In 1976, I was born and there were no African American stars in action or science-fiction movies. "Superman", "Dune," and "Tron" were among my favorite films. These movies featured heroes with superpowers, superintelligence, and who had to dig deep in order to overcome difficult situations. The stars of these films were all Caucasian men, and none looked like me. In fact, there wasn't a single Black person in any of the futuristic movies! Richard Pryor said it so well: white people did not expect us to be there in the future.

There is no doubt that most action, fantasy, and science fiction films contain ancient mythological and magical elements. Titans, gods and goddesses are all common characters, but they almost never appear in movies directed or written by Blacks or with an entirely Black cast.

We have a limited selection of Black films to choose from. There are comedies and action comedies. Then there is "Jesus Will Fix It," and the "Hot Ghetto Mess Drama" (often not of the best kind). Last but not least, we have "Catharsis Dramas" which deal with profound suffering, abuse, and how characters were able to carry on despite their trauma and victimization. Few Black writers create films with a mythological or magical theme, or explore science fiction or fantasy.

Writers and directors who are skilled can use archetypal and symbolic elements from ancient mythological tales, folklore and fairytales to add depth and subtlety to their stories. These elements are often used in such a way that the general public is unable to recognize them, but to a trained eye they are easily recognizable.

To use these story elements effectively, it is necessary to study classical literature, mythology of the world and symbols. Many African American filmmakers are unwilling to study these subjects, as they often lack in plots and storylines in Black cinema.

Will Smith and Gary Whitta wrote the screenplay for "After Earth", which is a story written by M. Night Shyamalan. It's a story that Black Entertainment hasn't heard in a long, long time.

Some critics don't like this movie because they understand what Mr. Smith wants to achieve with this kind of movie. Smith's audience is hesitant to endorse this film for two reasons. First, they're not used to watching African Americans in these types roles (although they'll pay top dollar to see Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Keanu Reaves perform these roles repeatedly). Second, they're not familiar with the themes of this movie because they're used to only seeing White and Asian actors or actresses play these roles.

The myths, legends and traditions of Africans, as well as other indigenous cultures have been demonized by religion and western culture. We shun these fantastical and magical images of ourselves, such that we are demigods, heroes and sorcerers.

Why "After Earth", , is worth watching

Here I'll outline the various elements that make "After Earth" a movie that is worth watching again and again. If you are a father looking for something to show your sons that can help you start a meaningful conversation about growing up and rites-of-passage, this is the movie you should watch.

!! !SPOILER ALERT!! ! - By discussing the plot and storyline of this film, we will reveal some parts of the real story. Stop reading now if you do not want to ruin the movie for you before you have seen it. Come back to this article after you have seen it.

Initiation

We'll start by examining the theme of initiation, which runs through "After Earth".

In indigenous tribes, initiation was very important because it was the system that was used to guide and educate young boys and girls through childhood and into adulthood with all of the rites and duties of adulthood.

Training

Initiation begins with training and education, and the film opens with the main character in his class at the military academy. Readers should be aware that military cadets undergo a process of training designed to transform them from civilians into soldiers. This system was adapted from ancient indigenous cultures in Africa and has been passed on to other cultures around the world.

The training involves both physical and mental exercises and tests that are designed to help initiates/cadets gain control of their bodies, emotions and minds.

At this point, we see that Kitai is a young boy with impressive physical skills, but he is also lacking in emotional and psychological control. He will have to face these issues later in the film.

Here is a summary of the initiatory steps taken by ancients as portrayed in "After Earth".

Trek through nature in solitude with a mission to complete

FEAR (Initiate versus Nature, Beasts and Self)

The initiate must overcome and face several challenges in order to achieve their goal (manhood).

Endurance (breathing linked to inhalers).

The initiator must ration and protect limited supplies (food, water, medicine).

Handling confrontations with potential danger

Kitai's first encounter with danger, the monkeys, was a spectacular failure! His father told him to control his Power and see what he created. Kitai was unable to control his anxiety and fear, and created a situation where he put his life in danger. This forced him to run from the confrontation that he had created. This is normal during initiation. In order to fully understand the dangers of recklessness and unchecked fears, it is necessary for the initiate to fail.

The same scenario was played out in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when Yoda sent Luke into the "Cave of Darkness". Luke brought FEAR with him into the cave and was confronted in the form his father, Darth Vader. This Vader was created by Luke's fears.


Steps to the Path

Face a medical emergency: poisoning from river leach. Self-administration of anti-venom.

Find thermal heat vents to keep warm in cold weather.

To do the right thing, you must be willing to rebel against authority or "The System".

Leap of Faith: Jumping from a cliff, hoping that his bold act will lead him to his destination.


Surviving predators - Raptors or Hawks representing Heru*

Fighting for the life of the baby hawks from the attacks of feline predators.

Divine Aid – Initiate is forced to his physical limit and transcends, allowing him to contact the spirit world. He is then able make peace with his sister who has passed and receives the help and protection of the hawk as his spirit totem.

Kitai locates the beacon but it doesn't send a signal. In anger and frustration, he hears his Father's spiritual voice telling him to lower his physical nature to listen to his "spiritual" nature. His father then tells that he must climb higher to send the beacon signal to the heavens.

The "Ursa monster" is a symbol of the fear that an initiate must overcome. The "Ursa", or Bear, is another term for the young teenagers of some tribes who had to face and overcome their fear in order to become men.

The initiate must enter the Cave of Darkness/Fear. Here, the monster is revealed to the initiate.

The initiate is thrown into the abyss, and must die. This is usually not a physical death, but rather the death of a boy's childishness and the birthing of a man. Here, fear, doubt, and disbelief are killed, and a man, a warrior, can be born. To force a mental and emotional change, the initiate is placed in mortal danger.

The initiate, upon reaching the top of the mountain, is able overcome his fear and destroy the monster. He can also send out a beacon to the heavens in order to be rescued and return to the heavenly home.

The initiate can return home after completing the task and save his father who is symbolically in the underworld, or in a deep sleep of the soul from which the only way to awaken him was through the sacrifice of his son. **

Archetypes

Archetypes are also used by the makers of "After Earth," to tell their story. The Concise Dictionary defines an "archetype as a primordial image, character or pattern of circumstances which recurs in literature and is thought to be universal." The term was adopted by literary critics from Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of collective unconscious. Archetypes are thought to be a product of pre-logical thinking, and they can evoke similar emotions in both the reader and the author. Archetypal symbols are the vulture, eagle and whale. The archetypal theme of the passage from childhood to adulthood is reflected in archetypal characters such as the blood brother or sister, the rebel, the wise grandmother, the prostitute, etc.

The "Father" is a wise and valiant character, but he's fundamentally estranged from his son because of a perceived weakness in the Son. The Son has deeply let down his Father, which has led to emotional and physical separation.

In movies 123movie
, the archetype "Son/Sun", the son follows in his father's footsteps while trying to make his mark. He loves his father but resents him for not living up to his expectations or achievements. In order to earn his respect and love, he wants to be just like him and even surpass him. The Son's ultimate responsibility is to redeem or save the Father. This makes him a worthy replacement and gives him the right to be a father in his own rights.

Below are the steps taken by the Father and Son archetype in "After Earth".

Son on the search for Father

Father judges Son as a failure if he fails to reach a goal. This is not said in After Earth, but it is implied. In some stories, the Father will tell the Son that he's a failure.

Father and son embark on a journey to try to mend their rift. This is the mask used to begin the initiatory journey.

Father and Son are both in a disaster that only they can survive. The Father is severely injured and must rely on his Son to save him.

Father does not trust Son's mental or physical abilities and demands that he obey his rules and commands.

The Father sends the Son out alone to face the elements, enemies and dangers with "spiritual direction" from the Son. The spiritual guidance of Father in After Earth is represented by a com-link, which keeps them in constant voice communication. Also, there are cameras or "All Seeing Eyes", which the Father uses to monitor his Son and watch for danger.

Son VS. Father - When the Father shows a lack in faith that his Son can achieve his goals, the Son begins to doubt his father's authority. Kitai's decision to disobey his father directly is the most important moment in the film. It is important to remember that when an authority becomes oppressive or wrong, the hero must disobey it in order to bring justice.

Son disobeys father and is cut off, cast out or cast down. The act of being cut off from the Father, or cast out of heaven is a symbol of being removed from the Father. This was demonstrated literally when Kitai jumped off a waterfall to disobey his Father's command that he go home. The communication link between Kitai and his father was broken by this event, leaving him alone at a crucial stage of his mission or initiation.

Son Forced to Facing Enemy Alone (FEAR) - In the film, fear is represented by Ursa. This is a monster which tracks its enemies using pheromones that are released when the prey is scared. This creature can smell your fear. The Ursa Beast in the film represents the fear that the Son must overcome to be able to master himself.

Son Redeems Father (SAVES), Returns Home as a Man, Understanding and Becoming Father.

The Heru Mythos

Heru is the basis of every hero story that you've ever read, or seen on screen. Heru is an ancient African god or Neter, which means a force or aspect of nature. He was the model for all good kings. His exploits can be found in "The Passion of Osiris" (Ausar) and "A Tale of Two Brothers". These stories come to us from ancient Kemet (now called Egypt).

In the myth, Set's jealous brother betrays and murders Heru's father Ausar (Osiris). Ausar is raised as the spiritual leader of the afterlife or underworld. Ausar is made to sit perpetually on a throne as a ruler and pass judgment on the recently deceased. [This is illustrated symbolically by Kitai’s Father Cipher being stuck inside the ship's chair and using the cameras (spiritual eye) and the communication. Link (spiritual communications) is used to guide and watch over Kitai.

The throne motif was important because it was previewed in After Earth when the soldier in a wheelchair approached the General and Son. The soldier approached the General and said that the General saved his life. He asked his companions to "stand up" or, in Biblical terms "make upright" him so that he can salute his hero. The theme was repeated when the General asked his son to "stand up" so he could give a proper salute to his hero (savior).

Heru's mythology is that after his father Ausar was murdered (Osiris), and his brother took over the kingdom, Heru is given the task of putting his rightful ruler on the throne. Mother Auset is the one to do this. Heru must undergo years of training, under the tutelage of his mother Auset, his aunt Nebhet and the diminutive Bes, who is the Neter for childbirth, happiness, and war. Bes is the one who teaches Heru how to be a fighter. Yoda was the trainer of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movie.

Heru's symbol was the Hawk. The hawk was usually depicted as having wings, and a mask or head that resembled a hawk. In the film After Earth, we can see the Hero's relationship with the Hawk during the "Leap of Faith", where Kitai is chased down by the Hawk and carried to her nest as food for her chicks. Kitai wakes up while being nibbled by the chicks. He then discovers that the nest of the hawk is under attack from feline predators who are intent on eating chicks.

Kitai helps to protect the nest, but is unable to stop the predators from destroying all the babies.

The hawk screams in rage at the loss of her chicks and follows Kitai through the air. This may seem threatening, but later we learn that she has formed a bond with Kitai, and later, drags him into safety, and uses her body heat to protect him from the cold. Kitai is clearly a symbol of Kitai’s mythic connection to Heru, the Neter*** who was the original sky-walker.

Heru would, with his mother's help, conquer the land of Kemet, Egypt, and redeem his father Ausar (Osirus) after many battles and adventures.

The story of Ausar and Heru has been told many times and in different variations. Names, characters, and circumstances can change but the core of the tale remains the same. The Son is obligated to succeed his father as ruler of EARTH or the land, but only after he has proved himself worthy. You can now see that After Earth is a movie with a lot of depth.

Other mythological and archetypal symbols that are used in the film After Earth I wasn't able to mention, such as the Mother being the "Queen Of Heaven" or the Sister acting as "Spiritual Guardian" of her brother. The story of After Earth is masterfully told. This movie has all the elements of a good story. I look forward to seeing more movies like this from Will Smith, his crew and other Black filmmakers.

Glossary of Terms

Heru, also known as Horus was a ancient Kemetic Deity (Deity), of the Sun and Sky. His symbol was a hawk. Heru is often shown with a hawk's head and a human body.

The Ausarian (Osiris), myth of Ausar on a throne, providing spiritual guidance from the spirit realm to Heru.

Neter is an aspect of nature, or divine nature. Neter is also translated as God or Goddess.