How the mighty have fallen. Will Smith who's had perhaps some of the biggest blockbusters over the years (think Men In Black, Independence Day et al), is back in this week's After Earth, but if initial reactions are anything to go by, the film is set to be a big dud.

The science fiction action film which is directed by M. Night Shyamalan (who's become critics' favourite punching bag), is set in the the near future, when an environmental cataclysm forces the human race to abandon Earth and venture beyond the Solar System in search of a new home. 

Despite being visually impressive, the film which is also produced by Smith features his son Jaden Smith, back in a starring role after the runaway success of 2010's The Karate Kid, opened to dismal reviews when it opened in the US last week.

The film currently holds 12%(!) and is 'Certified Rotten' on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 127 reviews, and at the box office too the film opened to a relatively pitiful $27 million finishing in third place, behind Fast & Furious 6, which earned $34.5 million in its second week, and Now You See Me, that opened to $28.05 million. The Wall Street Journal called the film a box office bomb, joining scifi disasters like John Carter and Battleship last year.  

What top critics said about After Earth

"Most disappointing is the film's lack of ambition, as what could have been a sparky mainstream space opera becomes just another tedious jungle chase movie..." — Tom Huddleston, Time Out.

"Prepare to cringe and snicker whenever the characters are talking, but gasp when Shyamalan just shows amazing stuff..." — Kim Newman, Empire Magazine.

"The critical problem with After Earth is that Smith Jr's whiny character has all the likeability of an anal fissure...." — SFX Magazine.

"By the standards of M. Night's Shyamalan's recent films, After Earth is surprisingly not horrible..." — David Edelsteine, New York Magazine.

View the trailer of After Earth below and don’t forget to tell us what you thought of it right here.

What audiences are saying about After Earth on Twitter: