I have to say that this is not one of M. Night Shyamalan's best works. Usually there is an element of surprise somewhere in his films; this one did not have any. In fact it kind of felt like a video game where every level gets a little more difficult until you arrive at the final stage and collect the prize at the end. This film is basically about a son who wants to walk in his father's shoes and with a broken ship and an injured father, he get the opportunity to prove his worth. I really kind of felt sorry for Katai (Jaden Smith) because he seemed so afraid most of the time (and he well should have been). This was a difficult task for Katai since he always felt responsible for his sister's death and he wanted to prove that he was not a coward, no matter how scared he was. Cypher (Will Smith) was pretty stoic in this film. He reminded me of one of those strict military fathers that never showed emotion and followed protocol, even in his own home. Cypher has acquired a skill called "ghosting" which allows him to remove any fear from his emotion thereby making him invisible to alien creatures. This is a skill that Katai has not mastered and seemingly no one else has either, which puts Cypher at the top of the mountain. The film is split into two story lines; the current crash and there are flashbacks to several events in the past and also what happened to Cypher's daughter Senshi (Zoe Kravitz) years earlier. Sometimes the flashbacks came at very weird times which made the film a little disjointed. I do have to say that the visual effects were stunning and I can understand why this film would be shown in an IMAX theater. The film is not a total disaster and although it is very predictable, you still want to see how it plays out. I also think that the father-son bonding experience was heart-warming and sentimental. Usually when a film is exceptional I get right on the phone and start calling family members and telling them how great the film is. I will not be making any phone calls today. However, if you are a Will Smith fan (which I am), I think it is worth seeing if you run out of things to do this weekend. I give this film an amber light.
Review of After Earth
