Battleship (DVD)

Marketed as a film adaptation of the 1970s game from Hasbro, Battleship is a typical sci-fi movie portraying alien invasion and combat with human beings. Produced by Universal Picture and directed by Peter Berg, the film will suit anyone who enjoys earthshaking action, thrilling gun shooting and incredible special effects. The dialogue is crisp and doesn’t get lost in technical mumbo jumbo as it could have.

The story begins with NASA announcing they are to start sending messages of goodwill and friendship to the newly discovered ‘Goldilocks’ planet to see if there are any signs of life. While this is happening, we meet Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), a troubled young man with no real prospects, celebrating his birthday with his naval officer brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgard). In an attempt to impress a woman named Samantha (Brooklyn Decker), Alex makes her a promise which leads to some comical events and his arrest. Stone reads his younger brother the riot act and tells Alex his is to join him in the Navy.

After the opening credits have ran, the storyline shifts to show Alex as a Lieutenant on a naval destroyer. The girl, Samantha, happens to be the daughter of Fleet Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson). They want to get married but the Admiral loathes Alex for being an under-achiever. After getting into a confrontation with a Japanese officer, Alex learns that the Navy is tired of his antics and plan to kick him out when he returns from their current training exercise.

Meanwhile, aliens prepare their response to NASA’s greetings with overwhelming force and launch an attack on various Pacific Ocean targets. The naval exercise soon turns into a mission to save humankind from alien storm troopers. When the senior officer aboard USS ‘John Paul Jones’ dies, Alex is forced to step up to Commanding Officer, and him, and the rest of the crew, take on the aliens.

The aliens are aggressive and naughty, although they do seem to avoid collateral damage as much as possible. They also try to rescue their own soldiers taken prisoner, something not often seen in sci-fi films. Other than that, they are ‘standard issue’; ugly, hostile, technologically advanced in some fields but limited in others, and abysmally, galatically stupid! This, however, turns out to be an asset and allows the old USS Battleship ‘Missouri’ to engage with the alien flagship.

Without giving too much of the rest of the plot away, the display of weaponry is quite impressive. 5-inch guns and 20mm Phalanx CIWS (Close-in Weapon System), ‘Harpoon’ missiles and 324mm torpedoes of American and Japanese destroyers are used generously. And once ‘Missouri’ joins the action with her 16-inch big guns, things get even better!

Rihanna makes her acting debut as Petty Officer Cora Raikes, a weapon specialist and crew member on board USS ‘John Paul Jones’, serving under Alex Hopper. She receives a lot of screen time and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised at her acting and depiction of her character. Special mention also needs to go to Colonel Gregory Gadson, an Army veteran who plays Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Mick Canales, a double amputee who has given up on himself, but finds the strength to defend America one last time. Gadson, who lost both his legs above the knee while serving in Iraq, was offered the role by Peter Berg. Despite being a professional soldier, not an actor, Gadson brings a real depth to this character.

On the whole, I found Battleship to be a rather successful, entertaining film, with lots of good special effects, plenty of fights, a rather inane scenario, quite a lot of humour, and at least one very touch moment. An excellent, varied soundtrack, ranging from Henry Mancini to AC/DC, accompanies quality actors playing likable characters. It is full of good clean fun, and has none of the bone chilling gore of some movies in this genre. Imagine Independence Day with naval combat, and you will get a rough idea of what you will see in Battleship.