AFTER EARTH (F)

Bottom Line: Under director M. Night Shymalan’s once-there-but-now-completely-diminished expert guidance, Will and Jaden Smith attempt to get jiggy wit’ a dull, meandering and gutless sci-fi outing that generically moves at the speed of molasses.  With nothing to offer in the way of intrigue, creativity and/or soul, this nepotistically hollow right-of-passage flick singlehandedly hobbles the genre and brings the summer movie-going season to a screeching halt.  The acting is wooden, the story is forced and the entire premise is grounded to a 1,000 years older planet Earth and a 60-mile span of mountainous, tree-lined terrain that almost anyone can view in person with a 14-mile car ride in any given direction... Captivate yourself with A PLACE BEYOND THE PINES if you’re looking for cinematic father/son drama – or bubble-wrap your brain in the fluffy intensity of Tom Cruise’s OBLIVION for true science-fiction thrills…  This movie has nothing for you; it’s a cold, thin and lifelessly insignificant bore from start to finish.  The forced boy-becomes-a-man journey within may be littered with overly computer generated baboons, cougars and killer slugs(!?), but the real threat lies in the probability of falling asleep and hitting your head on the theater seat in front of you.  I'm not sure what you do AFTER EARTH - but beforehand you better spend that twelve bucks on a better movie...

Starring: Will Smith and Jaden Smith

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE, SIGNS, THE VILLAGE, LADY IN THE WATER, THE HAPPENING and THE LAST AIRBENDER)

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 110 minutes

Story: A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home. (c) Sony

Trailer: www.afterearth.com