 20 minutes of the movie. The abrupt start of the story was unique, but I didn't like it. I feel that should have eased into it to establish a few things. I like that you have to figure some of the story out as it went. I liked that they clearly established the things you need to know better, but some of the first 20 minutes felt disjointed. Additionally, that was the ONLY spot where Jaden's acting seemed a little flat at times (which is completely forgivable since it makes up for it in the rest of the movie).

After that first 20 minutes, I loved it. The visuals are amazing and I like the use of special effects. The action is great and the "villain" is a legit threat. Jaden is coming into his own as an actor and there were at least three moments in the movie was I was like "this is a moment that really establishes him." The comedy was great too, but most of the small audience didn't get the dry humor.

I love the movie and I think if some of you aren't seeing the movie because of some of the press, you are foolish. As a fan, it's important to go out there any SUPPORT these projects. As one of my movie-buff friends says "once Hollywood builds you up, they want to tear you down." This is one of those movies where they wanted to tear people down. I saw the movie on a Sunday night, and considering it came out a few weeks ago, it was good to see 13 other people in the theater. That isn't much, but for a Sunday night, weeks after it's release, and after taking a beating from the media, it seemed pretty good.

One things for sure, it's better than Hancock. Pretty much everything is better than Hancock.

[MaxFly]

I love the movie and I think if some of you aren't seeing the movie because of some of the press, you are foolish. As a fan, it's important to go out there any SUPPORT these projects. As one of my movie-buff friends says "once Hollywood builds you up, they want to tear you down." This is one of those movies where they wanted to tear people down.

It's amazing how fans, even some on this forum, seem to want the movie to fail. Very few people seem to want to give him even the littlest bit of credit for trying to make a movie with a positive and uplifting message. I'd even go as far as saying that it is a timely message given what fatherhood has become in our culture. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed it AJ!

[Jazzy Julie]

I love the movie and I think if some of you aren't seeing the movie because of some of the press, you are foolish. As a fan, it's important to go out there any SUPPORT these projects. As one of my movie-buff friends says "once Hollywood builds you up, they want to tear you down." This is one of those movies where they wanted to tear people down. I saw the movie on a Sunday night, and considering it came out a few weeks ago, it was good to see 13 other people in the theater. That isn't much, but for a Sunday night, weeks after it's release, and after taking a beating from the media, it seemed pretty good.

Well said! I never listen to movie critics, i love what they hate and i hate what they love. Some geek behind his computer screen does not know what i want to see. This bad press been the main reason for its bad box office. It makes me mad that people have listened to them and helped it "fail". I hoped that word of mouth from people who went to see it would help it pick up, but even that hasnt helped it.

[VIsqo]

I wanted him to do good with this movie, it seems to have a good message, and Will did a lot of effort promoting this. I can agree maybe I want him in bad boys, hitch or enemy of the state kind of movies, but whatever he does, if its good for the fans/world, He has got my support.

[Radewart]

Not nearly as bad as critics and others are saying. Has a nice father/son story, and some decent thrills and action with Jaden. Ultimately, though Jaden is the lead of the movie, by himself for a lot of it, and he doesn't have the charisma to carry those scenes. Also, has some spotty effects, which seems to be a recurring problem with Will's movies, i.e. I Am Legend and Hancock. I would of like a little more backstory on why they left Earth and how they settled the new planet. Also, would of liked to know more about the alien species that created the Ursua monster that was hunting them. That was woefully underdeveloped. Give it 6 out of 10.

[Ale]

I've just seen the movie and I liked it. I was expecting a total mess from what I had read before, but I really enjoyed the story. It captured me from the first moment.

In my opinion, the special effects are the best thing of the movie: they are quite impressive. Shyamalan did a good job on this.

On the other hand, I think Jaden's performance wasn't very good, and for me that was the biggest problem: he isn't still a convincing actor. He sometimes doesn't show any emotion at all and has the same face in many (different) situations. He'll learn with time, though. The kid has talent.

Will's performance was okay. I'm glad he got so serious playing this role and that there isn't any comedy in his character. That made his acting better. Plus, his chemistry with Jaden was pretty good, once again, especially while he was giving him all those orders in the distance. There were some touching moments.

The music was excellent. Very epic. Great job by James Newton Howard.

Anyway, this is not one of Will's best movies. I think most people here will agree with that. And I think it's not Jaden's best movie either. He was better in 'Karate Kid'.

I give 'After Earth' 6.5 out of 10.

Edited July 3, 2013 by Ale

[Simon Lerkot Berglind]

"It's amazing how fans, even some on this forum, seem to want the movie to fail. Very few people seem to want to give him even the littlest bit of credit for trying to make a movie with a positive and uplifting message. I'd even go as far as saying that it is a timely message given what fatherhood has become in our culture. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed it AJ!"

Well, it's also amazing how some fans - whatever they are a fan of, if its 50 Cent, George Bush or Will Smith - makes the decision to like or love everything that their favorite do - without any critical thoughts. I find that far more common than the reversed. As "trying to make a movie with positive and uplifting message", it could be done by anyone at any time. The thing that differs good from bad is, however, how you succeed. And besides... I dont know if I find the "landing on abandonded earth 1000 years after it was destroyed by enviromental issues that really could occur in reality"-plot as very uplifting.

Anyway. Saw the movie yesterday and... I don't know. It was okey apart from Jaden's useless performance and I feel sorry for him having to do this extremely hard part because his dad got power in Hollywood. That nepotism issue could unfortunately ruin Jaden's career and I really really feel that he should 1) start out with easier parts and 2) avoid being in movies with his father.

As for Will, I think he made a pretty decent job, it's very interesting to watch him act desperate and powerless as it is parts of him that we seldom see in media, public appearances and most of his other movies, and he's doing a pretty good job showing that he still has a toe or two safely on the ground.

Special effects.. decent as well. I don't know what to expect anymore. To me, all the CGI (if that's what its still called.. hehe) of today looks kind of okey and integrated correctly in the movies that uses it, however I expect After Earth to be one ugly ****ing movie when we see it in 10-15 years. Using computer animations is the best way of avoiding any of your movies to be timeless.

The story is decent as well. It lacks some kind of explainatory depth but you never get bored and you sometimes get amazed. Though it's somehow obvious that it's very Hollywood (which means consumtion comes first, creative ideas second), it doesnt feel like the typical one and there's a certain atmosphere that makes the movie memorable.

But good? Nah. 5/10.

[Bob]

Ok you guys might just have me going to see it. I couldn't stomach how overtly it is as a vehicle for Jaden...but you guys are giving me some hope.