After Earth

Movie Mom Review

Big, epic, and starring one of the Blockbuster champions, Will Smith, you would think this movie has the ingredients for a summer hit movie. It all depends on who is doing the viewing.

Let's face it, the movie is getting creamed in the critic department.

I was hesitant to take my twin twelve year old boys, but they were so eager to see it that we took an early matinee in the local Carmike Imax theater.

To my surprise, it was a pleasant movie experience worthy of early morning buttery popcorn and coke.

To sum After Earth up, Kitai (Jaden Smith) and his father Cypher (Will Smith) crash land on Earth which has been deserted by mankind for a thousand years. The young man, Kitai has to save them both by traveling through the dangerous terrain filled with predatory animals, an unkind climate, and a alien creature who happened to escape during their crash landing. As the mother of young Kitai wanted, the father and son have to spend some quality time together to reconnect.

On my jump scale, which is what my sons call "Pop-Outs!" Or when the director likes to have a quiet tense moment turn into a loud, make me jump moment with a possible scream! In After Earth, I had a couple twitches and one good jump, but no scream.

It did what movies are suppose to do, take you away from your world, to escape. It made me journey with young Kitai and hope it could meet all the challenges, drawing me into his Man versus Nature theme. 

Yes, there were some plot issues, some scientific questions I had about why tropical plants can bloom lushly during the day and then shrivel up and freeze during the night, only to return the next day. But if you check your quizzical self at the theater door and enjoy the Survival romp then you will take away a pleasant experience without having to exercise any brain cells. Its just a fun adventure.

I recommend this movie for young pre-teens to late teens, both male and female. The parent will not find the time spent wasted and thankfully little Will Smith Junior will boost parental bonding. 

Visually, the movie is really awesome, lush, natural, and beautiful. Family love, trust, and overcoming trials is an inspiring theme for youngin's to have crammed into their heads over and over. No harm there!

I recommend it. My twelve year-old twins thought it was amazing and awesome!!

I rate it three buckets of popcorn!