After Earth (2013)

A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, a millennium after events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help.

Director:

M. Night Shyamalan

Writers:

Gary Whitta (screenplay), M. Night Shyamalan (screenplay)

Stars:

Jaden Smith, David Denman, Will Smith

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jaden Smith	...	Kitai Raige
Will Smith	...	Cypher Raige
Sophie Okonedo	...	Faia Raige
Zoë Kravitz	...	Senshi Raige (as Zoë Isabella Kravitz)
Glenn Morshower	...	Commander Velan
Kristofer Hivju	...	Security Chief
Sacha Dhawan	...	Hesper Pilot
Chris Geere	...	Hesper Navigator
Diego Klattenhoff	...	Veteran Ranger
David Denman	...	Private McQuarrie
Lincoln Lewis	...	Running Cadet
Jaden Martin	...	Nine-Year-Old Kitai
Sincere L. Bobb	...	Three-Year-Old Kitai
Monika Jolly	...	Female Ranger

Storyline

One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind's new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai. When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai's craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.

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Plot Keywords:

real life father and son playing father and son | post apocalypse | future | space voyage | fear | 

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Taglines:

Danger is real. Fear is a choice.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [Brazil]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

1000 A.E.

Filming Locations:

Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$130,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,520,040, 2 June 2013, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$60,522,097

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$243,843,127

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment, Blinding Edge Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color (ACES)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hesper was a bulk-freighter steamship that was used to tow schooner-barges on the Great Lakes. The Hesper sank off the coast of Lake Superior at Silver Bay, Minnesota, in a late spring snowstorm in 1905. The Hesper is the ship in which Jaden and Will boarded and crashed.

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Goofs

Right before Kitai reaches the river, his father's cutlass is on his backpack. The cutlass disappears in the next shot, right before he starts building his raft, until Kitai picks up a new one at the crash site.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kitai Raige: I've heard stories of Earth. A paradise. Until we destroyed it.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.160 (2013)

User Reviews

Worth a watch. But no that bad, as some critics say.

After Earth is a Sci Fi survival story of a boy named, "Kitai Raige" (Jaden Smith) who crash landed on a planet along with his father "Cypher Raige" (Will Smith), and have to survive various kinds of dangers that Earth greets the crash landers with.

I have to admit that the trailer when I saw it months ago, did get me excited. But fortunately I saw today that it was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and all my hopes were out. It was this low expectation that made the movie worth a watch.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Mr. Night, but he have a knack of making movies too boring sometimes. But fortunately his last movie "The Last Airbender" wasn't his last movie as a director. So when I say After Earth wasn't a total disappointment, I mean it.

Story wise movie doesn't give much to offer. Except the basic premise of survival and some flashbacks there isn't much to say. Visual effects were also just acceptable. Certainly not that what is expected of this age. The pace of movie was rather acceptable, and father son combo was the selling point.

But what I think lacked much in After Earth, was the fact that Earth didn't seem much dangerous to me. Mr. Night failed to get more dangers for the actor to fight against. And it felt like movie was cut short due to budget constraints at a later stage of production. This is why the time is took to built the pace seemed long, but the actual time devoted to Earth felt short and rushed.

Talking about performance of Jaden, real son of Will Smith, I have to say he needs much to learn. He is shown to be a boy who gets scared easily. But is later shown to gather courage to do what he sought out to. Its not like this is his fist cameo with Will Smith. He first worked with his father in "The Pursuit of Happiness". But unlike that film After Earth wasn't a Will Smith movie. After Earth can be said as Jaden's role as a first billed star cast.

One thing I liked about this movie was the Soundtrack. It felt immersive enough. After all the music was created by James Newton, the man behind soundtrack of Batman Begins, along with Hans Zimmer.

Overall, movie didn't feel something to drool over. But is worth a watch. Maybe when it comes out on DVD, or TV. But I liked it. It's not a lot of times when you get to see a father and son movie that are father and son in real life.

Review URL: vineetkumar.me/2013/06/after-earth/