After After Earth starring Will Smith: movie review

Rick Osmon

The most memorable movies for me are usually those that I just buy a ticket without researching anything about the film. Sometimes I wish I had my money back, sometimes I wish I had my time back, and sometimes I want both with a double my money and time back coupon. Occasionally, I hit a random winner.

Days after seeing After Earth, I read Rotten Tomatoes’ one star review and wondered if they saw the same film I did. Apparently not.

Adapted from an original story by Will Smith, After Earth is a post-apocalyptic thriller complete with space travel, separated families, whizbang gizmos, extreme fear, extreme life forms, extreme courage, comparative triumph, and a handful of surprises, the most striking of which is Will Smith’s character. Will Smith as a stoic and distant father is not what I would expect, but he portrays that very, very well. The idea that a military leader and his son are distant, that the father is stoic, that fear for self preservation takes a back seat to fear for family are all less discernible for folks who never lived it, thus some of the reviews in other places. A character who displays nearly zero emotion has to be one of the most difficult roles Will Smith ever portrayed.

Rated:

Action: Check (!!)

Family values: Check

Thought provocation: Check

Special effects: Check (!)

Talent: Check

Overall: 4.1 / 5