Technical
assessment: 3.5
Moral
assessment: 3.5
MTRCB rating: PG 13
CINEMA
rating: PG 13
After the earth had been so polluted for human
habitation, humans fled it and went to build cities on a distant planet called
Nova Prime, where, unfortunately, another species had settled and developed
predators (called “ursas”) to drive away new settlers. On Nova Prime, Kitai (Jaden Smith)
fails his cadet promotion test—he is reportedly good with theories but on the
field fear immobilizes him. His
father, Cypher Raige (Will Smith), a respected warrior known for his ability to
“ghost”, mastering himself so he can fight without fear. Cypher takes Kitai with him on a space
mission, but an asteroid storm damages their ship, sending it off track and
reeling into Earth’s orbit. The
ship breaks in two, and father and son are the only survivors. The distress beacon is in the ship’s
half that landed 100 kilometers from the other half where Cypher and Kitai
are. Cypher’s legs are broken,
leaving Kitai to go solo to retrieve the beacon which could lead to their
rescue.
After a series of box office misfires that earned for him a shower of rotten tomatoes from critics, (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender) director M. Night Shyamalan finally redeems himself with After Earth, a film that unmistakably bears his signature, albeit a subdued one. Because the movie is unabashedly CGI-enhanced, people may tend to compare it with others of the same genre, but Shyamalan wisely remembers that central to the story is the relationship between father and son. Thus, the importance of close-ups of Cypher and Kitai, particularly while Cypher is directing his son through dangerous territory aided only by a fragile cyber connection. The viewer will not, therefore, find slimy creatures or gargantuan monsters at every turn, or cute little elf flowers (as in Epic), talking birds (Rio), and break-dancing penguins (Happy Feet), as these would distract from the story’s main point.
After Earth is a coming-of-age story where both father and son learn from each other. Its poster slogan “Danger is real; fear is a choice” is repeated like a mantra throughout the movie, not so much verbally as visually, and it hits the mark. The son is ever fearful and insecure from a lingering guilt over his sister’s death, aggravated by the lack of emotional warmth from an absentee father whom he nonetheless admires. In the process of overcoming his fears he blurts out his resentment and defies his father’s order, risking his very life. After Earth’s saving grace is its confidence in knowing what it wants to say and how to say it—to bleep with what critics will say! In real life, we reach a critical point where fear and faith may collide. Sometimes what others may think is a cowardly, defiant, or suicidal move is actually a leap of faith. Kitai’s jumping off the cliff is a leap of faith that finally banishes fear from his consciousness. He lives, and lives up to his name, which is Japanese for “hope”.
After a series of box office misfires that earned for him a shower of rotten tomatoes from critics, (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender) director M. Night Shyamalan finally redeems himself with After Earth, a film that unmistakably bears his signature, albeit a subdued one. Because the movie is unabashedly CGI-enhanced, people may tend to compare it with others of the same genre, but Shyamalan wisely remembers that central to the story is the relationship between father and son. Thus, the importance of close-ups of Cypher and Kitai, particularly while Cypher is directing his son through dangerous territory aided only by a fragile cyber connection. The viewer will not, therefore, find slimy creatures or gargantuan monsters at every turn, or cute little elf flowers (as in Epic), talking birds (Rio), and break-dancing penguins (Happy Feet), as these would distract from the story’s main point.
After Earth is a coming-of-age story where both father and son learn from each other. Its poster slogan “Danger is real; fear is a choice” is repeated like a mantra throughout the movie, not so much verbally as visually, and it hits the mark. The son is ever fearful and insecure from a lingering guilt over his sister’s death, aggravated by the lack of emotional warmth from an absentee father whom he nonetheless admires. In the process of overcoming his fears he blurts out his resentment and defies his father’s order, risking his very life. After Earth’s saving grace is its confidence in knowing what it wants to say and how to say it—to bleep with what critics will say! In real life, we reach a critical point where fear and faith may collide. Sometimes what others may think is a cowardly, defiant, or suicidal move is actually a leap of faith. Kitai’s jumping off the cliff is a leap of faith that finally banishes fear from his consciousness. He lives, and lives up to his name, which is Japanese for “hope”.
