M. Night Shyamalan’s “After Earth,” starring Will Smith (Hitch, “I Am Legend”) and his son Jaden Smith, is a decent sci-fi fim for teens and tweens. Although it has no faith-based attributes, the movie is a reasonably good coming-of-age film based upon a plot developed by actor Will Smith. The movie was produced by Will Smith and Jada-Pinkett Smith among others.
Jaden Smith plays Kitai, a young teen living on Nova Prime where humanity settled after leaving a failing Earth 1,000 years ago. Kitai’s father, Cypher (Will Smith) is a ranger who has learned how to ghost himself from the monstrous and vicious Ursas who hunt humans using their fear.
Kitai has been a disappointment to his father, and he blames himself for the death of his sister by an Ursa when he was younger. His mother has persuaded Cypher to take Kitai on Cypher’s last space mission before retirement. However, an asteroid storm forces the spaceship to crash land on Earth, badly injuring Cypher in the process. The space ship separates, and Kitai must cross the now hostile planet to find the tail section to send a rescue beacon home. Kitai must overcome his insecurities and fear to change from a whiny, sniveling boy into a courageous young man.
With a PG rating, “After Earth” is free of cussing, sex, nudity and much violence. There is a little gore due to Cypher’s leg injury, and some scares due to baboons, condors, tigers, leaches, snakes, volcanoes and the Ursa. While the movie has not done well with critics, “After Earth” does have a worthwhile lesson about not giving in to fear and is suitable viewing for tweens and teens.
Related:
Hitch with Will Smith – a Movie Review
“I Am Legend” Compared to “The Last Man on Earth” – a Movie Review
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