News location:

Canberra Today 15°/17° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Review: ‘After Earth’ (M) * and a half

THIS futurist fantasy is a Smith Family picnic. Actor Will Smith who wrote the story and his wife Jada are among its nine producers. Their teenaged son Jaden plays the core role.

A millennium into the future, Earth’s human population has migrated to Nova Prime where the essentials for human existence – air and water – and the flora and fauna resemble but differ slightly from those that have evolved over earth aeons.

Will Smith plays General Cypher of the Rangers who protect the humans from the blobbish Ursas. Cypher’s teenaged son Kitai (Jaden Smith) wants to become a Ranger despite not satisfying entry requirements. Dad pulls strings to get him a cadetship. And a berth on a flight sent to find a lost craft.

After the flight encounters a meteorite storm and crashes, Cypher survives in the wreck, immobilised but otherwise functioning. Somehow surviving alive some distance away, Kitai’s task is to rescue his father.

Jaden Smith is not a laid-back, cool actor like his father. His future might be brighter if he were to study hard for a higher degree in some rewarding discipline.

“After Earth” when it gets out into the boondocks looks good. The wildlife looks and behaves like that of any other sci-fi actioner.

In a word, the word is “preposterous”, compounded by Jaden’s lack of acting prowess. And that’s before respected director M Night Shyamalan filmed a single image of its 100 minutes.

 At Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight

 

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Dougal Macdonald

Dougal Macdonald

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews