---
title: "After Earth: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/after-earth/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/after-earth"
critics_score: 36
critics_reviews: 23
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# After Earth (2013): what the critics said

Critics' score 36 from 23 reviews: 1 positive, 4 mixed, 18 negative.

Most critics find After Earth a sluggish science-fiction survival story, with little excitement in its action or conviction in its father-son drama. The limited praise clusters around moments of visual invention, the hostile future Earth and occasional stretches of suspense. Some reviews also find promise in Jaden Smith’s performance, though that view is far from shared. The prevailing complaints concern predictable plotting, stilted dialogue and performances that struggle to make the relationship matter.

The disagreement is chiefly over how much those scattered strengths count for. Empire appreciates the science-fiction concepts despite finding the characters weak, while several harsher reviews also fault the effects and production design. RogerEbert.com provides the clearest dissent, finding a thoughtful moral tale and praising the imagined ecosystem and convincing animals. The spread is wide, but the negative majority is decisive: most critics see the lessons about fear and growing up as laborious rather than moving.

## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2013. 

The film is a lovely surprise and a special moral tale disguised as a sci-fi blockbuster, spectacular and wise despite not being a classic. It singles out the fully imagined ecosystem and real-feeling animals for praise amid the father-son survival story.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/after-earth-2013)

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2013. 

The review finds the film visually striking with inventive sci-fi concepts about a hostile future Earth, but criticizes the clunky father-son drama, weak characters, and uninspired dialogue.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/earth-4-review/)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2013. 

By recent Shyamalan standards the film is surprisingly not horrible, though it lacks distinctive twists and feels like a hired-hand vehicle for the Smiths. Some visuals and tension-building are effective, but the simpleminded setup and overemoting undermine it.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/05/movie-review-after-earth-will-jaden-smith.html)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 2/5. 

The plodding plot is told in unimaginative broad strokes with stilted dialogue from Jaden Smith. It is a by-the-numbers survival story with contrived emotion, glittering sets and repetitive CGI peril.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ovlzyx/after-earth/)

## Time Out — Tom Huddleston

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 2013. 

The father-son project is not as bad as feared, with Jaden Smith showing charisma and some nice visual design. However, Shyamalan's direction results in sluggish action and the film lacks ambition, becoming just another tedious jungle chase movie.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/after-earth)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2013. 

An intriguing but decidedly underwhelming mixture of genres that delivers a trite sci-fi adventure, probably too intense for younger viewers and not sophisticated enough for adults. Shyamalan shows some ability to build suspense in the second half but noble intentions are not enough to overcome the scattershot execution and limited performances.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/after-earth/5056905.article)

## Evening Standard

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 2013. 

The review calls the film a dull, expensive sci-fi epic overloaded with clichés and hampered by weak production design and CG effects, though it notes Jaden Smith's effort in the lead role.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/after-earth-film-review-8648738.html)

## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2013. 

The film crashes on take-off in a sci-fi action adventure about surviving a serious crash, leaving a scar on everyone involved. It singles out the lack of nuance in the screenplay and the one-generation-beyond-tinfoil special effects for complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-may-30-la-et-mn-after-earth-review-20130531-story.html)

## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2013. 

The film is a disappointingly generic sci-fi survival tale that strands a father and son on Earth with little novelty or effective use of its resources and setting. Performances are hampered, with Jaden Smith’s anxious portrayal failing to convince and Will Smith sidelined in a passive role.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/earth-film-review-560053/)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2013. 

An allegory of the transition from helicopter parenting to free-range parenting that introduces futuristic paraphernalia to make its point but results in an action film that doesn’t move. It singles out Shyamalan’s impersonal, efficient, and clean direction—resulting in placid stolidity—for note.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/after-earth-will-smiths-parenting-movie)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2013. 

A father-son encounter session tricked out with science-fiction clichés and steeped in motivational uplift that kicks in slowly beat by predictable beat. It singles out the occasional unintended laugh and moments of visual beauty as minor alleviations in an uninteresting slog.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/movies/after-earth-starring-will-smith-and-jaden-smith.html)

## The Times — Kate Muir

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 2013. 

The material drags with obvious plotting; the performances are wooden and the film feels like another disaster from the director.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/after-earth-h3r62vqqpf0)

## Variety — Scott Foundas

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2013. 

Shyamalan’s latest non-happening is a listless sci-fi wilderness adventure and grim hodgepodge that will prove a litmus test of Will Smith’s drawing power. It singles out the leaden pacing and the senior Smith’s one of the least substantive performances of his career for criticism.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/after-earth-film-review-a-nasty-planet-1200489562/)

## Slant Magazine

Rating 1/4. 30 May 2013. 

Shyamalan’s smug, self-conscious scripting and methodical direction drain all narrative tension from the father-son survival story. The film fixates on fear and duty in a way that reflects the director’s own conservative, unadventurous approach to filmmaking.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/after-earth/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2013. 

The critic finds the film another in a line of Shyamalan's terrible movies, marked by abysmal acting, directing and story that induces boredom.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jun/06/after-earth-review)

## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff

Rating C. 30 May 2013. 

The brisk, threadbare story avoids many modern blockbuster pitfalls and Shyamalan uses silence effectively in places, but the film is often boring with cartoonish CGI and ends in a generic monster brawl. It feels more like motivational coaching than compelling drama.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-after-earth-provides-father-son-counseling-within-generic-sci-fi-trappings-20130530/)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating C-. 30 May 2013. 

The critic finds the film serviceable but forgettable, resting on the Smiths' performances amid sub-par effects and bland action that fails to thrill. Jaden Smith's lead turn stands out but is undercut by overly literal storytelling and a safe, unsurprising narrative about courage and leaving the nest.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/after-earth-review/)

## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael

Rating 2/5. 4 June 2013. 

The film is a soggy melodrama that fails to build dread or excitement despite its survival premise. It singles out the po-faced, un-cool performances and the shift into Disney-like territory as detracting from any potential tension.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a486327/after-earth-review-will-smith-jaden-smith-stranded-on-hostile-earth/)

## /Film — Germain Lussier

Rating 4/10. 31 May 2013. 

A Will Smith movie without charisma and a Shyamalan film without a twist, it begins with a promising idea but ends up hollow and disjointed. The father-son relationship feels forced and the film lacks the expected swagger from its creators.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/526489/after-earth-review-m-night-shyamalan-and-will-smith-fail-to-develop-a-worthwhile-story/)

## HeyUGuys — Steven Neish

Rating 2/5. 8 June 2013. 

The film fails as science fiction due to an incoherent futuristic universe and weak script and direction. It has occasional impressive set-pieces but is ultimately an ill-conceived star vehicle.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/after-earth-review/)

## Eye for Film — David Graham

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2013. 

The vanity project is a weak sci-fi fantasy ruined by woeful dialogue, po-faced performances and ridiculous gimmickry despite some appealing visuals. It is not over-the-top enough to be enjoyably bad and Shyamalan's decline continues.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews/after-earth-2013-review)

## Den of Geek — Nick Allen

Rating 1/5. 30 May 2013. 

The film is a profoundly dull and boring disappointment that fails to deliver thrills or engaging characters. It singles out the lack of tension beyond the score and the weak, unlikable performances from the Smiths as major flaws.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/after-earth-review/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2013. 

The film is a dreary vanity project that fails as both sci-fi adventure and father-son drama, with Jaden Smith's inexperience and the clunky dialogue making it a slog. The critic singles out a few stirring action moments, such as a scene with a giant bird, but notes they cannot redeem the overall mess.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/after-earth-review-parents-just-dont-understand-94446/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/after-earth.md