Summary

  • The After series movies have been both successful and controversial, with strong differences in opinions between audiences and critics.
  • The fifth movie, After Everything, breaks the formula by focusing on Hardin's point of view and delving into his backstory, providing a better understanding of his character.
  • The first movie, After, sets up an intense relationship between Tessa and Hardin, but lacks strong drama and character development, with the chemistry between the leads being the standout element.

The After movie series has grown quickly, with five movies being released in just as many years, but the After series movies aren't all that consistent. Based on Anna Todd's novel series of the same name, the After movies follow the tumultuous relationship of studious Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) and rebellious Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). The two young lovers must endure opposition from friends, diverting lives, and endless familial drama. Despite their attraction, their relationship is full of problems; Tessa struggles to trust Hardin, while Hardin has trouble reforming his own belligerence.

The After series movies have been so successful that a fifth movie (After Everything) about Tessa and Hardin's relationship was released despite there only being four books about the same era. However, audiences and critics have strongly different opinions on the After series. Despite poor reviews, audiences have continued to enjoy Tessa and Hardin’s story — the first film, After, received a Teen Choice Award in 2019. There's a lot of disparity concerning the After movie series, which provokes the question: which of the After series movies are the best, and which are the worst?

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The After franchise has become really popular, but with all of the characters constantly changing, it can be confusing to remember who’s who.

5 After Ever Happy (2022)

Tessa and Hardin smiling at each other in After Ever Happy

While the straight-laced Tessa falling in love with the rebellious Hardin was the original movie's appeal, it got stale by the third movie, and the fourth in the series doubles down on that. After Ever Happy continues exactly the same formula, as Hardin acts like a bad boy once again, even though he seemingly learned the error of his ways in the previous film. While After Ever Happy breaks the formula by ending with the two characters breaking up, even that plot twist had already been done in the first of the After series movies. After Ever Happy is the worst of the After movies because it doesn't take the formula the movies have established and give the audience anything new. However, the film's heartbreaking ending still has some impact given that there are four films worth of history between them. The movie makes for one of the starkest contrasts between critics and fans though. The movie has a 0% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (from only six reviews), but a 92% from audience members.

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4 After We Fell (2021)

R

Director
Castille Landon
Cast
Rob Estes , Mira Sorvino , Chance Perdomo , Louise Lombard , Josephine Langford , Carter Jenkins , Arielle Kebbel , Kiana Madeira , Hero Fiennes Tiffin , Frances Turner
Runtime
98 minutes

The series’ third installment, After We Fell, has neither a coherent nor compelling plot. For the majority of the runtime, a single issue persists: Hardin is enraged by Tessa’s decision to move to Seattle for her new job. While the couple deals with Hardin’s anger issues, a handful of disjointed story threads occur: they meet Tessa’s long-lost father, Hardin’s mother gets remarried, and, in an unfounded twist, Hardin discovers who his real father is. After We Fell's cast and characters are misused; Tessa especially lacks any kind of purpose in the movie, while Hardin has lost the humility he learned over the previous two films. This chapter of the After stories simply tries to do too much in a compressed time period and it results in the movie in which the characters get the least depth.

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3 After Everything (2023)

The fifth of the After movies is After Everything, and it breaks the formula just a bit. The movie provides the audience with Hardin's point of view entirely. It focuses on the time period after he and Tessa go their separate ways because she feels betrayed by him using their romance as the story for his debut novel. With Hardin having spent all the movies in the After series going back and forth as a bad boy who just can't help himself and a sympathetic love interest, this movie gives the audience a better window into his head. It makes it appear that Hardin genuinely is trying to be a better person, expands more on his backstory before meeting Tessa, and is also set in the gorgeous Portugal for the bulk of the movie. The middle of the movie where Hardin reconnects with a woman from his past that he wronged, is where the movie really works. The ending is slightly rushed, but it's still a better After movie than the third and fourth installments.

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Related
Where Was After Everything Filmed?
After Everything is the fifth installment in the After franchise, and it continues Tessa and Hardin's love story. Where was the movie filmed?

2 After (2019)

Tessa and Hardin sitting in a garden together in After
PG-13

Director
Jenny Gage
Cast
Peter Gallagher , Josephine Langford , Khadijha Red Thunder , Pia Mia , Jennifer Beals , Swen Temmel , Meadow Williams , Samuel Larsen , Hero Fiennes Tiffin , Shane Paul McGhie , Inanna Sarkis , Dylan Arnold , Rebecca Lee Robertson , Selma Blair , José Alfredo Fernandez
Runtime
106minutes

For the beginning of such an intense relationship, After is relatively unremarkable. While After changes book elements for the better, it lacks strong drama. The film’s opening act is solid, establishing Tessa as a sheltered woman whose attraction to Hardin goes against her base principles. Unfortunately, the rest of the film fails to provide any particular appeal. While the chemistry between Tessa and Hardin grows significantly by the end, both characters remain fairly undeveloped. The film's climactic twist falls short of its intended impact; by keeping the dare that started their relationship a secret, the build-up to their break-up is weakened. However, Langford’s performance shines as After's sole spark.

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A prequel to the After movies focusing on Hardin's life before Tessa, and a sequel to the movies focusing on the next generation, are both in development.

1 After We Collided (2020)

Trevor and Tessa in an elevator with small smiles in After We Collided

After We Collided sees Dylan Sprouse in a refreshingly straight-laced role as he's introduced as a potential love interest for Tessa. This sequel takes place one month after the first film’s break-up, and After We Collided makes for the best After movie. Tessa excels at her internship at a publishing company, while Hardin punishes himself for his deceit. The pair reunite, and Hardin confronts his past trauma that stunts their compatibility. The movie switches up the format, becoming a scandalous romantic comedy. After We Collided has an enjoyable, though confused, mix of extreme drama and light laughs. Though the plot is badly paced and falls apart at the climax, the film provides an engaging look into a wild romance and is by far the best After series movie.

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