After Earth (PG) * * *

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Jungle Adventure Didn’t Need Futuristic Setting !

by ALAN SAMUEL

Director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) rebounds nicely from a string of less than stellar box office efforts to bring forth for Columbia Pictures After Earth.

Fear not, go ahead and check out this smart and slick science fiction flick now playing at The Empire Studio 12, Colossus and Cineplex Odeon theatres around B.C.

Instead of going for campy dialogue and futuristic big budget special effects After Earth concentrates on its two central characters.  Real life father/son team Will Smith (Independence Day) and Jaden Smith (The Karate Kid) return to active duty as Cypher Raige and Kitai.  Lost at space are these two with the pair going down with their crew at a “forbidden” planet.  From there things get insteresting as Kitai is sent on a perilous mission.  Amidst this jungle environment the young boy encounters all sorts of dangers that put you truly on the edge of your seats.

If suspense is your thing, let the Smith men take you along for quite the ride.  A few crafty monsters and some nifty special effects helps make After Earth a rousing yarn that for 100 minutes never lets up or lets you down.  Family and coming of age are the key for this noble effort that serves up a fresh look at an unknown planet where two men must endure undeniable hardships in hopes of overcoming their fears.  Hope and struggle run their course with After Earth coming off as a winning and fresh treat.