Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Based on Hasbro's classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USSJohn Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper's fiancee; Alexander Skarsgard as Hopper's older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper's crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone's superior (and Sam's father), Admiral Shane.
Genres:War, Action/Adventure, Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Running Time:2 hours 11 minutes Release Date:May 18, 2012 MPAA Rating:PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language)
Cast And Credits
Starring:
Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker
Directed by:
Peter Berg
Produced by:
Peter Berg
You would think that after intercepting broadcasts of science-fiction movies for decades, extraterrestrials would know that if they want to conquer us Earthlings they need to take out our lovably rebellious rogues and our unexpectedly heroic nerds.
a cacophonous new special-effects extravaganza inspired (sort of) by a game youngsters once played with pencils and graph paper, have studied those old movies. You can tell because they seem to have borrowed rather a lot from them.
“Battleship,†the latest filmmaking project of the Hasbro toy company, has a plot as unambitious as a macaroni dinner, familiar and easy to eat and not particularly nutritious. It is likely to remind you variously of “Independence Day,†“Armageddon,†“War of the Worlds†and assorted other space-based yarns. Which of course means there’s never much doubt about how it will end.
The United States Navy is conducting training exercises along with allies off Hawaii when unfriendly visitors come calling in gigantic spacecraft that land in the ocean. The naval weaponry seems hopelessly inadequate to the task of defending against the invaders. But, hallelujah, a rule-breaking junior officer (Taylor Kitsch) and an admiral’s daughter (Brooklyn Decker) and several other makeshift heroes have greatness thrust upon them and eventually find ways to overcome the seemingly invincible. Even Rihanna, playing a petty officer who handles the big guns, helps out (and she’s just fine in the rather generic role).
If borrowed plots and lazily constructed characters weren’t enough, the film also indulges in shameless button-pushing, with greatest-generation homages and shout-outs to injured veterans of more recent wars. It all builds to a plot twist near the end that is improbable even for a science-fiction tale. If you find this absurd turn of events stirring, then this movie is for you. But you might instead end up giggling, which does not appear to be what the filmmakers were going for.
What does any of this have to do with the game Battleship? You remember Battleship: the sink-or-be-sunk contest involving ships on a grid, played at first on paper, then as a board game and more recently on video screens. For most of its length this film bears no resemblance to the game, but eventually a moderately ingenious way is found for the fight against the aliens to at least suggest the old you-sunk-my-battleship war of wits. It’s a nice touch in a movie that doesn’t have many of them but will make millions of dollars anyway.
You would think that after intercepting broadcasts of science-fiction movies for decades, extraterrestrials would know that if they want to conquer us Earthlings they need to take out our lovably rebellious rogues and our unexpectedly heroic nerds.
The United States Navy is conducting training exercises along with allies off Hawaii when unfriendly visitors come calling in gigantic spacecraft that land in the ocean. The naval weaponry seems hopelessly inadequate to the task of defending against the invaders. But, hallelujah, a rule-breaking junior officer (Taylor Kitsch) and an admiral’s daughter (Brooklyn Decker) and several other makeshift heroes have greatness thrust upon them and eventually find ways to overcome the seemingly invincible. Even Rihanna, playing a petty officer who handles the big guns, helps out (and she’s just fine in the rather generic role).
What does any of this have to do with the game Battleship? You remember Battleship: the sink-or-be-sunk contest involving ships on a grid, played at first on paper, then as a board game and more recently on video screens. For most of its length this film bears no resemblance to the game, but eventually a moderately ingenious way is found for the fight against the aliens to at least suggest the old you-sunk-my-battleship war of wits. It’s a nice touch in a movie that doesn’t have many of them but will make millions of dollars anyway.
