Will and Jaden Smith are lost in space in first 'After Earth' trailer

Short of a small appearance at Comic-Con and an informative promo video, we haven't seen a lot from After Earth, the upcoming sci-fi film that sees Will and Jaden Smith teaming up with M. Night Shymalan. An intriguing combination, to be sure, as the director has hooked up with perhaps the one actor who can put him back in the public's good graces.

The first trailer for After Earth has been released, and the jury may still be out on this one. Set in the distant future where the planet has been devastated and the people escaped to Nova Prime, Will Smith plays legendary General Cypher Raige, who returns home from an extended tour of duty and ready to be a father to his estranged son, Kitai. An asteroid destroys their ship, forcing a crash landing on a dangerous and unfamiliar Earth, and with Cypher dying it's up to Kitai to make the dangerous journey to signal a rescue beacon.

The opening sequence, where Cypher and Kitai attempt to survive the brutal crash, is certainly riveting, but the somber tone that follows doesn't do much to inspire a lot of excitement.  Shymalan's strength has always been in visual effects, it's his scripts that always do him in, and he certainly seems to be in top form here as it looks absolutely stunning, especially during the flying sequences. There's a certain "passing the torch" element here as Jaden is going to be the focal point more than Will. Whether he can handle that in a picture this massive remains to be seen.

After Earth opens on June 7th 2013. Check out the trailer below....