Ominous and lonely,
James Newton Howard's original score for
After Earth evokes all of the tension of the M. Night Shyamalan film. Set 1,000 years after the human race is forced to abandoned its home planet, the movie is a man-vs.-nature story taken to the extreme, as every living thing on the planet has evolved in the absence of man to become deadlier. The score does a fine job of setting the tone for the film, underscoring the unease of racing against time while battling the wilds of a planet that seems to be working against you in every conceivable way and helping to get the viewer on board with the urgency of the protagonists. While fans of the film will enjoy being able to return to the musical thrills of the film,
After Earth's score is intense enough that it can be enjoyed even by those unfamiliar with the source material. ~ Gregory Heaney