Delayed Reaction: After Earth

The Pitch: According to Wikipedia, the pitch was exactly this - "a father and son crash landed on Earth 1000 years after it had been abandoned by humankind".

What Took Me So Long: Will Smith has let his blockbuster star fade some and M. Night Shyamalan has not been a draw for a while either.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) This is an example of a movie that critics were way too happy to pounce on. It's not that bad. It's a simple sci-fi action movie. Jaden Smith is capable for a 14-year old. It has solid production value. At worst, it's a movie to be forgotten, not laughed away.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Its biggest issue is that it's a dull premise. Most of the movie is Will and Jaden talking to each other through walkie talkies and Jaden working against a green screen. The idea of ghosting (i.e. hiding your fear because the monsters track you by the smell of it) is pretty implausible because how does something smell fear? Is fear sweat different from exercise sweat? How about surprise vs. fear reactions? I spent most of the movie caught up in the conceit that the rest of the movie got overlooked.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend