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Now, I have no doubt that the volcano may have been there because of the Scientology of Will Smith, but to say that volcanoes play a key image in the film is ludicrous. Granted there is one, but it’s incidental and the story and film could easily not have had it and it would have made no difference to the story and plot. And I have to say that the story is simply a decent story regardless of the Scientology references.Īlso, again I have to ask, did Nathan see the film? Volcanoes do not play a key role in the film. But I did not catch them during the film, not knowing anything about Scientology. Okay, look, the movie may well be filled with Scientology references - after doing a bit of research this morning coming from not really knowing anything about Scientology, I does seem in hindsight like the references are there. Volcanoes also play a key image in the movie, and are also central to the teachings of Scientology. The main conflict is about the two conquering their fear, a message heavy in the Scientology text Dianetics. The movie is about a father and son who crash on Earth 1,000 years after civilization collapsed, forcing humans to leave the planet. It was even beaten at the box office by Now You See Me, a movie about teleporting, bank-robbing magicians.Īllow me to break in here and say, what?!? Teleporting bank-robbing magicians? Did Nathan Francis even see the film? They may have just been trying to get a laugh but I’m not laughing, that’s the stupidest sentence I’ve read all week and I’ve read some doozies! Believe me.Īfter Earth is filed with Scientology references, critics say. The sci-fi film starring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith was one of the biggest bombs in recent memory, pulling in only $27 million the first weekend. Well, not really blame blame, but Susman cites the Bieb’s inability to turn out viewers with a tweet as proof of the pop-star’s waning influence.After Earth is heavy with Scientology themes, critics say, adding more ammunition against what is already the summer’s biggest box office flop. Moviegoers mostly agreed, giving Earth a dismal ‘B’ CinemaScore evaluation.īlame it on nepotism ( Brooks Barnes at the New York Times) There’s a wide perception that the father-and-son project turned the movie, in which the Times also sees shades of Scientology, into something of a “vanity project.” With the Smiths père et fils giving joint interviews-like this insightfully bizarre cover story from New York magazine-it wouldn’t have been hard for the movie to gain a negative association with family weirdness and privilege rather than family-movie fun.īlame Bieber ( Gary Susman at Moviefone) Blame Bieber. Volcanoes The erupting volcano on the cover of Hubbard’s Dianetics is not there by accident, as volcanoes play a major role in one of the central myths of Scientology. (Smith came up with the concept and brought it to Shyamalan.)īlame it on a less-than-successful collaboration ( Nikki Finke at Deadline) Smith and Shyamalan just weren’t a good match, an insider tells Deadline.īlame it on critics and audiences ( Rotten Tomatoes) The movie’s just no good, according to the review-aggregation site: with more than 100 reviews counted, it has a ghastly 12% positive rating. Similar to After Earth’s biosuits are devices called electropsychometers, or E-meters, which Scientology leaders use to monitor the followers being audited. The sci-fi film starring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith was one of the biggest bombs in recent memory, pulling in only 27 million the first weekend. Which translated into extra hurt for After Earth, a movie for which he served as both star and idea-generator. After Earth is heavy with Scientology themes, critics say, adding more ammunition against what is already the summer’s biggest box office flop. Vary at BuzzFeed) Smith’s decision to follow 2008’s Seven Pounds with a prolonged absence from movie-making - returning to movies with last summer’s Men in Black 3 – may hurt his brand. But if Shyamalan is at fault, there maybe hope for the movie: his The Last Airbender – perceived as a flop -actually did reasonably well, thanks to strong showings in foreign markets.īlame Will Smith ( Adam B.
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Night Shyamalan ( Richard Corliss at TIME) Long past coasting on the success of Sixth Sense (way back in 1999), movies like Lady in the Water and The Happening were critical and commercial misfires. So what went wrong? Here are six theories from a variety of Monday-morning pundits:īlame director M. ( MORE: Richard Corliss’s review of After Earth) Although Will Smith has a long history of bringing audiences to the theaters, his future-dystopic After Earth-in which he co-stars with his son Jaden-made a mere $27 million in its first weekend in theaters, landing it in third place, behind Fast & Furious 6 (now in its second week atop the rankings) and surprise contender Now You See Me. Follow Richard Corliss recounts in this weekend’s box-office report, it has not been a great couple of days for the Smith family.