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The Mythology Of M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth

Date: Jul 15, 2012 | Author: Rudie Obias | Category: Sci-Fi

Sony has since released a video illustrating the history of Earth in a Facebook Timeline feed. The video introduces us to the world of After Earth by recounting the history of the Raige family, a family of prominent scientist who developed Lightstream Technology in 1908, which leads to humanity’s mass exodus to the distant planet Nova Prime in 2066. Before leaving Earth, colonist placed perimeter beacons that orbit Earth to warn those who might come across the deserted planet.

Watch…

After Earth takes place with General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) as he and his son Kitai (Jaden Smith) crash land on the cursed Earth after trying to avoid an asteroid storm, with their ship damaged and General Raige dying inside, Kitai must brave the unfamiliar landscape to locate a rescue beacon, giving them a chance to be saved.

M. Night Shyamalan’s name has become synonymous with bad moviemaking as his trademark “twist” endings lose their effect. It’s been a long time since Shyamalan has had a critical and commercial hit, and although most of his films make heaps of money at the box office, discerning audiences seem put off by his antics. Shyamalan’s next project, After Earth, finds the filmmaker working with one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, Will Smith.

As much as people would like to dump on M. Night Shyamalan, there’s plenty to look forward to with After Earth. It actually might be a good movie. The script was written by Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) and Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) and NOT Shyamalan, and the film has a very interesting premise and world around it. Shyamalan is taking the approach of making After Earth as “a documentary about Earth’s future.”

After Earth will be released on June 7th 2013.

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Comments

  • cenny

    dumb dumb dumb.

  • youosd

    Just an FYI for you all… Shymalan did have a hand in the writing process, he helped write the script but is uncredited… Just thought I should let you all know

  • http://twitter.com/klaatu klaatu barda nikto

    Has anybody ever told Will Smith that he is black? The only way 900 year descendants of a Polish family will look black is if Nova Prime’s sun puts out more radiation than you’d find staying on a cursed Earth (and doesn’t Judge Dredd have a trademark for that term?). Even if all social groups are mixed up by this migration you are far more likely to have some kind of medium brown skinned future people, perhaps better played by casting Indians than stunt casting Smith and his talentless son. And if everyone moved to Nova Prime why the satellite beacons? Who is that to warn that doesn’t already know? Smells like an opening for a trademark Shyalaman plot twist there. This film is gonna waste its potential and wind up being very dumb. I can feel it already & knowing MNS I’ll probably guess his plot twist after 10 minutes and dismiss the idea as too obvious and cheap only to be let down at the end when he takes the obvious twist path.

  • KeenTrager

    Anyone who believes this is going to be “good” with a protagonist named Cypher Raige is deluding themselves… Might as well be Lazer Gudguy or Major Kickazz. I can currently imagine the execs at these studios doing arts and crafts and eating paste.

  • http://www.facebook.com/ericaspoffordvulhop Erica Spofford Vulhop

    Love this idea and mns is great I love all his movies also I think Will smith is a wonderful actor. I can’t wait to see this movie!!!!

  • bobbo924

    The blanket comments about NMS films being “bad” are ludicrous. Learn to appreciate style, poetry, hidden intent, metaphor and the richness of a puzzle, and you may be rethinking all his films.