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Mixed or average reviews- based on 433 Ratings

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  1. May 31, 2013
    more and more it seems as if sixth sense was an anomaly
    and jaden smith couldn't act his way out of a paper bag
    this was disappointing but not unexpected
  2. May 31, 2013
    M Night is a very ambitious director, he only had one ambition, that is to become the worst director of all time. So he started from top to bottom, From Sixth sense to Last airbender, From good to worst. He has improved a lot for the past 10 years, he has mastered how to make a worse movie! So this is another which emphasizes that he is the worst director of 21st century!
  3. Oct 4, 2013
    The combination of Hollywood nepotism and a quickly fading directorial star provides the backbone for the futuristic sci-fi lack-of-adventure yarn "After Earth."In just his second picture since 2008, Will Smith teams with fellow Philadelphian M. Night Shyamalan, who is working from a story written by Smith, and a script by Gary Whitta "The Book of Eli" (2010). The once-revered auteur has long since fallen from grace, to the extent that his name was notably absent from any of the film's advertising. However, "After Earth" has problems that go far deeper than Shyamalan's bland tone and lethargic pacing. The movie is rarely fascinating, incredibly pedestrian, and curiously unimaginative.



    The special effects are adequate, but are noticeably fake compared to other effects-driven films like "Star Trek into Darkness" (2013) or "Oblivion" (2013). The film tries to tackle, on the most superficial level, the rites of passage. But with such a bland story and weak performances, the underlying meaning in the film only leads to indifference.

    Jaden Smith, who was decent in "The Karate Kid" (2012), completely falls flat in his performance for this role. The complete lack of emotional range stifles any of the hopelessly unimaginative screenplay's contrived father/son drama. The elder Smith may have a story credit here, but "After Earth" is not only an obvious attempt to keep his son relevant, but it is also a by-the-numbers survival story that never manages to surprise or excite despite an endless array of possibilities.

    "After Earth" feature's excessive CGI effects that rarely impresses, an A-list actor sitting on the sidelines, symbolism as obvious as the narrative is predictable, and is relentlessly uneventful. On a positive note for Mr. Smith, it's not nearly as bad as the completely forgettable "Wild Wild West" (1999).
  4. May 31, 2013
    I actually enjoyed this! I think it is about time that M.Night leaves "the twist" to Chuck Berry Story was okay, chemistry between Will Smith and his son is obviously there... I quite enjoyed it!
  5. Jun 2, 2013
  6. Jun 1, 2013
    This get one thing very straight before I continue. Okay, this was a Will Smith movie. Not an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Will Smith is doing all the press with his son, the marketing strategy was clear from the opening trailers: Make sure to exclude M. Night from everything except his name in the credits of the trailer. When I say this was a Will Smith movie, I mean everything had to be Will's way or else he wasn't going to do this movie. Which is why Will Smith didn't do Django Unchained. He can make all the excuses he wants, but fact of the matter is, he's so, so egotistical and won't do movies unless they're his way and not the director's or writers way. Because he's the almighty Will Smith. Coming into this movie, I had mostly bad expectations, but I remained positive. Maybe, just maybe there's hope this would be good. Good gracious, was I ever wrong. The story, while somewhat fresh, felt like a recycled story. The acting was lame and the CGI was kind of lame. It didn't make for a good movie whatsoever. Wasn't even a good Sci-Fi which is the genre it exists under. Just a horrible movie and Will Smith should look at this as a warning of what his career is becoming. His son is a horrible actor who tries to hard, but besides that Will Smith needs to learn that his way is the worst way. I can't even remember the last Will Smith movie I enjoyed. maybe? Yeah. Will Smith needs to get it together. He's quickly becoming a shell of himself. Expand
  7. Jun 9, 2013
    The danger is real, but fear is a choice, a choice I think everybody will embrace when seeing this movie. It is scary how bad this movie ended up being. Call me whatever, but I liked Signs, and I didn´t thought The Happening was as bad as many do believe it is, but this, this is horrible. M.Night Shymalan took an interesting concept with tons of potential, and made it incredibly monotone and boring. This is supposed to be a fun movie full of chases and adrenaline, but instead, despite the movie´s recall to "everything in this planet has evolved to kill humans" we barely see any real danger, and when it finally comes it is resolved with such simplicity that it ever really reaches true excitement. From a character and story standpoint the movie also flatters and in a big time. Will Smith is one the most charismatic actors in the industry, but his character in After Earth is as bland as possible and barely makes appearances. So in the end its all about the boy, who unfortunately lacks the talent o his father. His not bad to an unbearable point, but his not good enough either to carry such a movie on his shoulders. So at the end, we are left with a bland story driven by bland characters in a bland planet as a whole which doesn´t look all that good either, because yes, the CGI is also kind of bad. Expand
  8. Jun 13, 2013
    Be warned that this is a rather slow-paced film but if you can stick it out it's still a good movie with a satisfying end. Both the Smith's play their roles well despite Jaden not being the most likable of actors and playing somewhat of a weak lead character. Perhaps it could have done with a few more characters because most of the focus is on the two of them, but it held my interest and I wanted to see how it ended up. Overall I can see why a lot haven't liked it, but I thought it was good. Expand
  9. May 31, 2013
    This is how you throw 130 million American dollars out of the window. There was no reason Jaden Smith was in this movie, other than his fathers influence. I admit they were good together in Pursuit of happiness, but his son was basically a little kid playing himself back then. Also nature evolved to kill US blah-blah-blah I do not know why M. Night Shyamalan has this fixation (remember The Happening), but it is dump, and killing animals (even CGI) makes me disappointed in humanity. Overall a badly done adventure movie, that is set agains the background of the green screen. This alone (CGI, visuals) never made a movie. In movies like Blade Runner etc... visuals had significant role, but with a good story, characters, thought provoking concepts. This movie was missing these key elements. Expand
  10. Jun 16, 2013
  11. Jun 19, 2013
    This film was so obvious in its attempt to throw Jaden Smith in our faces that by the time the credits rolled I actually felt bad for Will for having to put up with him. The acting of this spoiled teen, who has obviously never taken an acting class, will leave you emotionally weary and confused. Jaden however does not deserve all of the blame for the colossal failure of this film. A poorly written script, an incredulous story, a plot with so many holes that it's more air than substance, laughable CGI in an era of Avatars and The Lord of the Rings, and directing that was haphazard at best and wholly unimaginative at worst. I'm sparing a heated critique of Will's bland acting in this film because he was the one element of it all that was actually mediocre and not horribly unwatchable.

    Probably the most frustrating aspect of this film was its lack of ambition to create something new. In the hands of a more gifted screenwriter, a more competent director, or starring an actor with any gravitas whatsoever this film may have achieved its potential.

    All of this and Moby "Dick" jokes makes After Earth one of the worst films I have ever had the pleasure to hate.
  12. May 31, 2013
    “After Earth” is a step in the right direction for director M. Night Shyamalan. While the film doesn’t reach the highs of his earlier work, it is worlds better than any of his recent blunders. This film showcases the careful eye for detail that Shyamalan poses as each scene is crafted and shot very carefully. There are legitimate scares and awe inspiring scenery. The visual effects are good for the most part, but sometimes don’t mesh very well with the rest of the world. The action sequences really have us at the edge of our seats as they are filled with adrenaline and moments of surprise. On the other hand, the writing in the film is rather questionable. The message is very on the nose and the dialogue is a bit awkward. Don’t get me wrong, there are some decent lines in the film, but most of them are on the dull side.

    Acting is okay for the most part. Will Smith gives a completely different performance from his usual. He’s very reserved in his emotions and the few times he does emote, are really touching. Jaden on the other hand, is very hit or miss. He’s usually good, but doesn’t really show a lot of range.

    Overall, “After Earth” is a fairly decent flick that with better writing could have been a great film. It’s emotions, message, and story are kind of straight forward, but the direction by Shyamalan is truly what makes this movie worth watching. The characters are one dimensional and the acting is okay, but they get the job done. James Newton Howards score in the film is another highlight that takes the experience to another level. His score is exciting, mysterious, and bombastic with a layer of danger. I give it a low 3.5/5, not the best movie out there, but a solid experience that’s worth checking out.
  13. May 31, 2013
    Nobody knew he was directing it in the first place, M. Night is back ruining lovable stars making us feel bad that this has to go against Jaden and Will Smith like this. It has "decent production" but the terible direction and horrible screenplay make everything just flunk for this film.
  14. May 31, 2013
    After Earth was not a wow movie. It was a dull Shyamalan film, although he knows he can do better. Cypher Raige and his son Kitai Raige's bonding documentary of fear and danger is a rancid potato. Will smith has totally outdated his limits into making bad films. The bonding between the father and son is rancid. It's cool from the trailer and it looks good but After Earth is a mind boggling bonding sci fi that totally doesn't work. Shyamalan's crafty and carefully shot beautiful camera angles may surprise, but its needed more. Expand
  15. May 31, 2013
  16. Jun 2, 2013
    I went to this movie with no hope. Critics are bashing it and there are generally bad thoughts about the movie. However, I must say that it was not all that bad. There is an interesting premise and the new Earth setting is generally interesting. However some affects fall short of stellar, This movie needed to release in January, where it would have been met with much more palatable reviews because I had a lot more fun with this film than I did with Tom Cruise's "Oblivion"

    our movie is about the Son of one of Humanity's greatest war veterans. He is brought alongside his father on a mission that goes wrong. The boy is forced to traverse an Earth that has evolved to kill humans. Thus we have our movie.

    Jaden Smith is NOT Will Smith, he is a child trying to find his acting chops. However, he is not a bad actor at all. There are parts in this film that his childish mannerisms were good for the film. He was not supposed to be a Bad-Ass super soldier prodigy child and that actually added depth to a world of bland, emotionless people.

    The big issue with criticisms of this movie is the anit- M. Night hordes that seem to just want to crap on the man's name. The Last Airbender was horrible, The Happening was hilarious, but this movie was not as bad as many are saying. There are lackluster affects, and the script is not amazing, and there are two scenes with M. Night's name written all over them. Those scenes really didn't belong in the movie. Yet, the movie had it's charm. I enjoyed seeing it and I would recommend it to the survival film lovers out there .

    Tastebud Rating Satisfying
  17. Jun 16, 2013
    A very straightforward movie but i enjoyed it much compared to oblivion.

    The way it was phrased by Will Smith, "Everything has evolved to kill human", i was hoping for more in the way of obstacles.

    Definitely a rise for M Night from his previous movie.
  18. Jun 3, 2013
    Another movie filled with unwarranted hate towards M. Night Shyamalan. Yes, The Last Airbender was a miserable failure. We get it. That does not mean the man is incapable of making good movies.

    One of the reasons, I'm assuming, many critics left unsatisfied, is because of how small-scale this movie truly is. It isn't supposed to feel like a huge, immersive epic, but rather one part of
    a far larger universe. This story was designed to feel small, as it was more about Jaden's character's relationship with his father, rather than a full out war between two adept alien species. The tension is slow burning, and there are only a few scenes that can actually be labeled as action. This movie is just as much drama as it is a Sci-Fi thriller.

    When the action is kicked up a notch however, Shyamalan nows just how to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Some people in the audience were clutching onto their cup-holders, teeth chattering. The visuals aren't perfect. However, when they work, they are spot on.

    Jaden Smith, who is obviously not yet as strong of an actor as his father, still has some scene stealing moments. Obviously, it is Will Smith who truly grounds the movie, providing advice for his son, as he maneuvers through the forest.

    The concept is interesting enough, but in the end, the movie feels a bit short. A few more scenes of Jaden's journey through the dangerous forests, and perhaps a slightly longer ending would have given the movie a little more power.
    Overall, if you allow yourself to enter the movie without trying to bash every last minor flaw, due to your odd obsession with bashing M. Night Shyamalan, you may be pleasantly surprised. This movie provides a touching father-son story with an overall effective twist. I'd recommend it.
  19. Jun 15, 2013
  20. May 31, 2013
    The film's potential is derailed by some truly atrocious acting, especially from Jaden Smith. What undoes the film is its rather rancid parent-child sentimentality (a Shyamalan staple, admittedly) and a charisma-free performance from the younger Smith that suggests the apple has fallen very far from the tree, indeed.
  21. Jun 2, 2013
    Will, you really need to "take a knee" on this one.

    The entire movie is based on the premise that we have enough technology to wormhole ourselves to another star system, but have somehow lost the ability to create a shotgun, which is all it would take to kill the "bad guys". Seriously, we don't have guns for some reason.
  22. Jun 4, 2013
    I have not seen this movie, but I intend to. I had to write a review of the user reviews because there seems to be a common statement that says because M.Night directed this movie it is bad. I need more than that, what about the plot and acting is so bad, what parts of the direction were so bad, why is this a bad movie other than a name attached to it? I will give it a 7 for now to off set the unintelligent reviews here.

    @dilushaofmc- You mention nothing as to what it is that is wrong with this movie and just rant about the director, grade=0

    @oliver1h- Your comment if rife with grammatical errors yet you seem to have a superiority complex, I like how you wrote "it is dump" (I think you meant dumb), "set agains" I think you meant against), also the movie was shot on location and was not completely green screen, grade=0

    @oliver1h-Your comment as well has grammatical errors. Also, M. Night did not write nor produce this movie, he simply directed it. Which you give him credit for doing a good job of, yet you can't lay the supposed poor script at his feet, grade=0
  23. Jun 5, 2013
    The dangers of nepotism are all to evident when watching this tedious flick. I am often left wondering why Will Smith's son constantly looks like he is smelling his own farts and is confused by them. His default facial expression is either contrived pretension or a mild case of idiocy.
  24. Oct 10, 2013
    I read the horrible reviews, saw it was a big "NO", but still enjoyed it! Yes, the acting is kinda cheesy (okay, really cheesy in parts), Will Smith and Son's weird 'accents' are off-putting (just speak normally, for Pete's sake!) but I liked the story and efforts to put sci-fi type detail in it, instead of taking the easy route. The bird part was unexpectedly sad (get your kleenex) but try it, you might like it! I think reviewers were reacting more to the fact that Will Smith wrote, starred in and co-directed it, which tends to turn people off because it is so obviously self-indulgent, but if you ignore that, it's not a bad movie! P.S. I consider myself a fairly harsh sci-fi movie critic, e.g., didn't think 'Gravity' was "all that and a bag of chips" other than the visual effects (which were stunning). Expand
  25. Jun 4, 2013
    "Aside from the films tacky ending, After Earth is not going to wow you with its visuals or make your jaw-drop, but if you can get past some of the performances you may enjoy this sci-fi adventure, this is M. Night's first good movie in about a decade." C
  26. Jun 3, 2013
    I enjoyed it. I already knew before seeing it that both critics and users would already give this a dumb down review. While I was watching I kept telling myself that Jaden Smith is certainly getting better and better every movie I see him in. Overall this movie is a must watch for even SYFY Fan. I will buy this once it comes out on DVD BlueRay
  27. May 31, 2013
    Left an after earth in the toilet this morning after eating three bean burritos last night followed by two orders of chili cheese nachos. Why does anyone give Shama Lama Ding Dong a chance to direct anything beyond a public service announcement about tile grout? I would say this film had a bad script, but there apparently was none. And as to acting, well lets just say the son is not like the father. Directing....was the a director? Save your money and avoid yet another cra**y boxoffice blunder. Better to stay at home and eat the contents of your cats litter box than to see this 'film'. Expand
  28. Oct 19, 2013
  29. Jun 5, 2013
    I enjoyed the movie while I was watching it as long as I didn't think too much. There were some holes in the storytelling. Nothing great, but entertaining. I thought the CGI was fantastic. I thought the story was a good premise. Jaden Smith is not a good enough actor to carry the movie, which is required of him. I would recommend that whoever is thinking of seeing it wait until it comes out on DVD. I'm disappointed by Shyamalan. I liked "Sixth Sense" and loved "Signs", and I even really liked "The Last Airbender." But he's fallen pretty far. Unfortunate. Expand
  30. Jun 1, 2013
    The movie had it's moments, the now-too-used "Nature evolved to kill us" is decent enough... for a D&D campaign....
    But, for the luv of gawd!
    The movie looked and felt like a glorified auto-biografy of the Smiths, the kid WAS Ok in Karate Kid and In pursuit of happiness, but because he didn't acted that much, now, it clearly shows he has no talent, lost his charisma and pushes waaaaay to
    hard his dad acting skills, like learning Karate from a Book. Expand
  31. Jun 14, 2013
    I liked it, maybe when I saw it my suspension of disbelief was at a high point, so I ignored all the things that made this movie terrible for everyone else, I don't know, but I was entertained.
  32. Jun 6, 2013
    SOME CRITICS REVIEWS ARE BS. It's a solid 6/10 movie, it delivers when it supposed to immersive survival action, nice visuals, original and interesting setting! It has problems, but overall it a alright average action!
  33. Jun 7, 2013
    Like many, I expected this movie to be mediocre at best. However, in my opinion, this film was better than expected for sure. Apart from the cliches and the slightly kid's moments (even though this movie is mostly meant for father and son in the first place), it contained the right amount of action and adventure. The moderate scares made me flinch for half a second, but they were partially necessary for the events and not a bad thing to have for sure. Overall, I believe that this movie is underrated a bit, even though I can tell where the unfavorable ratings are based off of. Expand
  34. Jun 3, 2013
  35. Jun 6, 2013
    I've never seen an actor pat himself on the back this much since Nicolas Cage was trying to remove bees for the Wicker Man, which is still a better movie than After Earth. Will Smith still did a better job at acting than Jaden Smith but then again so can anyone. Do not go to see this in a theater, just pirate it when it comes out, burn it onto a CD and then set the CD on fire.
  36. Jun 9, 2013
    Once again I find my opinions are at odds with those of the world's most acclaimed movie critics. Perhaps young Smith couldn't carry this entire movie but that is far from the point.

    This is a unique and refreshing take on the bond between father and son. The plot is simple and the movie concludes in a somewhat predictable ending but the journey there is the real difference in After
    Earth. Those expecting a Sixth Sense esq twist look away. This really is a feel good movie with interesting ideas, great visuals and a huge focus on the strengths and weaknesses of a boy trying to live up to his fathers expectations.

    Excellent acting by Will Smith and a memorable performance by Jaden, on the start of what will certainly be a successful career. Those expecting to see a 15 year old able to replace his father should modify their expectations to reality. No Jaden isn't Will but he his a talented young actor with plenty of promise able to deliver in a big role.
  37. Jun 18, 2013
    I wonder why this movie was so unfavourably viewed. So what if Will Smith is trying to promote his son? What does that have to do with how good the movie is? Seriously, people! My full review is here:
  38. Aug 25, 2013
    When i saw the trailer for this i was all like "holy s**t will smith looking as cool as ever" however after seeing the movie itself i have come to the conclusion that it is a waste of f**king time. the trailer makes it out to be this epic will smith movie full of awesomeness, it delivers no awesomeness whatsoever, will smith is in the movie for about half an hour and the 'action' (if it can be called that) is all done by jaden, not very well i may add. and as for the planet supposably being inhabited by animals evolved solely to kill humans, i didn't see many of these 'animals'. there were some monkeys that were the size of normal monkeys and a massive bird thing thats about it. most of the movie is spent watching jaden wandering round.
  39. Oct 13, 2013
  40. Jun 5, 2013
    This was just a poor, poor movie. It was not well acted or directed. The budget must not have allowed for good graphics, because they were terrible. It was a bad Syfy original movie with Will and Jaden Smith for some reason. The plot is ridiculous and not well thought out at all. There wasn't much action to make up for the terrible acting, and in general it was just boring and bad. I give it a 2 because it's still not as bad as The Last Airbender. Thanks a lot M. Night... Expand
  41. Jun 2, 2013
    I would have given this a 2, but it deserves a 3 or a 4 for just how hilariously bad it is. A almost complete amateur with a director who does everything but direct? Gold. Every time the kid opens his mouth it's hilarious. Whenever he is just walking, or thinking, or fighting he is actually pretty good, but then he says one of his awful lines without any real emotion and you're either groaning or laughing.

    This movie will either leave you board, or laughing. If you enjoy films with bad acting, and absurd logic, you'll like this. If not, they're are plenty of other movies to waste time with.
  42. Jun 4, 2013
    Two upfront signs this is doomed: 1. Story by Will Smith (so u know it'll be self-indulgent). 2. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan (hasn't had a hit since "Sixth Sense"). Smith casts himself as the closed-off commander on a space mission with his real-life son (Jaden) as the young soldier who must traverse a hostile planet to save the day (2 casting mistakes). Papa has never been known for his acting skills (he can't) and son's performance comes exclusively from his wrinkled brow. Among the stupid future anomalies: 1. the only weapon is a sword 2. painkillers still make u drowsy. The dialogue is painfully slow and stupid. Even the effects aren't special. A better title might have been "Dumb & Dumber." Expand
  43. Nov 17, 2013
  44. ojt
    Jun 14, 2013
    After Earth is not only boring and uninteresting even for sci-fi fans. It alsa has a lame story and surprisingly bad acting by 2xSmith. I expect that Harald Zwart got the best out of Jaden in Karate Kid, but Shyamalan has no clue how to instruct this boy into anything other than a spoiled and irritating brat.
    It's a bad idea, the cgi is bad compared to most other I've seen, and what's
    worst is that it's impossible to care about the guys in the film. Expand
  45. Jun 3, 2013
    While far from the best that Will and Jaden have done, After Earth executes an adventure with relative ease, providing uplifting morals and intense action. However, After Earth may be the shortest 1 hr and 40 minutes I have ever spent in a movie theater. Very thinly plotted and doesn't embrace the world in a believable way.
  46. Jul 17, 2013
    Based on a weekly turnover, in China it is pretty frustrating to find an ideal film to watch in cinema to meet everyone’s taste, this week, the best offer (for me) is AFTER EARTH, a North American flop stars Smith Family, directed by the ever-downgrading wunderkind Mr. Shyamalan (this time descends to the hack hired by Will Smith personally). With zero expectation, the film is a slim action adventure exploits Will Smith’s star power to bolster his son Jaden Smith, but the paper-thin script and a sub-par visual SFX bewilders its viewers where its reported budget goes ($130,000,000)?, call me a sceptic, is the whole hubbub an internal money-laundry chicanery?

    A pseudo-epic start briefly justifies why mankind abandons the earth, and relocates at a new planet with the new arch enemy, a fear-sensing brute. After a reckless asteroids attack, an aircraft crash-lands on earth and miraculously all the crew are dead except for Jaden and Will, the latter is the commander of the team and is injured and immobilized by broken legs for rest of the film, up till then, the film plunges into a young boy’s journey of seeking courage by facing a menagerie of mutant wild animals on his quest to track down a beacon apparatus which he could use to call for the rescue team, and now is in the rear part of the craft and lies amid the formidable wilderness, it is also a boy’s rite-of-passage to overcome a past trauma and save himself and his father, who treats him with military disciplines, but a role-model for the whole race because of his “ghosting” skill, which is facilely interpreted as a fearless warrior who is able to be invisible to the brutes, everything is well-foreseen by viewers’s imagination and the film fails to ignite audiences’ passion at all.

    A glum Jaden Smith and ultra-wooden Will Smith can barely hold together the film (one wonders what has happened to the pair in THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS 2006, 7/10), already it is character-scarce, Sophie Okonedo is shamefully underused in the Will Smith’s Wife Club, and a dazzling Zoe Kravitz glints only in flashbacks and illusory parts, then all the CGI creatures take the stage by turns, and the final showdown turns out to be a major letdown, again I am very curious about how they spent the gargantuan budget? It looks too cheap compared with other summer tentpoles.

    It is inevitable a stain in Mr. Smith’s filmography, the mass is repellent and jealous of nepotism especially when he or she is a superstar, the Smith family may be too keen in showcasing their ambition to establish their dynasty in Hollywood showbiz, this setback should alert them, the market is not ready yet for a blatant mega-family contrivance. Anyhow, what’s more disheartening for me is the career orbit of M. Shyamalan, to witness the fall of a young talent is never easy, although we could assume one must reach rock-bottom to bounce back, in that case, I do hope AFTER EARTH is his fortunate nadir.
  47. Jun 2, 2013
    After Earth Director: M. Night Shyamalan Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith Runtime/Rated: 100Min, PG-13 M. Night Shyamalan returns as a director in his most recent blunder in After Earth. In this movie, we are immediately introduced to Kitai (played by Jaden Smith), who is randomly lying on the ground injured. While Kitai is lying there on the ground, Jaden Smith is narrating what happened to Earth 1000 years ago. let me mention that, Jaden Smith’s narration is one of the WORST narrations I have ever heard during a movie After Jaden navigates the audience through the past, we go back three days earlier. From here, both Will and Jaden Smith go on a trip in outer space to bond as father and son. After some real horrific events that crash landed the ship that Will and Jaden Smith were on, they both come to realize that Earth is were they crash landed, and they must work together to survive.

    After Earth is a true definition of “Dull”. The dialogue is stale, the action is mediocre, the CGI is passable and the acting is okay, but Will Smith almost put me to sleep a couple times. The film isn’t terribly bad, but it’s not good either. Every aspect of the movie felt average. I don’t think director M. Night Shyamalan did a bad job directing the movie, it seemed he took it safe this time. For a summer movie, After Birth I mean After Earth just doesn’t fit the criteria of a summer success. Rather then see this movie, go see Fast 6 or Star Trek, there’s defiantly other better movies out right now to see rather then After Earth. At the end of the day, it’s a good RENTAL.
  48. Sep 18, 2013
    Hi there,


    Very good performance and very good movie.
  49. Jun 19, 2013
    LOL horrible. If Will Smith wouldnt have forced Jaden down our throats and had a different director I would have given this a 2. Jaden smith is the worst actor I have ever seen. Let this be a lesson to you just because you are Will Smith's son doesnt mean you have his wit, charm, charisma, or even the ability to formulate emotion on screen. Terrible in every way. The Razzy has to go to Jaden.
  50. Oct 20, 2013
  51. Oct 8, 2013
    Much worse than typical rich star's vanity piece. Total waste of time and money. How did Smith forget how to act? And the shame is such a big piece was wasted on this total lack of talent. His son might have some redeeming attributes but act is not one of them. Will- you're a has been and your son's a boring loser.
  52. Oct 13, 2013
    While well made, this film fails on nearly every other level. The plot and story drudges at such a slow pace that I almost fell asleep watching it. Sure the visuals are nice, but what does that matter when the acting and story are terrible? Somehow Night was able to suck the life out of one of the most interesting character duos in The Pursuit of Happyness. It eventually reaches a level of mediocrity that barely satisfies someone looking to watch a cheap hollywood sci-fi film. Collapse
  53. Jul 15, 2013
    Not worth seeing. Sucks. It's everywhere. Acting is horrendous. Don't waste your money. Don't even rent it at a redbox. In other words, it was tons of dog
  54. Jun 4, 2013
    This movie was as boring as watching paint dry. If you have a hard on for Will Smith and his very bathroom smell is something you long for, then it may work for you. If you want to see Will Smith play Major Payne and discipline his child then it may work for you. But it being a good sifi movie save your money its a dog.
  55. Jun 8, 2013
    This is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. It appears to me the goal of the entire movie is to dehumanize humanity through controlling the mind. However, what you find is Will Smith's supposed lack of fear appears in the film to look like lack of human emotion coming across as horrible acting (which you don't expect from Will Smith). And the goal is to teach his son that same thing. Humanity without emotion is not human at all. Then, the condition of the earth come on... it doesn't make sense accurate history is required to build a background and this doesn't appear to have that. Then the storyline is not even very good on top of that. I expected more action but instead got a movie similar to "Cast Away" with Jaden Smith as Tom Hanks and Will Smith as "Wilson" (the ball), but without the wit or humor of Tom Hanks. It's not worth your money or time. Expand
  56. Jun 12, 2013
    The worst movie since a long time. This is not for Will Smith but for the most part on the director and the bad acting of Smith's pupil.
    Something should not be allowed in the cinema. I wonder who controls the quality of the films.
  57. Jun 19, 2013







  58. Jun 24, 2013
    Cannot believe I was sincerely looking forward to seeing this movie. I have never written nor read a review on a movie so I guess I am losing my review virginity. And without sounding cringe worthy it feels so right. As this movie has compelled me to, which is clearly saying it all now.
    After Earth was a waste of money, time and effort, and I love Will Smith so a waste of his raw talent!
    I felt as though they lost the plot of the movie completely and the wasn't any genuine emotion in it. Poor acting, poor directing, and poor story line. It made me jump in some scenes but jumping isn't quite enough to say WOW I want to see that again or what good quality material for peanuts. More like what a waste of money and time!
    I shall not slate Will or Jaden as I do think they are good entertainers more so Will as Jaden is only young. But this movie really has not served them any justice.
    And due to this rubbish film I am no longer allowed to chose movies. sad times indeed.

    So end conclusion do not watch it as if you are a fan like me of Big Willy he shall most definitely disappoint. No pleasure with this Sci fi.
  59. Jun 24, 2013
  60. Jul 15, 2013
    Poorly executed lack of character, way to short they could have done much better with an extra of 20 minutes visually good and the Smiths family fit in nicely
  61. LTR
    Oct 12, 2013
    This is an okay movie.The father-son duo isn't as good as everyone thought.The world is pretty cool,some of the scenes were random and the end was pretty fast.
  62. Sep 21, 2013
    This move is a huge waste of money and time. Its dull and boring in 95% of its length. The movie tries you to bond with the characters but you just can't (there are 2 main characters that are basically the only 2 characters in the whole movie because there is total of 13 roles in this movie!!!). You can't bond with Cypher Raige (Will Smith) because he is emotionless so basically there is nothing to bond with, and you can't bond with Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) because he is another movie kid that we need to be babysit and you have to listen to his life problems (although his role matures into something likable later in the plot). I have bonded more with an eagle-ish bird in the middle of the movie that any of the 2 main characters. The whole climate change on Earth is unrealistic and illogical, unsuitable for human life, but still suitable for everyone else, even the alien who survived the crash. And yes, I was about to give the movie rating 4, but because of the stupid popular idea that movies have to have 100 planets on the night sky on any alien planet, this movie gets a 3. Expand
  63. Sep 24, 2013
  64. Nov 19, 2013
    Was expecting this film to be total crap, wasn't half as bad as I expected! Decent storyline etc. but some of the acting seemed pretty bland. Not great but surprisingly entertaining and watchable
  65. Nov 18, 2013
    I was expecting this to be a complete failure. I didn't go see it at the theater because the previews just did absolutely nothing for me. Well after watching the movie I have to say I'm actually pleased. I rather enjoyed the movie even if so many of the graphics looked utterly fake.
  66. Dec 30, 2013
    After Earth wasn't the best movie I have ever seen, but it isn't the worst either. The special effects were dazzling and there were a few suspenseful and interesting parts. but the rest was boring and too slow for a story like this.
  67. Jan 1, 2014

  68. Jan 17, 2014
    Simply one of the worst movies of all time, After Earth is full of bland, dull, and simply boring acting, even with Will Smith one of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood, who is reduced into a dull, and shallow character, that you don't care about, and his son Jaden Smith, who has no talents at all, and his character is dumb, and annoying, and a lot of plot holes, that makes me lose all faith that M Night Shyamalan, the director behind the Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable will ever find his way once again. Expand
  69. Jun 19, 2013
    Where to start. This movie has bad acting from Smith Jr and he's one of the only two people in the movie. The story could be good but is made bad by random unrealistic things that don't need to be there. The CGI is terrrrrrrrrrrible and took me out of the movie because all I could concentrate on is how bad the monsters/animals look. No reason to see this, move on.
  70. Nov 22, 2013
    Just started watching this film and what's going on with the narrator? It sounds like an English guy doing an incredibly bad American accent, which wouldn't be quite as bad if his acting wasn't so terrible. Reminds me of the dumb kid who gets forced to read out to the class. Given up already.
  71. Jun 10, 2013
    I think M. Night gets unfairly abused by critics many times, but this was not one of them. While the movie's themes are very good, the film is questionable at best. The heart of the film is a father's love for his son made manifest by forcing the son to become his own man not by coddling or insisting on an identical path, but literally kicking him out of the nest (ship) to find his own way with just enough aid not to get killed. I don't think this is a very common parenting style these days, but I respect the Fresh Prince for taking it to screen.

    However, this movie was not the best vehicle for it. The science is bad enough to kill suspension of disbelief and the set pieces are just this side of 1960's French Sci-Fi (i.e. weird, incongruous with the implied technology, and already dated). The most glaring bit of weirdness is the idea that an old-growth forest can be flash-frozen every few hours without permanent cellular doesn't make a lot of sense, and neither does a lot of the "science" elements in this film (like turbulence in space).

    Perhaps a present-time marooning would be a better vehicle? Or a slightly-improved attention to details which Sci-Fi fans normally obsess over? Or...and I am going out on a limb here...maybe a different planet? The fact that it is earth does nothing for the movie.

    In summary not a good movie. As always, M. Night does a good job filming and pacing, but there are just too many other mistakes to overlook.
  72. Feb 14, 2014
    The only thing raising this turkey above zero is the fact that, as far as I could tell, there weren`t any microphones poking into any shots or any sets collapsing in the background. The movie is so bad I just stopped watching and went to bed about 2/3 of the way in, which is rare.
    I never really liked Smith. He has goofy and some weird tough guy act which makes him look as if he`s being
    zapped with a cattle prod, and if you don`t like those he`s out. But his son is worse. Ranging between whining about his father and crying to tantrums, his most regular appearance is of a dull boy who has just been shot in the ass with a tranquilizer gun. Fortunately he is so bad that in a lame attempt to hide this fact he doesn`t have any lines in a lot of scenes, but just stands there nodding or repeating the other actor`s lines, like some slow kid who has been brought up in front of the class to be mocked and ridiculed. It would be funny if it wasn`t so unbearably sanctimonious.
    I suppose we could admire Smith JR for trying to lead a movie right in the middle of his awkward phase, sporting his freshly shaved 14 hair mustache look; but personally I`m not sure I`d have hired him to play a cow in a primary school nativity play. He constantly has this weird, annoying grimace on, which I didn`t realize was supposed to convey fear until I read reviews online after suffering through the movie, And this leads us the the "message" in this awful turkey, which is that fear is bad and that you can`t kill space bugs when you`re afraid.
    Detailing all the weird plot holes in After Earth is an entire study in itself, and due to my profound lack of interest in the movie I probably missed a few, but here goes anyway: First of all humans in the movie are able to build inter stellar space craft but apparently not guns of any kind, which is presumably why they are being hunted by blind bugs. In the movie`s only promising moment Will Smith gets sucked out of a crashing space ship far above the canopy of the forest, and for a second you are tricked into believing that the director has just killed off his overpaid, overrated Hollywood degenerate 15 minutes into the movie, leaving his untalented son to lead the movie by himself, as a sort of girlish, black Tom Hanks Castaway in space. But then he miraculously reappears on the ground almost immediately; unconscious and with two broken legs, but exactly as robotic and dull as before. Then the most comical parts of the movie occur when the incapable son is sent to retrieve a transmitter from the tail of the vehicle, which crashed where Will Smith`s corpse should probably have landed. According to the lifeless Will Smith night time brings intense cold which ravages the land so that any humans caught outdoors will instantly freeze to death, even though every single stinking scene in the movie is set in lush forest surroundings. So the question is: if the cold will kill Will`s brain damaged son instantly, how come all the trees still have leaves on and baboons can live there because it`s so nice and warm?
    Never mind this nonsense though because the solution to this weird problem is "hot zones" at regular intervals between the ship from which the immobilized Will Smith is directing his comatose progeny and the tail to which said son must travel. As long as he reaches a "hot zone" every evening before the harmless cold kills him he`ll be all fine and dandy. How convenient! How a grown man could have written such awful trash is a mystery, as is how he might then have been able to convince another grown man to direct it for him, dragging their names and the names of all associated with them into the mud.
    Every aspect of this movie, short of some of the special effects and I guess pretty shots of forest (the one not having been killed by the intense cold I mentioned), is absolutely horrible. I would rather download old episodes of Lost in Space from the mid 60s than watch After Earth again, special effects be damned! By far and away the worst movie of 2013 that I`m aware of. And Smith JR should go back to school at once.
  73. Sep 16, 2013
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The special effects are cool and that is about it.
    I really really really wanted Jaden Smith to get killed the whole time he is getting chased. I really did.
    Will Smith(AKA big daddy) was also god awful in this film.
    For the love of all things holy dont put that kid in another movie...

    8/10 for the effects team but I just can't bring myself to give the movie more than a 1.
  74. Oct 13, 2013
  75. Nov 3, 2013
    Watched this with a mate of mine and we both thought it was truly terrible. Only surprise I had on checking meta critic was that the average was as high as it is.. Not even worth pirating.
  76. Jul 24, 2013
    Ugh where do I begin? This movie was so boring, it looked so promising in the trailer, when I actually sat down to watch it, I really didn't like it, the special effects are okay, but the characters are so bland and boring, Jaden smith steals the show here though as Will is a boring character that is too serious to be something I can believe coming from Will Smith. Overall, this movie had so much unused potential, it's just another bland flick that should see itself to the $5 bin at Walmart, even then that's being a little generous Expand
  77. Jul 4, 2013
    Then I took and arrow to the knee!!!
    Watched this when I went to the US a couple of weeks ago.
    The acting in the film between Will Smith and his boy was like watching paint dry, no emotions.. yeah yeah I hear you say, "but he was supposed to be without emotion", but that doesn't mean that your acting needs to be flat and onesided and the only way to resolve things are to take the knee
    all the time. Come on. But then again that doesn't even come close to how bad Jaden Smiths acting was.. damn.... To bad Daddy will have so much money he can have his kid in the movies, when he should acknowledge that his boy can't act. Expand
  78. Jun 16, 2013
    Although this movie is not offensive in any way; it is simply bad. From the stage decoration to the costumes to the plot and the characters there's not a lot to recommend it. I know folks are trying to be gentle on Will Smith and his young son they seem like nice people. However, the son was not ready to hold this movie. He is really pretty terrible in this. I wish him all the luck in future endeavors. Do not waste your money or time. Expand
  79. Sep 22, 2013
    This is absolute garbage. I was hoping this would at least be better than Resident Evil Retribution but my God, this is just a crime against your wallet. If you enjoyed this movie, liked its page on facebook and spoken about how you 'liked it' because of whatever ignorant, pathetic, childish reason you have then I will have to unfortunately send you off to the firing squad. The acting was mediocre, Jaden Smith is just not fit for a movie like this and the whole story is just plain-ass cliche', uninteresting, highly predictable and well, pretty much I was bored out of my mind watching this load of dung. You can pretty much just fast skip through the movie and jump scenes and you wont be missing out on anything at all. Just watch the intro, skip to the part where the ship crashes, skip to a random scene where Jaden is in some random encounter (there's tons in this movie) and skip to the predictable, lame-ass ending. Trust me, you wont be missing out on anything. This is not worth your purchase, your download bandwidth or your time. I'd rather be doing a uni assignment then watching this piece of Worst movie of the year and one of the worst movies Ive seen in a long while. I want my 90 minutes back. Expand
  80. Sep 20, 2013
    Congratulations Jaden Smith for giving the audience the worst performance by and actor or actress this year so far. A dumb movie with acting that is embarrassing on all levels. Another garbage film from a director that is putting himself as the worst of our generation.
  81. Mar 8, 2014
  82. Sep 24, 2013
    The story is so goddamn thin you can sum it up in one sentence: Will & Jaden Smith crash on a planet, Jaden has to get to a beacon so they can get saved. That's it. Oh yeah, there is a very short intro to all this but it's incredibly superficial and trivial. Ok, so the film might not be as bad as they say, but this not how scifi is supposed to be. Today's movie technology alows directors to put anything on the screen they ever wanted and this is all they could come up with? These Hollywood folk are getting so lazy even the saturday night pop-corn munching audience is going to start noticing. In fact, they have noticed, coz nobody went out and saw it. And uh...M. Night Shyamalan, your jig's up. Start looking for another job. This was your last chance. Expand
  83. Jun 21, 2013
    About as bad as Battlefield Earth. Regardless of whether you liked any of Shamylan's earlier movies, you will not like this one. It is somehow less entertaining and horrible than Last Airbender. I kid you not. If a serial killer busts down your doors and attmepts to tie you up and force you and your family to watch this movie while eating twinkies, scarf down those twinkies and then run for the hills. If that is not possible, then end your life BY ANY MEANS, because that's how bad this movie is! Expand
  84. Jun 16, 2013
    Really good movie, a great mix of sci-fi and adventure. I like the relationship between Will Smith and Jaden Smith. I liked the story and the direct of Shyamalan, ok the movie have his fault, but is entertainment and works well for me.
  85. Jun 18, 2013
    It wasn't that bad a movie. Would have been 80% better if there was a better actor then Jaden Smith. He just is not a good actor and that took away for the film...
  86. Jun 24, 2013
    What motivated me to write a review for this movie was reading someone else stating that it's a father and son love movie. "If you're a father you'll cry at the end of this movie." Well I am a father and just have to say that is completely false. First of all throughout the film it seems as though Will Smith's character really doesn't give a gosh darn hoot about his son's life. He actually states in the film, "you go out there and don't die because I need to live through this. I don't really care what happens to you." Will Smith (who wrote this movie) wrote his part as someone who sits in a chair and looks high all the time. He was like, lets focus this movie on my son, I'll just chill here. Not to mention that the writing was just horrible anyways. Jaden's character has 1 face, crapping himself. As he runs. Falls asleep. Runs. Falls asleep. Runs. They tried to create some sort of emotional pull by him seeing his dead sister after making a raft and falling asleep on it. But it was too poorly done, when the creature was killing his sister I was honestly rooting for the creature. Because I was hoping something exciting would come of it. I don't want to write or think about this movie anymore than I have to and the reason I am giving it a 1/10 is because after the movie my friends and I were able to have a great time making fun of it. Awful, awful...thing...whatever this was. Expand
  87. Jul 24, 2013
    After Earth has few moments of fun, but in the end it was kind of boring with a pretty weak script. Jaden Smith does supply some interesting scenes with some of Earth's wildlife, but those scenes are few and far between. D+
  88. Jun 4, 2013
    I tried writing a review this past Friday, but for some reason, it wouldn't submit. So i'm gonna try again and hopefully this time it'll submit. Anyway, long story short this movie was boring. I;m not one of those people who thought this movie was completely terrible, but was very uninteresting and unsatisfying. All the movie is is Will Smith and his son exploring the "new world". Actually I take that back, it's Will Smith's son who explores this new world. This concept was just completely boring. Aside from the decent visuals, the story just goes nowhere. Some parts I could handle, others I just simply couldn't. After "The Last Airbender", I figured he'd learn from his mistakes. I guess not. He needs to go back to making great movies like his old ones such as "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable", and "Signs". But for now I guess we're stuck with this. Sadly I still have a little bit of hope for M. Night Shyamalan. I hope he learns from his mistakes in his next movie. If not, I'm done with him. Overall, just go watch "Now You See Me" this week. Expand
  89. Jun 17, 2013
    Uneventful. Bad storyline. Jaden kept on crying like a baby. Will smith stayed in his place falling asleep and waking up. I hoped it would have a climax or a nice resolution but nothing.
  90. Oct 2, 2013
    Wow this was boooooooooring. I was expecting something like in the line of Starship Troopers with Will Smith in the main role and Jaden as sidekick (or something) running around chopping of those alien bugs Rambo style but instead I got his son running trough the jungle for an hour or so, I mean come on.
  91. Nov 22, 2013

  92. Jun 2, 2013
    This movie was long, boring, and overall...a waste of time! I wasn't expecting to be blown away, but it was so predictable that I started to fall asleep (my wife did as well). We had to fight to stay awake due to some scenes just dragging on and on. I can't say it was the worst movie ever, not by a long shot, but it was not very good. There are a couple of scares (at least for my wife and one of my children), but overall, it dragged on and was predictable throughout. Wait for DVD if you have any interest in this movie, save your money! Expand
  93. Jun 3, 2013
    The concept is simple. The story is basic. Honestly, this could have been a lot better had it not been sci-fi and rather based in current day. Get rid of all the extraneous stuff (including using a different actor than Jaden Smith).
  94. Jul 5, 2013
    Father and Son and the chalenging adventure it's so difficult to say. When i'm watching this movie, it's felt like i'm personally remember a trip only me, and my dad, hunting in the middle of a forest. I was 16 that day.
  95. Jun 7, 2013
    It is odd to be so let-down by a project containing so many working parts that you can usually believe in and rely on or even possess a major part that you'd like to believe might start working to the best of its abilities again. Everything about the latest Will Smith sci-fi film, After Earth, though feels lazy and re-hashed as if they were coming up with things to do, obstacles to overcome on the spot and relying on cheap special effects to fill in the rest come post production. What is most irritating about this entire project though is that it so effortlessly takes itself seriously yet could not come off as more immature. There is a spark at the very beginning where it drops us right into the middle of the action, where for a split second I thought this might have deserved more than the critical lashing it received gave it credit for, but just as that thought entered my mind we began getting voice over from one Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) that gave us the back story of who his father was, where we were at presently, why the human race was there and several other details of exposition that could have just as easily been explored and revealed in a more interesting movie. Also take note that this piece of dialogue and every other line no matter who it was delivered by is spoken in an accent that seems to evoke every impersonation I've ever heard of John F. Kennedy. Like much of the film, this idea of having every human offspring who lived past the days of calling earth our home adapt the same speaking patterns and dialect is interesting, but the execution proves more distracting than anything else (and this is coming from a guy who didn't mind the gibberish talk in Cloud Atlas). Thus this is only one of many complaints I began to log away as After Earth continued to play out in what ultimately feels very brief and more disappointingly, unaffecting. I've always liked Will Smith and thought of him as a charming, charismatic guy that was always fun to watch on screen, but his character here has none of those qualities and with that persona completely absent it leaves the film feeling equally as hollow as his Cypher Raige.

    read the whole review at
  96. Jun 24, 2013
    Average movie,Jaden's acting is average at best.Nice landscapes and effects that about all that's nice though.Not at all what i expected no wonder its been getting such foul reviews by people.
  97. Jun 8, 2013
    It's a really boring movie. It looks cheap right from the beginning and you feel the word "cheap" and "low budget" during all movie. There are many things you don't understand from the screenplay. How come a child can run away from a dozen angry baboon monkeys, etc.? Low budget gives terrible pictures of the animals around. I would give this movie 3 out of 10 or C Although my 12-y.o. said it's OK. Expand
  98. Jun 10, 2013
    I haven't seen most of Jaden Smith's movies, but here, it seems he can't act at all. Thin plot, and we don't much care if Jaden makes it or not. The best thing about the movie was the scenes shot in the Northern California redwood forests. I think The Sixth Sense may be the only film M. Knight would have us remember. This one was ANOTHER bust.
  99. Sep 25, 2013
    I am a big SciFi fan, yet something like that I never experienced. Was it the effects that ruined it, was it the lame story, the extra-lame acting of the second Smith in the movie, the directing of someone who got after Signs too much credit and couldn't deliver since (with the exception of the low budget Devil). I really cant say. Its just very disappointing and I wished I would not have seen it, not spend the time nor the money. But I wanted to know it for myself if the critics are right, since they are so many times wrong (in my opinion).

    Well, they are right, and yet they even gave the movie way too much credit. Probably because of Will Smith.
  100. Jun 16, 2013

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 41 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 41
  2. Negative: 20 out of 41
  1. Reviewed by: Tim Robey
    Jun 7, 2013
  2. Reviewed by: Peter Bradshaw
    Jun 7, 2013
  3. Reviewed by: Neil Smith
    Jun 7, 2013