Beaks here...
The last M. Night Shyamalan movie I liked was UNBREAKABLE. Beyond that, I found a good deal to admire in LADY IN THE WATER (Chris Doyle's cinematography, James Newton Howard's score and a talented ensemble cast led by Paul Giamatti make it worth watching at least once), but wrote him off after THE HAPPENING. There was a theory that Shyamalan needed to relinquish control as a writer and simply be a director, but that notion got shot to hell with THE LAST AIRBENDER, which is one of the worst big-budget studio movies ever made.
But Hollywood loves a comeback story, and what better way to get right with audiences than to team up with Will Smith, The Most Likable Man On the Planet? Sure, Will has stumbled in the past, but when he throws himself into a big summer movie, the results are rarely disappointing. AFTER EARTH was written by Gary Whitta and polished by Stephen Gaghan, two very capable fellows. It was shot by Peter Suschitzky, David Cronenberg's go-to (and the DP on EMPIRE STRIKES BACK). And James Newton Howard did the score. All good signs. Let's just assume that the IMDb is mistaken in listing Shyamalan as one of the writers on the movie. Instead, let's watch this new AFTER EARTH trailer, which makes it look better than INCHON.
