I don't like the Smiths. I didn't want to like this film and I did.There are plot holes (its sci-fi - go figure!) The characters are emotionally leaden (they play a career army Dad and his emotionally repressed son - shock!). And, this isn't Shakespeare.You're not getting an Oscar winner here, but as far as action films go it's fair. Neither Smith is required to provide much emotion - the point is that Smith Snr has sadly drilled his son to an inch of his life in order to meet expectations. He yearns for acceptance, but is denied it by his cold father, doubly tragic due to the family being devastingly killed by ruthless aliens. Being stranded on Earth gives Smith Jnr the opportunities to change this narrative and finally be accepted.The premise is a bit dodgy, but the film is well presented. I can't say that Jayden is a bad actor, but the nepotism has never looked good.

Having enjoyed this sci-fi, boy-grows-to-manhood story with my 11 year old son, I had to take his reaction into consideration. After Earth has serious shortcomings, and the unreadiness of Jaden Smith to take on the main character role and prevent the audience from noticing that he is indeed acting (by his over-acting) is the one major flaw. As a moral tale, or an heroic fable, it seems plenty good enough for the less sophisticated audience, especially when its better qualities are weighed in: there is the expert direction by M. Night Shyamalan, a feast of diverting special effects, and a hackneyed but effective plot culminating in an exciting climactic struggle, over self, and over doom itself in many forms. Its nomination for "Worst Movie of the Year" is a disgraceful pile-on for crowd following show-offs. How about worst movie of 2013 with a budget over $130 million? -- OK, maybe a nomination, but not a winner, even then. So why all the disdain? It is burdened by the regrettable appellation of "vanity project", which may be forgivable if your vanity project is Citizen Kane or Gladiator, but here Will Smith left his jaw open for the upper cut of envious wannabees and the aforementioned pilers-on. He asked for it, and he got it, Royal Flush style. Anyway, if you want a sci-fi film your 10 to 14 year old children will love, this film is fine, and the family values promoted, if in a bit ham-handed way, are still valuable for teens and pre-teens in our doubt-filled post-modern epoch.

Don't watch this. Jaden Smith's acting is terrible, Will Smith just looks bored the whole movie, the dialogue is terrible, the story is so convoluted, and it's just so boring. And this was only in the 15 minutes that I managed to watch.Don't do it.

Continuing my plan to watch every Will Smith movie in order, I come to After Earth (2013)After returning to our screens with a Men In Black sequel, after a 4 year hiatus, Smith continues what he was doing during the four years, and helps promote one of his kids. Plot In A Paragraph: A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, a millennium after events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help.I forgot how bad this movie was. Even though he is hardly in the movie, Smith must take the lions share of the blame this mess. Which I think is the worst movie in his filmography I have watched this far. It was he who read a magazine piece about a father and son surviving after a plane crash, re-imagined it as a space fantasy, he was a producer, co wrote the story and personally picked the director. This is the wrong movie at the wrong time for M Night Shyamalan. He usually writes, directs and acts in his own movies. After the critical maulings and box office flops of The Village, Lady In The Water, The Happening and The Lady Airbender, this made it 5 misfired in a row,,some would have said he was finished as an A-list filmmaker. Shyamalan didn't originate this project. He rewrote the script based on a story by Smith. So he's a gun-for-hire on After Earth, and rumour has it Smith ghost directed it. While Shyamalan was primarily in charge of the blocking and the visual aspects of the film, it was Smith who personally coached his son Jaden in his performance and dictated the development of the story and the on screen action. Corny, poorly acted (Smith really needs to stop convincing us his son can act. He is awful.) and dull all round, I actually forgot how bad this movie was. After Earth grossed $60 million at the domestic box office, to end the year the 59th highest grossing movie of 2013.