The futuristic After Earth tells quite a simple and very thin plot conceptualized by Will Smith: The Earth has become unlivable— an extremely fatal environment, and human beings have long deserted it for another home in another other solar system. But when the spaceship carrying General Cypher (Will Smith) and his consistently failing ranger-in-training teenage son Kitai (Jaden Smith) crashes on Earth, leaving them the only survivors (plus their alien cargo), that's when the action begins. The father seriously injured, the son must cross 100 miles on hostile Earth to get to the tail of the ship and beam for help. Will Kitai and his dad be able to survive and leave Earth alive?
M. Night Shyamalan's latest critic-disappointer does not offer mind-blowing sci-fi action-thriller, no, but it's more of an art-house drama seemingly not intended for mainstream entertainment. The film is more of a delicate metaphorical fantasy that offers wisdom. Yes, it's just like watching an obstacle course: We follow Kitai as he runs from Point A to point B, dodging a series of environmentally challenging and fatal dilemmas in order to reach his end goal. But we are Kitai, and the cruel real life is our obstacle course, and in order to triumph and achieve our end goal, we can never do so without falling down and getting hurt— and that fear is our biggest enemy, which Will Smith's character aptly echoes in the film: "Danger is real. Fear is a choice." And that is quite liberating.
The dialogue is minimal and the characters speak with an incredibly annoying accent. The organic-themed set pieces are ugly; however, the futuristic gadgets and devices are the complete opposite: delightfully and cleverly designed, light and minimal, and Kitai's color-changing suit is simply sublime. Also, the film succeeds in providing a familiar-looking Earth yet which exudes an intensely foreign and dangerous vibe. The gently falling snow, the swiftly changing climate, the sinister vegetation— the Earth here is a beautiful breathing monster, also filling you with a sense of melancholy because this was once your home and you can never come back.
Do not expect After Earth to be an edge-of-seat sci-fi experience, but it's a charming, poetic tale of survival and of overcoming fear set in a poignantly desolate After-Earth.
3 out of 5 stars
Opens June 5, 2013 in Philippine Cinemas
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