Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — There’s going to be a lot of hate directed toward M. Night Shyamalan’s “After Earth,” starring real-life father and son Will and Jaden Smith. Some of the comments will be very much deserved considering the film, as a whole, is pretty disappointing.
But while there are plenty of things to pick at in this sci-fi tale of bravery on a post-human Earth, it isn’t quite the 13 percent splat RottenTomatoes would have you believe.
Had I found “After Earth” on the SciFi channel, some late Saturday night, I wouldn’t have lamented the 100 minutes of vapid entertainment. But as a big-budget summer tentpole, trying to compete with movies like “Iron Man 3” and “Star Trek Into Darkness,” it’s hard to ignore some of the more obvious flubs Shyamalan’s latest film drags behind it — the terribly miscast Jaden Smith being one example.
But clumsy execution aside, had any other working director’s name been on the movie poster, you wouldn’t be seeing the backlash “After Earth” is now enjoying. Shyamalan’s name has become something of a punchline to critics, and unfortunately, his spiraling resume is making it more and more difficult to give him the benefit of the doubt.
So while I stand behind my glowing “It’s not that bad” rating for “After Earth,” and definitely want to point out that this is an improvement over “The Happening” and “The Last Airbender,” “After Earth” also makes it painfully clear that the man who once directed movies like “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable” is no longer with us.
With that said, here are three "After Earth mistakes M. Night Shyamalan needs to change before his next film.
Audience respect
I don’t know if it’s intentional, but Shyamalan treats his audience as if they’re incapable of drawing fairly straightforward conclusions. Without going into spoilers, “After Earth” beats you over the head with its foreshadowing like Gallagher takes to a watermelon.
Within the first 10 minutes of the film, you’ll know the ending. By the time the Smith boys begin their doomed flight, you’ll have a checklist of inevitable key moments, and as they go through their rations, yes, you’ll know exactly which ones they’ll run short on.
It’s very difficult to sell an audience urgency or suspense when they’re waiting for specific plot points. Shyamalan seems so nervous viewers will miss his running themes, he practically draws arrows to everything he considers important. It’s condescending, and ultimately makes people apathetic to the message he’s promoting.
Special effects
It could probably be argued that final effects aren’t Shyamalan’s fault, but for some reason, his films consistently have sub-par computer graphics. “After Earth” takes this to a whole new level as the effects are at their worst during sweeping camera pans and out-of-place majestic music cues.
What’s most bizarre about the ill-conceived effects is they’re not even necessary. One scene involving Jaden standing on top of a waterfall would feel right at home on an Xbox or PS3. But when your setting is Earth, and you have thousands of beautiful waterfalls to choose from, why fabricate a terrible one?
Dialogue
I’ll give Shyamalan monologue. Will Smith’s speech about fear is pretty interesting, and Smith does a great job of selling it as he sits alone inside a broken spaceship. But when it comes to conversation, it’s almost like Shyamalan has never had one. Three or four words said slowly to another character during an uncomfortable close up feels more like a daytime soap opera than something you just paid 10 bucks for.
Earlier in his career, this kind of writing seemed edgy and was credited with giving films like “The Sixth Sense” a nervous atmosphere. Now, and especially in “After Earth,” it almost feels like self-parody.
Luckily, when “After Earth” shifts from family drama to survival tale, it abandons almost any reason to engage in dialogue. Not only does this cover Shyamalan’s weak writing, it also filters Jaden Smith’s serious need for acting classes.
One thing Shyamalan gets right
From this article, it might seem like there’s nothing to enjoy in this weekend’s offering, and that’s unfortunate. The premise of “After Earth” is compelling, and as awkward as Jaden Smith is, Will Smith’s performance is sincere and engaging.
So let me end on one thing Shyamalan gets consistently right: the misdirection. As obvious as it is that certain characters will encounter specific dangers, somehow, Shyamalan will get you to jump. You’ve seen it before, you’re waiting for the loud music note and the sudden movement, but it doesn’t matter, Shyamalan can pull his audience into a single moment.
When he was great, those moments were two hours long and didn’t let you go until the ending credits. These days, it’s only a beat or two in an otherwise graceless ballet, but like a 30-second ride after a 90-minute wait in line, sometimes it’s worth it.
Sadly, there are simply too many issues to overlook with “After Earth.” I’d definitely give it a watch if it ends up on Netflix, but it’s probably going to leave you disappointed even at a matinee price. Give it some time, lower your expectations and financial obligations, and you’ll probably see that there’s still some good in the once-promising director. At full price, however, all you’ll see is a string of missed opportunities.
Travis has been writing tech and film reviews for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010, and continues to contribute coverage for the Sundance Film Festival and other live events here in Utah. You can contact Travis at TSPoppleton@gmail.com.
