In After Earth, we learn that humans eventually leave their home planet after finally stripping it of resources and then destroying what was left in the fight for the scraps. We then settle on a distant planet called Nova Prime, which is capable of supporting human life but is in the crosshairs of aliens that develop an effective means of eradicating the unwelcome pests from Earth: murderous creatures that can literally smell fear.
Apparently, humans secrete a certain pheromone when they’re afraid. When the creatures smell it, they attack its source. If you can walk onto a battlefield unafraid, then you’ll be able to slaughter large numbers of the large and nasty beasts without suffering a scratch. We know this because we see Cypher Raige, played by Will Smith, taking out one of the creatures with his katana without a lick of emotion on his face.
Raige has a teenage son, Kitai, who’s afraid of everything. He’s afraid of not becoming a Ranger, one of the guardians of the new world; he’s afraid of the past and a heartbreaking secret it holds; and he’s afraid of not measuring up to his father’s expectations. In other words, he’s a normal, everyday kid.
In an early scene, Raige, a stern but respected Ranger captain, returns home from a mission. His wife pleads with him to spend quality time with their son by taking him on his next assignment. Maybe Raige is afraid of intimacy. He barely hugs his wife. His recoils at the thought of taking his son on a mission. But he relents.
Then tragedy strikes. An asteroid hits their ship, forcing the pilot to jump it across space before more rocks strike the hull. Following the jump, the ship crashes on a quarantined planet. Dozens of Rangers die, but Raige and Kitai survive.
There are a problems, though: To be rescued, they need to activate a beacon located about 100 kilometers away in the tail of the ship, which broke off during entry. Raige is badly wounded, which means his son will have to retrieve the device. And everything that lies between Kitai and the beacon is primed to kill him. The planet is lush, teeming with strange animal life, and ready to eradicate any human who dares to set foot on its soil.
The planet is Earth.
Does this not sound like the set up for a great adventure? Set against a grand sci-fi backdrop and harrowing tale of survival, we have a son fighting to come of age, learning to overcome fear, and bonding with his father. And we have a father struggling to open himself up to his son. The interplay of the intimate and the grand should have made for a memorable two hours at the theater. Unfortunately, After Earth is merely passably entertaining.
It’s hard to peg why. I wasn’t fond of Jaden Smith’s performance as Kitai. While I enjoyed watching father and son play father and son, Jaden’s performance reminded me of Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels: awkward, whiny, and amateurish. This really comes out in a crucial scene for Kitai, and all but kills the moment. Director M. Night Shamalyan should have know he wasn’t getting what would sell an important turning point for the character and insisted on better takes.
I suppose part of the blame rests on Shamalyan’s shoulders. The film has an oddly languid pace punctuated by a few intense scenes. I kept thinking, “I thought this would be more exciting.” Also, while the film was not poorly directed, it has the feel of a decently made TV movie rather than a cinematic blockbuster.
There are also a few gaping plot holes. For example, humans can manufacture melee weapons that can morph into different shapes and suits that change color depending on the threat level in the area, but haven’t created a suit that can mask the pheromones they secrete. I think the suits the firsts astronauts to land on the moon wore would have worked.
That said, After Earth does build up to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. And there are some effective moments along the way. (A bit involving a large bird was especially touching.) So, despite feeling restless for most of the middle portion of the movie, I was glad I picked it over other new fare.
Two-and-a-half stars out of four. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing imagery.