Not that I can blame them, but audiences just can't get enough of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Fast & Furious 6 made $34.5 million in its second weekend of release, keeping the new releases from ranking in the top spot. Magic film Now You See Me came in second with $28 million, besting Will Smith's highly publicized sci-fi movie, After Earth, which took in $27 million. Star Trek Into Darkness and Epic tied for fourth and fifth place, each earning $16.4 million.
Real-life father and son Will and Jaden Smith hit the big screen this weekend as father and son in the futuristic film After Earth. Is the movie worth seeing if you're not a Smith fan or a sci-fi nut? Watch our video review now to find out if you should watch, pass, or rent this release.
Planning on going to the movies this weekend? If you're in the mood for a futuristic action flick, go with After Earth, starring Will and Jaden Smith. If a combination of magic and crime is your thing, check out Now You See Me, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco. Take a look at all the pictures of both and let us know which you'll be seeing!
Will Smith and son Jaden team up for After Earth, a formulaic sci-fi film infused with some tender father-son moments. Though loaded with impressive special effects, the main draw to the film is seeing both Smiths on screen together, but that time is limited. Commander Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from a mission to find that his ambitious son Kitai (Jaden Smith) has become withdrawn, frustrated that he's failed to earn a spot in their planet's soldier forces. Struggling to find common ground, the stoic Cypher invites Kitai on a routine training trip, but when their ship crash-lands on Earth, they must depend on each other (as the only survivors) to get back home. It's a little too convenient a premise, but that's only one of the film's elements that lacks originality.
So, what's wrong with Earth? It's been 1,000 years since the human race was forced to abandon the planet, which had begun deteriorating due to extreme pollution. Now, everything from the animals to the plants to the weather has adapted to kill humans. With Cypher wounded, Kitai must travel alone to retrieve a rescue beacon, but the video-game-like obstacles that stack up in his path are way too contrived to be taken seriously. Examples: he must carefully moderate his specialized oxygen capsules, the ground freezes at night, so he needs to make it to certain hot spots before nightfall, and, oh right, there's a monster on the loose that can literally smell fear. These are all the elements of a successful action movie, yet the film lacks heart and feels more like the introduction to a series (a sequel is already rumored to be in the works) rather than a stand-alone film. To find out more of what I thought of After Earth, just read more.
Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith's After Earth premiere was a family affair in NYC last night. The father-son duo had the support of their loved ones Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Trey Smith for the star-studded debut. Along with having his siblings and parents, Jaden's rumored girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, also hit the red carpet, as did 50 Cent, Bruce Willis and his wife, Emma Heming, Spike Lee, and even astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Jaden's pal Justin Bieber skipped the red carpet, preferring instead to make a low-key entrance directly into the Zeigfeld Theater. Will and Jaden's futuristic film hits the big screen tomorrow — find out if you should rush to theaters to see the Smiths after checking out our After Earth review.
While Jaden's close with Kylie Jenner and her Kardashian relatives, his dad, Will, doesn't appear to be a fan of Kim and company. When asked about the parallels between the Kardashians and the Smiths, Will said the families deal with the limelight differently. He commented, "We are trying to put great things into the world, we're trying to have fun, and we're trying to become the greatest versions of ourselves in the process of doing things we love. So the idea of fame or exploitation or orchestrating the media is sometimes even less than desirable for us."
When a good idea strikes in Hollywood, everyone wants some of the action. Case in point: two of this year's big action films, Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down, are built on nearly identical premises. Fairy tales, natural disasters, and the wondrous hidden world of insects have also provided fodder for movies with unfortunately coinciding release dates. Let's take a look back at some of the more memorable twin movies!
At 14, Jaden Smith has already made two feature films with his father, Will Smith, and recently I sat down with the young actor to discuss their latest, After Earth. Jaden dished on his favorite part about working with his dad — "he's like a big, black Yoda" — and the actress he'd love to work with. Take a look before the movie hits theaters on May 31!
Will and Jaden Smith team up in the futuristic sci-fi film After Earth, and we recently got the chance to talk shop with Smith Sr. The self-proclaimed "gregarious" star told me about the challenges of playing a seriously injured character for nearly an entire movie, being an onscreen father (again!) to his real-life son, and why he almost had to learn Chinese for the role. Take a look before the film comes out on May 31!
Will Smith and son Jaden are back together playing father and son in the postapocalyptic thriller After Earth. Though we'd been introduced to crash survivors Cypher (Will Smith) and Kitai (Jaden Smith) in the teaser for After Earth, this new trailer provides a lot more of the background. Cypher is a ranger — a member of the elite special forces — and Kitai is in training when their mission crash-lands on Earth. Humans have long since abandoned the planet, which now houses creatures that have adapted to kill humans. Cypher must teach Kitai not to feel fear, as the creatures can sense the pheromones.
After Earth comes from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, and since it's been a while since the filmmaker has blown away audiences with a good twist, I've got my fingers crossed that he's got some tricks up his sleeve. I'm also really looking forward to seeing the Smiths together on screen again (seven years after The Pursuit of Happyness), and what we'll be encountering on this altered planet. The movie is set for a June 7 release, and you can watch the trailer after the jump.
If you didn't get your postapocalyptic fix for the week from the Oblivion trailer, perhaps this first preview for M. Night Shyamalan's After Earth will do the trick. This one's a father-and-son story, starring real-life father and son Will Smith and Jaden Smith. The two are left to fend for themselves when their spaceship crash-lands onto a mostly deserted planet Earth, which has been human-free for a thousand years.
There are two things that really caught my attention in this trailer: the first is Will Smith's strange, vaguely Southern accent that we hear as he narrates over the imagery of a lush, jungle-like version of our planet. The second is how much Jaden Smith has grown up. The adorable kid from The Pursuit of Happyness is a full-fledged teenager now, and I'm looking forward to seeing if he's inherited his father's action-star capabilities. We'll have to wait until next Summer to find out, but until then, check out the preview when you read more
