3. Pacing
Throughout the rather uneventful narrative, Kitai is beset time and again by random animals. From scene to scene, Kitai has various run-ins with such furry critters before continuing on his journey. Some sequences display a friendship developed between man and beast whereas others are comprised of Kitai running or dodging numerous CGI entities. Each bout of bravery Kitai undergoes is written as an effort to mature him; that he might blossom into a man capable of besting the Ursa when their inevitable duel arrives. Again, I pick-up what M. Night was going for, but the execution herein is simply flaccid. Where Predator managed a similar story with grisly aplomb utilizing a single foe and location, After Earth can't do with a plethora of enemies and numerous set-pieces at its disposal. For all of its computer-generated scenarios of action and conflict, it all just feels hollow, forced and beside the point. Put it this way, if Predator had followed Dutch fighting snakes, tigers, bears, and diving eagles instead of a cunning alien bent on skull-collection, would you have watched it? Just as he did with Will Smith, M. Night stows the acid-spitting antagonist away until the last five minutes of the film, expecting that "subtle" hints and images of its possible location will be enough to satiate viewers. Well, go figure, it's not. It only serves to make the film that much more dull and uninspired.