The last time Will Smith and son Jaden Smith starred in a movie together was THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS in 2006, and even then, with Jaden as young as he was, you could see some pretty amazing and natural acting chemistry between father and son. Since then the younger Smith proved himself a box office star with THE KARATE KID remake (which grossed over $176 million in the U.S. on a $55 million budget), and Will Smith proved he’s still got box office magic with MEN IN BLACK 3 (which grossed over $621 million worldwide). Their newest film is AFTER EARTH, in which they once again appear together, this time under the direction of M. Night Shyamalan. Now as much as I like THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE (and I’m a fequent apologist for SIGNS), Shyamalan’s last few films haven’t exactly wowed theaters. THE HAPPENING was just a misfire, and THE LAST AIRBENDER failed to make much money despite a rabid fan base of the source material. To put it simply, Night needs a hit. Next year will be a big one for Science Fiction movies, and AFTER EARTH isn’t the only post-apocalyptic tale hitting theaters. It is however Shyamalan’s first digital film, and the first production to utilize the Sony F65 digital camera, so we’re almost guaranteed to get a great-looking flick. The trailer is fairly cryptic, showing Jaden in what appears to be an almost Tarzan-like scenario on a dangerous version of the Earth he once knew. Will is featured primarily in voice over, so I’d imagine most of the movie revolves around Jaden’s exploits. The plot description (below) even indicates Will’s character is badly injured and confined to the crashed ship. The supporting cast includes Isabelle Fuhrman (THE HUNGER GAMES), Zoë Kravitz (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) and David Denman (THE OFFICE). It’s been mentioned that M. Night Shyamalan’s name is nowhere to be seen in the trailer, not even at the end – this may have something to do with with his name reportedly getting pronounced booing during trailers for 2010’s DEVIL, a film he simply wrote and produced – has this what audiences have come to? Booing a director because he made a few bad choices? Seriously. Could this movie be the one that wins audiences back? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Note: the poster above is not official, we believe it’s fan made.
One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (Jaden Smith). When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
I like the majority of m. nights films, people (at least american people) don’t want thinking movies anymore, signs wad a great film, unbreakable was boring and did nothing for bruce willis, the last airbender was good. lady in the water was great, especially for avid readers and those who like the mechanics of writting.
the karate kid was such a misnomer, ( karate is Japanese, while kung fu is Chinese, the whole setting is in China!!! ) athat’s akin to naming a movie “the U.S civil war, and film the French revolution. the karate kid good?, yes great? no.