Movie Review - After Earth

As my friend said, I might be the only person who actually loved this movie, but it's true - I genuinely loved it!  It was entirely my type of movie incorporating action, adventure, and actual storyline to follow, with enough drama to season it so as not to be entirely mindless fare.  I enjoyed the enhanced technology being worked in - in ways like the body suit morphing - as though so minor a change that it just evolved along with their new needs. I loved the story of the boy and father working to overcome their traumatic past so that there was more to it than just a surface fluff and there was actually something TO the movie itself.

With that all said, the wonderful CG was really well done, and to me, didn't stand out as being very obvious that it was worked into the story. I also loved that the technology, while employing holo-screens and advanced scanning and so forth, wasn't all sleek, chrome and entirely uber-techie, but instead incorporated natural designs, organic materials and patterns such as honeycomb or other biologically-based textures.

Also, I thought the score was particularly well inter-woven into the script, it was tender at the moments that required it, but stimulating without being overpowering. A great score will emphasize and enhance the storyline, but when it pops out to my ear that it is especially poignant, then I enjoy listening to it even more.

The speech that Will Smith's character gives to his son (in real life as well!) was particularly poignant - particularly as I'm attacking and destroying my fears.

Cypher Raige: "Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice. We are all telling ourselves a story and that day mine changed." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1815862/quotes?ref_=tt_ql_3)

Sure, my inlaws may have groaned afterwards, shaking their heads, muttering "of course" when M. Night Shymaylan's name came up in the credits, but for me, it was the perfect blend of a fun adventure, a good story of overcoming, and if they thought that Will Smith's dialogue was a little forced, I felt that it fit perfectly in with his gruff, and somewhat alienated persona.

My vote, go see it, and if nothing else, you will probably enjoy the cliff scene at any rate!