A sci-fi movie starring Will Smith has VFX artists feeling sorry for director M. Night Shyamalan. Smith has had an impressive acting career, beginning early on with his performance in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Since then, he has appeared in many acclaimed projects, including Men in Black, The Pursuit of Happyness, and the Muhammad Ali biographical drama, Ali. Smith also starred in 2021’s King Richard, portraying the father of Venus and Serena Williams, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Over the years, Smith has appeared in successful genre movies, most notably Independence Day, I, Robot, and I Am Legend. Similarly, Shyamalan has become known for horror and science-fiction, having helmed back-to-back critical and commercial hits in The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs. However, the filmmaker has had an unsteady track record since then, and many audiences have expressed particular frustration over his 2010 adaptation of The Last Airbender. Shyamalan’s more recent movies, while garnering polarizing reactions, have performed only moderately at the box office.
VFX Artists React To Smith & Shyamalan’s After Earth

The 2013 Movie Was Panned By Audiences

Smith and Shyamalan ended up collaborating in 2013, on the movie After Earth. The sci-fi misfire explores an abandoned Earth, many years in the future, where Kitai Raige (played by Jaden Smith) and his father unexpectedly crash. Along with Will and Jaden Smith, the cast of After Earth includes Sophie Okonedo, Zoë Kravitz, David Denman, and Glenn Morshower. Despite generating over $243 million globally, the film was panned by audiences and currently holds a score of 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the Popcornmeter stands at just 36%.

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Corridor Crew looked at After Earth in their recent reaction video. Niko Pueringer referred to the movie as a “classic CGI fest from like the mid 2010s,” and while recapping the scene of Kitai fighting a terrifying creature and getting thrown to the ground, Sam Gorski joked that it represents “the manliest moment ever.” Wren also commented on how Jaden’s face remained well-lit, even when close to the creature. Then, the VFX artists were taken aback by him shooting light into space, and Pueringer felt sorry for Shyamalan. Read Pueringer comments below:

M. Night has been ripped on so much in his life. Like, I just want to give him a hug. And let’s be real, if I had to make this film, After Earth, it’d probably be worse than this.

Our Take On The After Earth Effects

They Did Not Do The Most Damage

It is interesting to see how the VFX artists at Corridor Crew responded to the movie, and for Pueringer to offer some sympathy. There are some solid visual effects in After Earth, and even if certain sequences employed better CGI, it might not have been enough to assist the film. Overall, there were negative reactions surrounding numerous aspects, which likely hurt the chances of After Earth 2. While it may remain one of Shyamalan and Will Smith’s least favorably received projects, they have continued to direct and star in their fair share of hit films.
Source: Corridor Crew/YouTube

After Earth

4/10

Release Date

May 30, 2013

Runtime

100minutes