Far cry from 'out of this world'

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Kevin Kung
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Kevin Kung |
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Director M. Night Shyamalan certainly planned to produce a renowned science fiction movie, but the outcome is below par.

After Earth takes place 1,000 years after the evacuation of humankind from Earth to a new planet, Nova Prime. A faulty spaceship carrying legendary general Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son, Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith), is forced to land on Earth. Injured Cypher sends Kitai to retrieve an emergency beacon so they can call for help.

Kitai embarks on a treacherous journey, facing attacks from fierce creatures, among other challenges.

Yes, the movie gives a sense of how Earth may be in the future - buildings gone and transformed to not much more than jungle - but in terms of action, it offers little more than an hour and a half of chasing and fighting.

Smith barely features in the movie, and Kitai's expedition feels much like that of a boy scout with advanced tech gear. For a 13-year-old, Kitai's braveness and fast-paced moves are incredible, but his battles offer nothing we haven't seen in any other mediocre action movie.

After Earth feels like a combination of a scenic documentary and an episode of the Discovery Channel's Man vs Wild, with computer-generated imagery thrown in.

Wait for the DVD release.

YP Rating: 2/5



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