M. Night Shyamalan continues to be a very good director doing not-very-good movies. In the futuristic adventure AFTER EARTH, Will Smith — who also came up with the story — plays a literally fearless warrior who crash-lands with his son (actual son Jaden Smith) on an abandoned Earth grown wild and dangerous in the interim. With his father’s legs broken, it falls to the teen to maneuver a threatening jungle to retrieve the beacon that can signal help — but that will mean braving the perils of an uncharted jungle and, more importantly, controlling the fear that threatens to destroy him (VALUABLE LESSON ALERT). For the audience it means being able to appreciate the lavish production and nicely mounted action sequences while battling the crushing boredom that stems from the inert drama. Come join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they discuss the film and mourn for ever seeing another THE SIXTH SENSE. Plus: What’s coming to theaters next week.
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