When a movie is directed by M. Night Shyamalan you might expect a twist somewhere near the end, but a twist right there in the trailer? That's some next-level shit. The first trailer for the Will Smith-Jaden Smith collaboration After Earth has arrived online, and takes you all over this lush but deadly planet that the father and son have crash landed on before dealing the twisty blow in the end. Take a look below.
OK, so you probably could have guessed it was Earth based on the title, but it is pretty satisfying to see all these Avatar-style visuals of a strange world and be told that it's the planet we're sitting on right now. Yes, I know Shyamalan has squandered almost all the good will he earned with his early career, and that his version of The Last Airbender is still considered hate speech in some nerd circles, but it's hard not to get sucked into a glimpse at a sci-fi world on this scale. I'm also more enthusiastic than most about the star power of jade Smith, who held his own in the Karate Kid remake a few years ago, and who seems to have learned a lot from his dad about how to hold on to the screen.
The movie isn't entirely about the Smith men-- Sophie Okonedo, Zoe Kravitz and Isabelle Fuhrmann all have supporting roles-- but they'll certainly be carrying the brunt of it, and it could be fascinating to see how two Smiths might wind up being better than one. We'll find out for ourselves when After Earth comes to theaters June 7 next year.
