Battle to the Bottom: ‘After Earth’ is a Way More Painful Movie than ‘Avatar’

Debate is a main pillar of nerddom, right up there with the constant consumption of content and the perpetual ranking of it. There’s always the need to discuss your conclusions with your peers. We here at Black Nerd Problems are more than happy to navigate that space of debate for you in a new series called Battle to the Bottom. BTTB will feature two members of our staff facing off against each other to prove which product is worse than the other. This could cover movies, comic books, TV shows, whatever! Pretty much the same wide array of topics you’re used to getting from BNP on the regular. Without further adieu, here’s our introductory issue of Battle to the Bottom featuring Oz Longworth and Keith Reid-Cleveland respectively debating Avatar and After Earth, two films about humanity’s exit from Earth and the lives they live afterward. Feel free to let us know which side you’re on and which pairing we should focus on next time.

Avatar and After Earth may be equally annoying movies, but they’re absolutely on different levels when it comes to quality. Avatar, the highest grossing film of all-time has an incredibly average story veiled in some of the most captivating visual effects the world has ever seen. When you average out those two factors with the $2.788 billion it made in the box office, the final result is that it’s at least a decent effort. You can argue it’s overrated all you want. But facts is facts, my guy. After Earth on the other hand? A.k.a. The Smith’s Go to Sp…