Top 10 Tallest Buildings In The World (as of April 2020)

It has been quite some years since I last made a check on the list of tallest buildings in the world. When I researched on this topic again recently, I was quite shocked to see many new buildings popping out in the top 10 list. I do periodically write a post on this topic once in a few years and I think it’s time now to write another one for the updating purpose.

Now, each of the present top 10 tallest buildings in the world is at least half a kilometre tall. That’s 500 metres. About a decade ago, a skyscraper is sure to join top 10 list when it reaches beyond 400 metres mark. Now, that is no longer possible. Once the tallest building in the world, Taipei 101 is now at the very last spot in the top 10 standing. Burj Khalifa still maintains the title of the world’s tallest building (also world’s tallest man-made structure) for a decade since 2010 when it is first completed. 9 out of 10 skyscrapers in the top 10 list are in Asia. Well, that is not surprising as many countries in this continent observe huge growth and high demand for construction of tall buildings especially China.

Here’s the current top 10 tallest buildings in the world (information correct as of April 2020, information comes with building’s name, city, country, height, number of floors, and year of completion). Do be reminded that this official list is obtained from the international governing body in worldwide tall buildings called ‘Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’ (CTBUH). This list does not include telecommunication or observation towers, antennas, masts, non-habitable structures and buildings which are still under construction. Only completed buildings are qualified to the list.

10 – Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan (508 metres, 101 floors, 2004)

9 – CITIC Tower, Beijing, China (528 metres, 109 floors, 2018)

8 – Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin, China (530 metres, 97 floors, 2019)

7 – Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China (530 metres, 111 floors, 2016)

6 – One World Trade Center, New York City, USA (541 metres, 94 floors, 2014)

5 – Lotte World Tower, Seoul, South Korea (555 metres, 123 floors, 2017)

4 – Ping An Finance Center, Shenzhen, China (599 metres, 115 floors, 2017)

3 – Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (601 metres, 120 floors, 2012)

2 – Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China (632 metres, 128 floors, 2015)

1 – Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE (828 metres, 163 floors, 2010)

My country’s famous Petronas Twin Towers which are once the tallest buildings in the world too are now at 17th place. That’s quite far behind. Nevertheless, they are still the current tallest twin buildings in the world, at 452 metres tall each. Soon, we will see a skyscraper in Malaysia to appear again in the top 10 list with the expected completion of Merdeka PNB118 Tower next year (2021). The tower, located in Kuala Lumpur will be 644 metres tall with 118 floors when completed. It will be ranked 2nd tallest in the world, just behind Burj Khalifa. As of today, the core of the tower has reached 112nd floor.

Seeing Burj Khalifa holding the record for more than a decade now, I’m starting to hope that some day soon, another taller tower will take the title from it. Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower will be that tower possibly. The 167-floors Jeddah Tower will be 1000 metres tall (that’s 1 km!) and is currently under construction. However, there seems to be little to no progress to its construction in the last few years due to financial reason. There is no estimated completion date for this massive megatall and its fate is still uncertain for now.

(Images in this post are from various online sources. Buildings’ information is from CTBUH as highlighted earlier)

Top 10 Tallest Buildings in the World (as of April 2017)

The two cities that witness the birth of skyscrapers are Chicago and New York City in United States. That was over a hundred years ago after the introduction of steel framed construction and passenger elevator that enables buildings to be built much taller. Now in 2017, only one building in United States that is placed within the top 10 tallest buildings in the world currently. The other 9 are generally all located in Asia. Here below is the current top 10 tallest buildings in the world as of April 2017. The list only includes completed buildings and does not include television towers, observation towers, masts, antennas or buildings with very little percentage of habitable floors.

1. Burj Khalifa, 828 metres, 163 floors, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (completed in 2010).

2. Shanghai Tower, 632 metres, 128 floors, Shanghai, China (completed in 2015).

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower, 601 metres, 120 floors, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (completed in 2012).

4. Ping An Finance Center, 599 metres, 115 floors, Shenzhen, China (completed in 2017).

5. Lotte World Tower, 555 metres, 123 floors, Seoul, South Korea (completed in 2017).

6. One World Trade Center, 541 metres, 104 floors, New York City, United States (completed in 2014).

7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, 530 metres, 111 floors, Guangzhou, China (completed in 2016).

8. Taipei 101, 508 metres, 101 floors, Taipei, Taiwan (completed in 2004).

9. Shanghai World Financial Center, 492 metres, 101 floors, Shanghai, China (completed in 2008).

10. International Commerce Centre, 484 metres, 108 floors, Hong Kong, China (completed in 2010).

This list will change drastically from year to year due to rapid increase of construction of supertall skyscrapers in the world in recent decade. More and more new buildings are reaching further to the sky. Out of the current top 10 tallest buildings in the world, half of them are in China (this doesn’t even include Taipei 101 in Taiwan). 8 of them soar above 500 metres in height respectively too. Also noted is that every buildings in this top 10 tallest list has over 100 floors respectively. The tallest in the world, Burj Khalifa has been on the top of the list for over 7 years now. By 2020, it is expected to be defeated by Kingdom Tower, a skyscraper currently under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That tower is projected to soar above 1000 metres (1 km!) when completed in 2020.

The oldest supertall in this list is Taipei 101 which is only 13 years old by now as it is built in 2004. More and more new buildings are joining the list with two newcomers this year; Ping An Finance Center and Lotte World Tower at No.4 and No.5 placing respectively. Former world’s tallest buildings and still the current world’s tallest twin buildings, the Petronas Twin Towers are kicked out of the top 10 list this year as they are now placed at No.11 (and 12) with height of 452 metres. Too bad…my home coutry’s famous twin towers are now out of the ranking. Anyway, in few years to come, Malaysia will have another new supertall; PNB 118 Tower that will certainly join this top 10 list with a height of over 600 metres.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

Earth Hour 2017 today!

I have been keeping myself 24 hours a day in my room concentrating on reading plenty of online articles and websites on the topic for my dissertation proposal. I have a Part 1 submission on Monday and hopefully I will get it done by tomorrow. It’s been tiring for my eyes to read lines by lines in those articles the whole day. Actually, I have been doing this for the past few days as well to the point that I have neglected my design studio unfortunately.

Time goes by unbelievably fast. A month of the semester is already over. I felt as though we have just started the semester. Now, about a quarter of it is gone. More and more submission deadlines are coming in and that makes a stressful time out of my life. What to do…that’s the life of an architecture student. Now, I can’t wait for the two weeks of break somewhere on mid of April. That would be a great time for me to catch up on my assignments while still having the time to chill and relax.

On the other hand, I almost forget that today is the Earth Hour event. Started 10 years ago in 2007 at Sydney, Australia, this event of switching off non-essential lights for one hour from 8.30pm to 9.30pm (local time) has becomes a worldwide phenomena ever since. Well, it doesn’t play much role on saving the Earth but the event at least has the potential and impact of raising awareness among the general public on the importance to take care of this lovely planet. But since I’m doing my assignment just now during that one hour, I couldn’t bother but to continue on my work without switching off any lights at all. Unfortunately, this event is also getting lesser and lesser attention on each passing year.

I noticed there are a number of cool movies coming out this month and I don’t have the time and opportunity to watch them unfortunately. They are ‘Power Rangers’ movie (the original series made up part of my childhood entertainment), ‘Life’ (movie about an extraterrestrial invading the outer space station), ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (a live-action remake of the animated classic starring one of my favourite actresses, Emma Watson), The Boss Baby (an animated comedy that looks promising from its trailer), etc. How nice it is if I have a few days to be totally free and watch all of them, and the spare time will be spent wandering around in the city too. I also wish to visit Fremantle. Since coming back to Perth last month, I have not been to Fremantle yet. But now, I couldn’t get my mind off from those assignments! Damn…what a stressful life.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

 

 

It’s Earth Hour 2015 tonight. Do your part. It’s just a simple action, but a strong symbol of unity and determination to love and care for our planet, Earth.

On this evening, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, …..you should know what is going to happen in that one hour, right? I hope I don’t need to remind you again. It’s the annual Earth Hour event. I don’t want to say anything more, as all that matters now is a prayer of blessing to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, and also to the victims on board the recent Flight 4U 9525 that crashed onto French Alps, and a simple action of switching off non-essential lights for an hour tonight from 8.30 to 9.30 pm (your local time) in support of this positive Earth Hour movement globally. It’s a very effective action to create awareness among people to love the Earth and a symbol for us to do more than just the one hour to care for the planet. We stand united in support of Earth Hour 2015. Will you?

Official video of Earth Hour 2015 below:

 

What you can do in this one hour of darkness tonight? I can suggest many; getting outdoor to enjoy the night sky of stars (I’m sure you must not have done that for a long time), light a candle or two, avoid from surfing internet or playing your phone or computer, enjoy the time with your family or friends, or simplest of all, just have a nice rest you deserved! After the one hour, with lights all turned on back (if necessary), it’s time to think and act further than that. For me, I have to work very hard to reduce my habit of throwing many rubbish every day. Should practice 3R; reduce, reuse and recycle. What about you?

In Malaysia, many shopping malls, public spaces, restaurants, cafes, and iconic landmarks will switch off lights tonight in support of the event including the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower. I believed my country started participating in this global movement in the early years when Earth Hour campaign started to spread internationally. And I’m glad we support it since then and never stop. But I do hope that more Malaysians will do so, as I find that there are many of us who are not even aware of the existence of this campaign yet. What a surprise! We should actually do something to promote this great event further to all Malaysians, and if possible, to every corner of the world.

Tonight, I will be out for my usual family dinner and so there would be no one at home. So, lights off. Even if you are at home tonight from 8.30 to 9.30pm, try to be in the house with lights off too. Assume that there is a blackout, or just be in the darkness for a while. Your simple action is already very much appreciated. On behalf of Earth Hour’s campaign, I said thanks to you first if you are willing to support.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

Fascinated with Google Map’s Street View…now available in Malaysia.

It has come to our attention today that the ‘Street View’ feature in Google Map is finally available for Malaysia. This feature which allows us to see a place/location in street level is introduced quite some time ago in US, and then slowly expanding to include other countries across the world too. This is a significant added feature in the Google Map/Earth programme which is first created for us to see places only in aerial view (can only see the plans). Now, things look surprisingly cool and real..thanks to the ‘Street View’.

In these recent months, you may have noticed strange-looking car or vehicle (Google camera car) wondering around in our local streets. Yup…those cars were recording the images. And now, it is finally available online in Google Map. The visuals are quite clear too, except when they had to purposely blurred out the people faces, car plate numbers, etc for privacy reason. My colleagues were all discussing about it today as we were quite excited of this new feature. The first place we looked into is our office. Then, we moved on to check out street views of some sites of our office’s projects. That is cool. Now, we don’t even need to go to the place to take images. We can just search it in Google Map in ‘Street View’ feature and see its panoramic images.

Very beneficial especially when some of our project sites are in other states, particularly Johor. If this feature is not available, then we have to travel few hours to Johor just to take some site images. Now, it can be done in few minutes time. But the images shown were actually dated back at least several months ago. Anyway, it’s still considered quite updated. Everyone is happy with this feature but some raised privacy and security concern. Even my house is shown in the ‘street view’ eventhough it is located way deep inside a huge neighbourhood. Quite surprised to actually get to see it.

Of course I wouldn’t post that street view image of my house here due to privacy reason. But wait…I’m going to spend the night playing around with this cool feature. And here are some of the amazing street-view images I saw of KL just now in Google Map.

 

 

If you have nothing to do, try out this street view feature which is only introduced in Malaysia by late of September. Looks fun and very beneficial. You can see your home, your school, your frequently-visited streets or shops, your favourite places, some destinations you wished to go but haven’t had the chance yet, etc.

 

10 Most Impressive Engineering Projects of All Time.

Humans have been proven to be great builders. From early ancient or prehistoric structures to modern impressive marvels these days, art of construction in mankind had been existed for over thousands of years. We have been aspired to build longer tunnels, taller towers, stronger walls or crazier structures since early civilizations. Recently, the Master in Civil Engineering of Norwich University, USA had compiled a list of top ten engineering marvels of all time. I have checked on that list and I’m interested to share this information with you all here. Before revealing the list, what’s your guess on structures that would be most likely listed? Roll down below and check how many you have got it right!

Click on the image for larger version so that you can read those written interesting facts too:

 

That’s an interesting visual presentation by Norwich University. Out of the 10 above, the ones that I’m most fascinated with are Great Pyramids of Giza, Great Wall of China, and English Channel Tunnel. The former two are also in the official list of Seven Wonders of the World while I personally had visited the latter two. Since advanced technology and innovative architecture have been very common in the present, many breakthrough engineering projects are made possible with lesser limitations these days. Hence, many in this top 10 list are still reserved for ancient or older structures (harder to build those crazy structures back in those days).

And stop saying that pyramids are built by aliens. Those conspiracy and all that…Why we couldn’t just appreciate and acknowledge the intelligence and the ultimate hardship by the builders constructing those structures back in the ancient times? Stop saying this or that was impossible back in those days. Everything has its solution and that is the reason why humans are now excelling further on building countless over-the-top structures!

(Original source: http://www.archdaily.com/517395/the-ten-most-impressive-engineering-projects-of-all-time/)

 

 

Top 10 World’s Tallest Buildings (Update – 2014)

It has been quite some time (few years I guess) since I last compiled a list of the top ten tallest buildings in the world. As a reminder, this list does not includes TV towers (like CN Tower, Tokyo Sky Tree, Oriental Pearl Tower, etc), antennas, masts or other non-habitable structures. I think it’s time now for me to update the list as of year 2014 as I observed that there are two new skyscrapers set to be completed this year (and had already topped out now) which would be eligible to join this prestigious ranking by now. Without wasting any more time, here I reveal to you the latest official list of world’s top ten tallest buildings as of year 2014:

1. Burj Khalifa, 828 metres, 163 floors, Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

2. Shanghai Tower, 632 metres, 121 floors, Shanghai (China).

3. Makkah Royal Clock Hotel Tower, 601 metres, 120 floors, Mecca (Saudi Arabia).

4. One World Trade Center, 541 metres, 104 floors, New York City (United States of America).

 

5. Taipei 101, 508 metres, 101 floors, Taipei (Taiwan).

6. Shanghai World Financial Center, 492 metres, 101 floors, Shanghai (China).

7. International Commerce Center, 484 metres, 108 floors, Hong Kong (China).

8 & 9. Petronas Twin Towers, 452 metres, 88 floors, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

10. Nanjing Greenland Financial Complex / Zifeng Tower, 450 metres, 89 floors, Nanjing (China).

A quick analysis or I shall say, 10 interesting facts to share from the list:

• 9 out of 10 buildings in the list are in Asia, while 4 of them are in China alone.
• One World Trade Center is the only one in the list from USA, a country that first observed the race to compete for the world’s tallest titles in history of building construction, before the momentum switched to Asia from late 1990s onwards.
• By now, only buildings exceeding 450 metres in height will be placed to the top 10 list.
• With only 2 metres higher than the minimum height of 450m as mentioned earlier, Petronas Twin Towers which are both once the tallest buildings in the world will be out of the list by next year. However, both would remain as the record holder of world’s tallest twin buildings for many years to come as there isn’t any taller planned or proposed twin buildings development.
• Burj Khalifa maintains its position as the tallest in the world. It is also the current world’s tallest man-made structure of any kind. It has been taking the title for over 5 years by now, and is expected to remain so for another five years or more.
• 5 buildings in the list exceeded 500 metres in height. That’s half a kilometre.
• In the list, Petronas Twin Towers have the lowest number of floors (88). Same goes to Zifeng Tower (89). The towers still reached amazing height of over 450 metres due to high floor-to-floor level and also the crowning architectural pinnacles that are counted in official building’s height measurement.
• Willis Tower (previously named as Sears Tower) has a total height of 527 metres including the antenna on top of the building, but it doesn’t count into the official measurement. Hence, its official height is only at 442 metres. That made it out of the top ten list. The building was once the world’s tallest building too, but now placed at No.11.
• Shanghai Tower and One World Trade Center are the two new skyscrapers joining the list this year onwards. They have topped out earlier, and their constructions are expected to complete by this year.
• Extra facts: There are now about 20 buildings in the world that are over 400 metres in height respectively. That’s an amazing feat.

(Information and images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

Malaysia’s Seven Wonders of Eco-Tourism.

Today is the World Environment Day. June 5 is a day marked with similar objective to annual Earth Day celebration or Earth Hour event; to create awareness on our need to protect the planet and its environment through all means. Due to this World Environment Day, there is an interesting article from The Star Online which features Malaysia’s own Seven Wonders of Eco-Tourism (or simply the country’s seven wonders of nature) that I would like to share it here. Original source of the article: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/06/05/Environment-7-wonders-of-Malaysian-ecotourism/.

Mulu Caves National Park, Sarawak.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Miri that encompasses caves and limestone karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The national park has world’s largest known natural chamber – Sarawak Chamber, found in Gua Nasib Bagus, which is 700m long, 396m wide and at least 70m high. It has been said that the chamber is so big that it could accomodate about 40 Boeing 747 planes without overlapping their wings. The nearby Deer Cave is one of the largest single cave passages in the world. Other notable caves in the region include Benarat Cavern, Cave of the Winds, and Clearwater Cave, the 8th longest cave in the world and also believed to be the largest cave in the world by volume. When evening falls, a sight to behold is the millions of bats – 12 species in all – departing the caves in great swarms, an event fondly known as the Bat Exodus.

Penang National Park, Teluk Bahang.

Despite only measuring about 29.6 sq km and is one of the world’s smallest national parks, Penang National Park stood out for boasting one of the most unique biodiversity in Malaysia. It features five different habitat types; Hill / Lowland Dipterocarp Forest, Mangrove Forest, sandy beach, unique seasonal meromictic lake, and the open coastal sea. Famous attractions include mangrove swamp in Teluk Tukun, Monkey Beach, and the meromictic lake in Pantai Kerachut. There in the lake, one of only three in Asia, salt water and fresh water do not mix, resulting in different coloured layers that host vastly different and interesting environments.

Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Selangor.

Just 30 minutes away from the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur, this huge forest area at Kepong is declared a national natural heritage for its wealth of flora and fauna. It is a vast tropical rainforest that is protected and preserved by FRIM, an agency responsible in promoting sustainable management and optimal use of forest resources by generating knowledge and technology through research, development, and application in tropical forestry. It has a Canopy Walkway that offers amazing view of the forest as well of KL.

Royal Belum State Park, Perak.

This state park is located within the Belum-Temenggor Rainforest Reserve Area. Said to be over 130 million years old, this vast virgin jungle, relatively untouched by human exploration, is even older than the great Amazon and Congo rainforests. It hosts 10 hornbill species and over 3,000 species of flowering plants – even the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia – and serves as a natural habitat for 14 of the world’s most threatened mammals, including the Malayan Tiger, white-handed gibbon, Asiatic elephant, Malaysian sunbear, Malayan tapir and the Sumatran Rhinoceros. Within the park lies Temenggor Lake, a man-made lake used for water catchment and is Peninsular Malaysia’s second largest lake.

Taman Negara, Pahang & Kelantan & Terengganu.

Taman Negara has a total area of 4343 sq km, and is believed to be the world’s oldest tropical rainforest as it is estimated to be over 130 million years old. The national park is home to some very rare mammals like Malayan tiger, crab-eating macaque, Sumatran rhinoceros, Malayan Gaur as well as rare bird species like Great Argus, Red Junglefowl and Malayan peacock-pheasant. There are more than 300 species of fish in the park’s many rivers, including the famed Ikan Kelah or Malaysian Mahseer (a type of game fish). Also located in the park is Gunung Tahan, the highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia.

Cameron Highlands, Pahang.

Cameron Highlands is one of Malaysia’s most extensive hill stations. It has the size of Singapore. Developed in the 1930s, it is one of the oldest tourist spots in the country. Apart from its tea estates, the place is also noted for its cold weather, orchards, farmlands, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife, mossy forest, golf course, hotels, museums and Orang Asli (aborigines). Grab some strawberries, tomatoes and tea, and bought some cactus plants back home before you leave.

Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu.

Located on north west of Peninsular Malaysia, it comprises of two main islands; Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil. Both islands are fringed by white sand beach, and the reefs and crystalline water are host to a wide variety of coral, sea-turtles, jellyfish, small sharks and reef-fish. The crystalline clear water and the beautiful coral reefs are enough to name this place as a tropical paradise. It is also home to Turtle Bay, a site dedicated on homing green and hawksbill sea turtles nesting population.

Out of the list above, I have visited FRIM and Cameron Highlands. These two places aren’t that unique or spectacular for me. The one that I wish to visit the most is the Mulu Caves National Park. And I find it surprising that Mount Kinabalu National Park, Redang Island, Sipadan Island (to name a few) are not mentioned in the list (pictures of these places in order below). Nevermind, I will include them as honorable mentions.

 

Couldn’t believe that my country do has a lot to offer not only from its built environment (Petronas Twin Towers, Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Genting Highlands Resort, Petaling Street, etc) but also from its beauty in nature as highlighted here. Wonderful. Looking for places with fascinating natural wonders? No need to go out of the country. You can simply save your time and money and just travel within the country to explore the majestic beauty of nature here in Malaysia. Sometimes it’s good enough to be just having ‘Cuti-cuti Malaysia’.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

 

Let us be part of the Earth Hour 2014 tonight.

Today is the last Saturday of the month of March. And that means the time of the year comes again for us to switch off non-essential lights tonight from 8.30pm to 9.30pm (for an hour) in support of Earth Hour. If you still didn’t know, Earth Hour is a global movement organized by World Wide Fund of Nature (WWF) first started as only a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia back in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

The movement now entered its 8th year with increasing cooperation, unity and efforts worldwide in showing commitment to our beloved planet Earth. As usual, many famous landmarks across the globe will turn off lights tonight including Sydney Opera House, Taipei 101, Burj Khalifa, Eiffel Tower, Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica, Niagara Falls, Hagia Sophia, Beijing National Stadium, etc. While in my country, Malaysia, Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower, City Hall Building, Sultan Abdul Samad Building and along with many other places will be in the dark tonight too. But I still find the efforts here in Malaysia are still not enough.

From 8.30 to 9.30pm tonight, I would be having my dinner outside. There would be no one in the house and all the lights would be off. Hence, I consider I have done my part in support of this wonderful programme. What’s extra that I could do now is to spread the message out and invite others to join me on this movement (have did it now by writing this post). Turning off lights for an hour remains a symbol, which shall lead to us being more aware of the need to love and protect our planet. Hence, we have to act beyond that particular one hour.

This is the first year that Earth Hour has a superhero as its ambassador. Spiderman is the one, and Andrew Garfield together with the other casts of ‘The Amazing Spider-man 2’ movie (scheduled to be released soon this year) will be at Singapore to take part in an event to switch off the lights of Marina Bay Sands tonight. Will there be another superhero turning up as the movement’s ambassador next year and who would it be? Superman? Batman? Iron Man? So, superhero is on board, and it tells us to use our own power too in support of Earth Hour.

Let us be part of this Earth Hour 2014 movement. Remember, 8.30pm to 9.30pm tonight (local time) on 29th March 2014.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

Movie review: After Earth (2013)

When ‘After Earth’ is released to theatres worldwide few months ago, my sister did suggest this movie to watch that time but then I turned it down after looking at how bad it is reviewed by the critics. But then, there are also a small group of reviewers who find this movie quite enjoyable too and then my sister who had watched it later also said that it’s not bad. Hence, I had to watch it to know where do I stand. And my position is over at the minority. ‘After Earth’ tells the story of a crash landing that leaves Kitai and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, a millennium after events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help.

This science fiction action adventure film is not on par with something that ‘Avatar’ delivered, but it still had its own decent storytelling. I think the story in this ‘After Earth’ runs quite well and properly developed here rather than concentrating too much on just a plain adventure. It’s not messed up as what most people think. It deals with technology (it sets far in the future), it deals with survival in the threatening environment (sets for a perfect and challenging action), and it also involves traumatized father-and-son relationship for a solid and elaborated plot to keep us watching. I didn’t find anything wrong from the story development. But then, I find the scene in the beginning at the spaceship quite awkward for no clear reason.

Perhaps, the major problem here is the cast. Will Smith is a good actor. However, the limit of his character (more like a supporting role since it is his son that did the adventure) here put him to a situation to be ignored. Hence, all eyes are now on his son, Jaden Smith whom is no doubt an inexperienced actor yet. People don’t need to blame him for his poor acting in the film. He is still young and he tried his best. It is a mistake to let him take over 100% of the movie screen time of which he is incapable of. However, I try to focus more on the adventure and action rather than on acting. Hence, I am not really that offended by his acting here. I prefer him to try on supporting roles first in future films. It is not easy to be the one person to carry the whole story forward. And his failure on it is what brought this movie to misery to the critics. I’m still okay.

‘After Earth’ offers awesome visuals. Great and quite realistic looking CGI. The movie also delivers with some exciting adventure eventhough I am hoping for more. Out of 10 points, I rate ‘After Earth’ a total of 6.3. A mark much higher than what most movie reviewers given out there. I take it lightly and so I actually find this movie quite entertaining, enjoyable and successfully helped me to relax on a night after stressful and tiring work.  Trust me; it’s really not that bad. Perhaps, some people may be consumed by how bad M. Night Shyamalan (movie’s director) performed on his previous movie like ‘The Last Airbender’. Don’t mix that up with this. ‘After Earth’ is better. Last but not least, I also find a quote from this movie quite interesting and meaningful; ‘danger is real, but fear is a choice’.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)