Will Smith & Son in ‘After Earth’ Trailer

UK Release Date: 7th June 2013

Stars: M. Night Shyamalan (director), Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Isabelle Fuhrman, Zoe Kravitz

Plot: After a crash landing, a father and son explore a planet that was evacuated by humans 1,000 years earlier.

After Earth is the latest film looking to cash in on the ‘end of the world’ feeling as we head towards the mythical end of the world predicted by the Mayan calendar. This follows Tom Cruise’s Oblivion which featured last week; I wasn’t really intrigued by Oblivion‘s trailer and I have to say I am even less intrigued by After Earth.

When was the last time Will Smith actually starred in a really good film? I think you have to go all the way back to 2006 for The Pursuit of Happyness. That means that it will be seven years since a good film by the time After Earth is released; a gap made all the more worse by the fact Smith is trying his damnedest to force his son upon us. As for M. Night Shyamalan, yes his career started promisingly but after The Happening and The Last Airbender his career has become the butt of many jokes.

The trailer for After Earth offers us nothing new, except for the idea that human’s evacuated 1000 years ago and now every animal on the planet (which has somehow survived whatever humankind felt the need to flee from) has evolved to try and kill any humans that come back. There are some great shots of lovely visual treats but as far as story goes, I’m not sure After Earth will pull up any trees. Expect a huge box office though being as though it’s Will Smith.

Jackie Chan to Quit Action Films?

Jackie Chan has announced that his upcoming film Chinese Zodiac will be his last outing as an action star and will concentrate on the acting side of his career rather than the action part of it.

Jackie Chan has made so many memorable action films in his career. Since starting as a stuntman alongside his idol Bruce Lee, Chan has come a long way, starring in films such as Armor of God, Police Story and of course the hilariously entertaining Rush Hour trilogy. Jackie Chan has appeared in over 100 films, albeit most of them made and released in his home continent of Asia but despite that if you mention his name to anyone they will more than likely know who he is.

But the action films come to a halt this year as Jackie Chan has decided that he is too old to continue doing his own stunts at the ripe old age of 58. He now wants to be seen a more serious actor, but what will the future of his career hold?

Jackie Chan has made the odd appearance in animated films voicing Monkey in hit film Kung Fu Panda and its sequel. He has also appeared in comedies such as The Spy Next Door and Shanghai Noon. However, at Cannes film festival Chan is quoted as saying “I want the audience to know also I’m not only a comedian. I can act. Day by day, year by year, I’m going to show you the real Jackie Chan” which hints at more serious roles in future.

I saw Jackie Chan in the recent remake of The Karate Kid alongside Jaden Smith as Mr. Han, the role of teacher. This was a role that didn’t include many fight scenes for the veteran martial arts star and instead focussed on an emotional performance from Chan, something relatively different to what his many fans are used to seeing. Although many people tipped Chan for an Oscar nomination for this performance I think that this was a little over the top but it was a fantastic dramatic performance from him nevertheless.

This may be a great loss to the action genre and martial arts fans everywhere but Jackie Chan has done the right thing, in my opinion, in order to further progress his career as a film star.

 

Here’s a short clip of Jackie showing off some of those moves that made him a household name worldwide: