Will Smith's 'After Earth' Takes Heat for Scientology Nods

Critics have two things to say about the new M. Night Shyamalan flick based on an idea by (and starring, of course) Will Smith:

One: You will leave refreshed from all the napping.

Two: You may or may not leave converted to Scientology (if you managed to stay awake).

Surprising? Maybe… maybe not.

The film takes place about 1,000 years after humans have left the earth that they destroyed. Papa Cypher Raige (Smith) and his son Kitai (real-life son Jaden Smith) crash-land on our planet. Cypher is seriously injured, and sends his scaredy-cat son off to recover the futuristic device that can contact their home planet.

But that’s just the main plotline. The focus seems to be getting Kitai to quit being such a baby. Cypher is known on his planet for having the ability to overcome his fear (“ghosting”). This comes in handy, as they co-exist with a race of creatures known as Ursas that detect human fear and hunt them using it.

So when the two crash, the Ursa they happened to have on-board (why? Why not!) escapes, and takes off after Kitai as he makes his way over the alien landscape.

Scientology references abound in this flick, from the big ol’ volcano highly visible (a connection to the myth of Xenu?) down to the costume Smith wears.

Most obviously is the control of fear and emotion—similar to a concept in Scientology. In the religion, “engrams” are negative or traumatic experiences encoded on our cells. A process called “auditing” teaches you to control emotion and thus take “cause over life.”

Throughout the film, we can see that theme resonate. Cypher must (remotely) teach his son to control his fear and conquer the beast feeding upon it. The moments where Cypher works on Kitai seem eerily similar to the process of auditing.

Though he and his family deny being a part of Scientology (instead Smith claims to be a “student of world religion”), they certainly have poured a lot of money into the Scientology cause. A close friend of Scientology poster-boy Tom Cruise, he also notably funds a private school in California that runs on a Scientology curriculum.

“… In all of the experiences I've had with Tom [Cruise] and Scientology, like, 98 percent of the principles are identical to the principles of the Bible,” Smith has said. “The Bible talks about your spirit being immortal, that you were created for existence beyond your physical body. Well, that's no different from Scientology!”

What would keep you from seeing “After Earth?” The snooze-factor or the Scientology under (and over) tones? Did you check out the flick already? Sound off below!