SYNOPSIS: 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. 

REVIEW:  

Cypher Raige: Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Now do not misunderstand me, danger is very real. But fear is a choice.

These sentences are really put to the test in this film. It is fatherly advice passed on from Cypher (Will Smith) to his son Kitai (Jaden Smith) in a desperate attempt to survive. Poor Kitai is now getting a crash course. (You know I had to jump on that one). This film is intriguing and suspenseful. It is inspiring and visually amazing. It explores the realm beyond fear. It is extremely futuristic and yet not too sci-fi. Even so, it could satisfy sci-fi aficionados as well as those movie goers looking for more than just laser guns and spaceships. This is not your typical action-packed summertime blockbuster. It’s actually quite dramatic. It must be that Shyamalan touch. Yes indeed, M. Night Shyamalan directed this project and it is evident in its dramatics, suspense, and thrills. M. Night is a master at all that as well as delving into the human persona. The bonus is that we get all this plus quality special effects and breathtaking cinematography. On the down side, I was expecting more out of this movie. I thought it was going to be a little more grandiose than it is. It does seem to be part of a more complex and elaborate novel, but the storyline contained in this film is rudimentary at best.

One of the more appealing features of the movie is the Father and Son as Father and Son. Historically speaking, cinematically, you just don’t see this every day. It’s pretty cool and actually it’s their second time doing this, the first being The Pursuit of Happyness. Of course the chemistry between them seemed a little more realistic thanks to their relation. Heck, I say why not make a movie that involves the whole Smith family. For now, however, let’s discuss how well Will and Jaden did. Jaden is the star of this flick in terms of role size and screen time which poses the question, was he able to carry the movie? He did okay and he had plenty of help from all the other aspects of the movie. I was hoping for and expecting even more participation from Will but due to the plot it is understandable as to why not. Regardless, it still disappointed me a bit. Overall their performances were good considering that the dialogue didn’t make it easier. Other than some of the more inspirational lines, the dialogue seemed canned. I’ve been noticing how well Will can play cold and no other role proves that as much as this one. I read a comment in regards to this movie that gave me a chuckle . . . “haters gonna hate”. There is so much truth in that statement and when it comes to this movie, it is also the case. I can see how some might not like this movie but I for one enjoyed it enough, even though I was expecting it to be more than what it is.

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