After Earth (2013)

Nicole Morgan55 said:Man, what a total dumpster fire of a movie! 😢 It’s even more of a letdown because those trailers actually looked decent, and you’ve got Smith headlining it. Where do I even start? The acting is straight-up garbage—everyone is overacting in basically every single scene. Then there’s the CGI, which looks worse than some low-budget B-movies from the nineties. But honestly, the plot is the biggest disaster; it’s so full of holes and nonsense that you’re left sitting there with a permanent "WTF" expression every ten minutes.

While other families are out enjoying road trips, hitting the mall, or going to the movies... it feels like the Smith family just decided to collab on a home video instead; with the dad and son playing the leads and the mom acting as producer. And the result is absolute trash, not even worth a spot in a family photo album, let alone a theater screen. Honestly, even Uwe Boll would probably watch this one and smirk!

Could you maybe point out a few of those specific holes or inconsistencies?

The movie is just okay, I suppose—barely mediocre. It clearly had potential, but it really should have been better. The acting feels forced at times, and the plot is riddled with holes, though I guess the visuals are fine even if they aren't spectacular. To be fair, the opening is decent enough and introduces some potentially interesting sci-fi elements. However, the final act—roughly from the moment that kid gets trapped by the bird until the credits roll—is a complete disaster; in my opinion, it really should have taken a much different direction. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d give it a 2.

Anyway, does anyone happen to know how it's performing at the box office? I heard some talk about a sequel if this one does well🤷.

darkbadger46 said:Could you maybe point out a few of those specific holes or inconsistencies?

You bet!
WATCH OUT; SPOILERS!!!

Word is this planet has insane temperature swings. You get tropical vibes during the day—judging by how much greenery and wildlife is crawling around—but then night hits and everything just freezes solid, like you're standing right in the middle of Antarctica. There was even a kid who started freezing right before our eyes, like the temp plummeted to 100 or 150 below zero. How does life thrive in such extremes during the day only to face that kind of death trap at night? Makes zero sense. 😕

Even while the kid was stuck in that "warm spot," you could clearly see it raining, even though it was way too cold for anything but snow.

Look, whatever you call those Ursa things. They don't actually have sight; they just hunt based on human fear. But if they can't see, how are they moving around with such pinpoint accuracy? And if they're just tracking pheromones, why hasn't anyone just built a vacuum-sealed hazmat suit to become invisible to them? Also, how do they manage to hang corpses from tree branches if dead people aren't capable of feeling fear? By that logic, a body should be completely off their radar.

Then there’s that logic gap with the bird; if the nest is just a few tangled twigs, how are the chicks—or even the bird itself—supposed to survive those freezing night temperatures?

So much tech in the future, yet all they’ve got are some glorified sticks? What happened to actual firearms? Zero points for creativity there.

Same old, same old.

Richard Barrett53 said:The movie is just okay, I suppose—barely mediocre. It clearly had potential, but it really should have been better. The acting feels forced at times, and the plot is riddled with holes, though I guess the visuals are fine even if they aren't spectacular. To be fair, the opening is decent enough and introduces some potentially interesting sci-fi elements. However, the final act—roughly from the moment that kid gets trapped by the bird until the credits roll—is a complete disaster; in my opinion, it really should have taken a much different direction. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d give it a 2.

Anyway, does anyone happen to know how it's performing at the box office? I heard some talk about a sequel if this one does well🤷.

Check out the 2013 box office numbers on Box Office Mojo. It's basically the cinematic version of looking at an old receipt from a trip to Vegas—kind of wild how much was spent back then.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much since the reviews online were absolutely brutal—just constant bashing everywhere you looked. The only part that actually caught my eye was that sequence where the kid is flying alongside the eagle; that was actually pretty cool. It’s a 3-star rating for me. If you're thinking about seeing it, just wait until it hits streaming—definitely skip the theater for this one.

I had the misfortune of catching this "masterpiece" last night in some absolutely pathetic low-res version. I guess that’s why I was robbed of the only decent thing about the movie: the nature shots.
For the kid, it would probably be smarter not to blow through the family inheritance like this; he definitely won't live off his acting alone, he'll need the cash. And the goofy dad with all those hand gestures? He’s clearly just fishing for that cheap, "American sitcom for idiots" vibe.
As for the script—if it actually promised anything when it was just a rough sketch with a few basic ideas—it gets systematically dismantled by every subsequent scene, right up until the final massacre.
Once you pile on all the nonsense that manages to insult any reasonably intelligent living being, my only regret is that it didn't lean into being a sci-fi parody; everything would have fit perfectly there. The logic gaps just stack on top of each other, and after ten minutes, it all collapses into one nauseating mess. The rest of the film isn't even following a thin plot anymore; it's just waiting to see where the script slips up next (spoilers!):
- The new human habitat is this desert planet, a city tucked into a canyon by a river, where there isn't even a blade of grass to be found.
- Instead of actual walls, all the dwellings have these fabric screens to shade against the sun—which seems like a pretty flimsy defense against a deadly predator, right?
- That same "fabric curtain" motif shows up on the starship too, except here it's some kind of mesh used instead of bulkheads (did they have a clearance sale at the local mall or something?)
- Those famous Rangers first saved the human race, and now they're held hostage by their own "code of honor" or whatever, charging at a hated enemy with nothing but spears like they're in some Klingon reenactment.
- Then we get back to Earth and find out gravity is stronger here than on Mount Everest, where they live now. Despite all the lush greenery, the atmosphere is way thinner, making it hard to breathe—unless you happen to have some Bronx cough drops on hand (or was it "Throat Lozenges"? I wasn't paying attention).
So, the whole pollution issue that triggered the exodus doesn't even matter anymore; now it's just energy clouds blocking communications.
Despite all that, this energetic young guy is happily leaping from rock to rock like he's at a NASA training center for hyperactive kids.
- There are plenty of those Bronxs in every Ranger's backpack, plus med-kits, and people are dropping dead left and right, yet the kid heads into an adventure with only his personal stash. He doesn't even try to scavenge from the bodies scattered everywhere—I guess the evil Urka uses them too?
- On Earth, everything mutated except for snakes and pigs, and apparently, the most vicious creature is a leech.
- The climate shifts so drastically between day and night that it confuses even the prehistoric ferns, which somehow survive despite the polar conditions.
- What on earth is the connection between total environmental destruction and the sudden appearance of volcanoes and geothermal springs?
- And why are the Eskimos messing around with ice block igloos when they could just build a nest out of tightly woven twigs to stay warm?
- After the crash, Will stays in the cockpit, which is fully functional—navigation works, diagnostics work, alarms work... but none of that matters because you can't send an SOS from there. You need this specific little portable handheld device for that. Of course, nobody asks where the cockpit gets its power from when the tail of the ship 62 miles is far away and the rest is crushed. Yet, this tiny portable device has enough juice to pierce through most interference and blast a signal to another galaxy.
- The design of the starship is interesting, if totally illogical: it looks like a giant jellyfish with a long tail, which serves zero purpose unless it's some kind of engine part (it doesn't move and you can't use it like a fish tail, haha). In some scenes, the engines are randomly scattered all over the ship (definitely not in the tail), and they don't fail because of power loss, but because of hitting debris. Even though they aren't jet engines—since there's nothing to suck in—they're placed along the edges of the bottom/rear of the ship, far from the impacts, yet they fail one by one.
The whole structure is basically made of sheet metal as thin as a Coca-Cola can and some breezy curtains. No airtight compartments at all, just the occasional stroll through a hole the size of a garage door.
- So, picture this: you’re rocking some high-tech latex space suit that changes colors, has a built-in forearm display, tracks all your vitals (though it won't actually keep you warm!), comes with wings... plus an emergency oxygen respirator. Sure, you might survive out in deep Space, but that respirator would be useless in a thinner atmosphere like the Bronx... so that's why they don't use it.
- Honestly, even with humanity spreading out into the far reaches of Space, we still haven't figured out how to make basic gloves or helmets. If we had those, we could wear airtight suits that don't leak hormones for enemies to track. But if the predator couldn't sniff you out, there wouldn't be a movie, right?
- Besides, this predator's whole reason for existing is just killing people. Who knows how long it's been waiting for us to settle on Mount Everest planet? What was it doing before then? Who was it hunting? What does it eat? How does it breed? Can you even take it out in its nests? 🤷 It's just... there.
- And of course, just to move the plot along, they're using the same ship to transport a prisoner to another colony on a different planet for "training." These creatures are clearly spread across Space, so why transport him instead of just catching him on-site? If he isn't even on that second planet, what's the point of training to fight him? If he only exists on his home planet while cadets are recruited elsewhere, why haul the creature back and forth? Why not just bring the cadets to a local Academy? There's plenty of desert out there, man. The cadets will show up eventually.

And just like that, that's basically the whole movie... for the rest of the runtime, just go watch some National Geographic about rainforests...

Even though I haven't actually sat down to watch the movie yet, given those "impressive" reviews I've been seeing, 😬 I figured I’d just go ahead and spoil the whole thing for myself by reading Michael Jackson10's entire post. Lol, honestly, I had a good laugh—thanks, Michael. 😬 👍

On that note, here is a fitting Ra's al Ghul - Bruce Wayne GIF. 😁

In my opinion, the worst part of the movie was the father and son Smith's acting; the rest of the film actually wasn't that bad.
It feels a bit jarring, though, seeing how far into the future this is set—characters are out there slicing through giant cockroaches with knives, so where on Earth is all the pulse or laser weaponry?🙂

Michael Jackson10🙏

Honestly, this beats the actual movie any day of the week 😂

It feels like ever since >, every single sci-fi flick is going to be scrutinized under this intense microscope—people are obsessed with finding some sort of 100% scientific perfection or hunting down a supposed "error." Honestly, most people who go into a movie based on the reviews are just looking for something new to nitpick. Every sci-fi movie or series is absolutely crawling with logical leaps—just look at >. If > had been wearing an impenetrable suit while on >, he never would have been stung by a thorn that caused such a lethal infection. And how on Earth does the > make so much noise traveling through > when, technically, there's no sound in a vacuum? Or what are those Starfleet officers even using to pay > for drinks on > if they live in a society without money? Viewing this film through the lens of an infallible scientific model is just fundamentally the wrong approach.

In essence, people are glancing at everything except the actual heart of the movie—which is the portrayal of a future > fighting for his very existence, and that incredibly touching story about the bond between a father and son.

Like I said before, maybe just ask yourselves: have you spent a little too much time watching sci-fi movies?

darkbadger46 said:It feels like ever since >, every single sci-fi flick is going to be scrutinized under this intense microscope—people are obsessed with finding some sort of 100% scientific perfection or hunting down a supposed "error." Honestly, most people who go into a movie based on the reviews are just looking for something new to nitpick. Every sci-fi movie or series is absolutely crawling with logical leaps—just look at >. If > had been wearing an impenetrable suit while on >, he never would have been stung by a thorn that caused such a lethal infection. And how on Earth does the > make so much noise traveling through > when, technically, there's no sound in a vacuum? Or what are those Starfleet officers even using to pay > for drinks on > if they live in a society without money? Viewing this film through the lens of an infallible scientific model is just fundamentally the wrong approach.

In essence, people are glancing at everything except the actual heart of the movie—which is the portrayal of a future > fighting for his very existence, and that incredibly touching story about the bond between a father and son.

Like I said before, maybe just ask yourselves: have you spent a little too much time watching sci-fi movies?

Team above! Go film!
If what you're saying were true, you could just lock them in a room for two hours and let them talk. These people rely on loud noises and flashy special effects because, without them, there wouldn't be a movie.

And that "father and son" portrayal? It’s so forced they practically have to advertise from the opening credits that they're actually related in real life; otherwise, nobody watching would ever believe it.

darkbadger46 said:It feels like ever since >, every single sci-fi flick is going to be scrutinized under this intense microscope—people are obsessed with finding some sort of 100% scientific perfection or hunting down a supposed "error." Honestly, most people who go into a movie based on the reviews are just looking for something new to nitpick. Every sci-fi movie or series is absolutely crawling with logical leaps—just look at >. If > had been wearing an impenetrable suit while on >, he never would have been stung by a thorn that caused such a lethal infection. And how on Earth does the > make so much noise traveling through > when, technically, there's no sound in a vacuum? Or what are those Starfleet officers even using to pay > for drinks on > if they live in a society without money? Viewing this film through the lens of an infallible scientific model is just fundamentally the wrong approach.

In essence, people are glancing at everything except the actual heart of the movie—which is the portrayal of a future > fighting for his very existence, and that incredibly touching story about the bond between a father and son.

Like I said before, maybe just ask yourselves: have you spent a little too much time watching sci-fi movies?

If you're looking for someone who blindly swallows every single sci-fi flick that comes his way, yeah, that’s definitely me. But man, this movie? It actually manages to sink even lower than my usual low bar.
That controversial Prometheus movie honestly gave me at least seven or eight different things to chew on. If I actually sat down to weigh all the causes and consequences, I'd probably end up deciding whether the whole thing actually holds water or if it’s just a total disaster. What do you guys think?
Look, at the end of the day, this movie is really just a container. The plot is pretty straightforward, isn't it? Honestly, you can see exactly where it’s heading within the first ten minutes of meeting the characters. You basically know the ending before the opening credits are even finished.
This movie tries way too hard to be more than just some cheesy space soap opera. It basically expects you to throw away 45 minutes of your life without giving you any actual context. I mean, even Star Trek eventually brought in actual scientists to give their plots some much-needed substance. Even Stargate moved past the first movie by building a whole series around completely different themes, where being in Space was just a backdrop—they could've set that entire show on a subway if they wanted to. Here? This thing could have been fixed by a random high schooler just adding a little bit of scientific logic to the story. Seriously, how hard is that?
So, what exactly do they use for money on Deep Space 9? Is it Bitcoin? It’s funny when you think about it. Nowadays, we're constantly surrounded by tech that makes contactless payments a breeze—stuff like RFID barcodes and smartphones that basically act as programmable hubs for everything we do. We managed to pack all that progress into just three or four years. If we were living back in the era of DS 9 after Earth, specifically around 2013, wouldn't we have looked at even the most isolated tribes in the Amazon and thought their way of life was totally unbelievable? Technology moves fast, doesn't it?

The real problem with this movie? It lacks any actual scientific logic or grounding. Sure, part of the plot takes place in Space, so you naturally assume we're looking at a civilization with high-tech capabilities. But where is all that tech? It’s just not there. You honestly find yourself wondering how these people even managed to survive.

Basically, this movie misses the entire point. It looks at everything except what actually matters, right? You’ve got this incredible portrayal of a future Ranger just fighting to stay alive, plus that heavy, emotional father-son bond. That's where the real heart is.

Like I said before, you really gotta ask yourself—have you been watching way too many sci-fi movies lately?

So, you're saying Rangers?
You talking about that muscle-bound, meathead organization? You know, the one that evacuates an entire civilization into Space just to defend their new home using combat skills perfected in some pre-Christian era?
I mean, if they at least had some kind of laser swords—and actually gave them a decent reason, like some ancient code or religious ritual—then fine. But this? It makes absolutely zero sense. 🤷

A deep dive into a father's character and a touching story about the bond between a dad and his son (minus any mention of the Holy Spirit, since he turned his back on this whole thing too—the Trinity is just Mama Smith at this point).
So here it is:
"A militant, cold-blooded guy who’s basically an absent father—someone who has zero connection to his family and just shows up briefly to watch his son pass some cadet exam—ends up landing on an uninhabited planet with that same (unsuccessful) son.
The whole 'relationship' between the commander (dad) and the cadet (son) unfolds as the commander keeps drilling the kid on his training just to trigger a rescue mission.
Once they pull off the rescue, the commander (dad) gives this pathetic salute to the cadet (son) for a job well done... and the son just breaks down crying, deciding he's done playing soldier and would much rather play with rag dolls with Mom."

Basically, my three crappy little sentences perfectly capture the "touching tale" of this father-son bond. It's banal, shallow, and honestly not worth the effort.
You don't need a 90-minute feature film to depict a relationship like that; this feels more like a Smith family home movie where they explain to their kid how they made all the money he's spending. It's strictly for internal family viewing—too serious and way too boring for a "funny home video."
How much the Smith family actually believes in this whole project is proven by the fact that the story was finished definitively, leaving absolutely zero room for a franchise. Thanks to Father and Son for making it that way.

silvertiger11—it’s honestly a shame I called the end of Voyager back during the very first season. To be perfectly blunt, watching every single episode and mission felt a bit tedious because I already knew the drill: everyone survives, and everyone escapes every single tight spot they find themselves in. I was actually a little startled by that final episode when I found out seven out of the nine had perished, but thankfully, Grandma Jeanway saved the day.

Regarding your question about what passes for currency on DS 9—the answer is Gold-Pressed Latinum! Since you clearly haven't been keeping up with DS 9!

You totally missed the point on Bitcoin, but hey, whatever...

Michael Jackson10 said:If you're looking for someone who blindly swallows every single sci-fi flick that comes his way, yeah, that’s definitely me. But man, this movie? It actually manages to sink even lower than my usual low bar.
That controversial Prometheus movie honestly gave me at least seven or eight different things to chew on. If I actually sat down to weigh all the causes and consequences, I'd probably end up deciding whether the whole thing actually holds water or if it’s just a total disaster. What do you guys think?
Look, at the end of the day, this movie is really just a container. The plot is pretty straightforward, isn't it? Honestly, you can see exactly where it’s heading within the first ten minutes of meeting the characters. You basically know the ending before the opening credits are even finished.
This movie tries way too hard to be more than just some cheesy space soap opera. It basically expects you to throw away 45 minutes of your life without giving you any actual context. I mean, even Star Trek eventually brought in actual scientists to give their plots some much-needed substance. Even Stargate moved past the first movie by building a whole series around completely different themes, where being in Space was just a backdrop—they could've set that entire show on a subway if they wanted to. Here? This thing could have been fixed by a random high schooler just adding a little bit of scientific logic to the story. Seriously, how hard is that?
So, what exactly do they use for money on Deep Space 9? Is it Bitcoin? It’s funny when you think about it. Nowadays, we're constantly surrounded by tech that makes contactless payments a breeze—stuff like RFID barcodes and smartphones that basically act as programmable hubs for everything we do. We managed to pack all that progress into just three or four years. If we were living back in the era of DS 9 after Earth, specifically around 2013, wouldn't we have looked at even the most isolated tribes in the Amazon and thought their way of life was totally unbelievable? Technology moves fast, doesn't it?

The real problem with this movie? It lacks any actual scientific logic or grounding. Sure, part of the plot takes place in Space, so you naturally assume we're looking at a civilization with high-tech capabilities. But where is all that tech? It’s just not there. You honestly find yourself wondering how these people even managed to survive.

Basically, this movie misses the entire point. It looks at everything except what actually matters, right? You’ve got this incredible portrayal of a future Ranger just fighting to stay alive, plus that heavy, emotional father-son bond. That's where the real heart is.

Like I said before, you really gotta ask yourself—have you been watching way too many sci-fi movies lately?

So, you're saying Rangers?
You talking about that muscle-bound, meathead organization? You know, the one that evacuates an entire civilization into Space just to defend their new home using combat skills perfected in some pre-Christian era?
I mean, if they at least had some kind of laser swords—and actually gave them a decent reason, like some ancient code or religious ritual—then fine. But this? It makes absolutely zero sense. 🤷

A deep dive into a father's character and a touching story about the bond between a dad and his son (minus any mention of the Holy Spirit, since he turned his back on this whole thing too—the Trinity is just Mama Smith at this point).
So here it is:
"A militant, cold-blooded guy who’s basically an absent father—someone who has zero connection to his family and just shows up briefly to watch his son pass some cadet exam—ends up landing on an uninhabited planet with that same (unsuccessful) son.
The whole 'relationship' between the commander (dad) and the cadet (son) unfolds as the commander keeps drilling the kid on his training just to trigger a rescue mission.
Once they pull off the rescue, the commander (dad) gives this pathetic salute to the cadet (son) for a job well done... and the son just breaks down crying, deciding he's done playing soldier and would much rather play with rag dolls with Mom."

Basically, my three crappy little sentences perfectly capture the "touching tale" of this father-son bond. It's banal, shallow, and honestly not worth the effort.
You don't need a 90-minute feature film to depict a relationship like that; this feels more like a Smith family home movie where they explain to their kid how they made all the money he's spending. It's strictly for internal family viewing—too serious and way too boring for a "funny home video."
How much the Smith family actually believes in this whole project is proven by the fact that the story was finished definitively, leaving absolutely zero room for a franchise. Thanks to Father and Son for making it that way.

Ideeš, even Kafka had a better father than this guy. 😲😁

The core premise is absolutely bursting with potential. In my opinion, the biggest flaws here are Smith and the director. If someone else had been at the helm, this would be a completely different story. Lima needed to face much more intense danger to truly earn that level of growth—to overcome his fear of the unknown, the trauma of losing his sister, and that crushing pressure to prove himself to his father. It’s a shame, because it could have been brilliant.

What really stung right from the jump was the ship's design. I haven't seen anything quite that ridiculous in a long time.

I had every intention of sitting down to watch it yesterday, but honestly, I just can't stand Smith's kid. It’s painful. Every time he's on screen, I just lose interest. I can't even get through it.

Man, it was just bad. Like, seriously, incredibly bad. I honestly had to white-knuckle it just to make it through to the end. I don't even have the energy to sit here and type out a whole breakdown, you know? My rating: 2/10

Such a snooze
Will Smith needs to stop pushing his untalented son, the kid is just awful
Will Smith doesn't change his expression once the whole movie, zero personality... such a charismatic and cool actor playing some serious bore, the casting is worse than Samuel L. Jackson as a wise Jedi
It's bad, but not total trash... there's just no ambition here, kind of like a predictable video game

electric rabbit's post is pure gold!

Maybe they should’ve just glued some volcanic eruptions onto Will Smith's ears since he’s clearly trying way too hard with that fake "I've got everything under control" facial expression.

The world would honestly be doing us all a massive favor if someone invented a smart bomb designed to wipe out 95% of Hollywood screenwriters. It's pathetic.

Honestly, it’s been a long, long time since I sat through something this tedious and hollow. It was just a mess of a plot with zero direction and some seriously subpar acting.

Next time I’m actually in the mood for a movie about a road trip, I think I'll just stick to re-reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 😬