Sunday 15 April 2012

Battleship



The trailer for Battleship did not shy away from the impression that it was essentially Transformers at sea. I went to the cinema fully expecting this but the fact that Battleship was directed by Peter Berg meant that perhaps, just perhaps, there may be more to the film that the trailer implied.

PLOT: After jobless deadbeat Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is arrested for stealing a chicken burrito to impress a girl he is forced into the Navy by his older brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgard). Coincidentally Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson) happens to be the girl’s father.
Meanwhile NASA is attempting to contact an earth like planet millions of miles away. The aliens answer the call right in the middle of the US Navy’s annual war games event just off the coast of Hawaii.
With the Navy cut off Hopper must lead his crew in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the invaders. There are explosions. There are clichés. There is the disappointment that no one utters the line “We’re going to need a bigger boat”. END PLOT
 
The script, the action, the cast; everything about Battleship is by the book and from that point of view it does nothing wrong. The problem is I have read this particular book several times and I am ready for something new.

Although Battleship turned out to be exactly as predicted the biggest disappointment has to be Peter Berg. Berg directed Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom; two films that I absolutely love.  It is very frustrating to discover that a decent director has made such a generic film.

After watching the trailer people will automatically know whether or not Battleship is a film for them – just be warned there are absolutely no hidden surprises. If there is an award for the most by the numbers film of 2012 Battleship would win it. It gets 4/10.

8 comments:

  1. oh my. Now I'm more than sure enough, I won't watch this one :)

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    1. If you had doubts then I would skip it - I couldn't recommend it to you.

      Thanks for reading!

      K :-)

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  2. The game frustrated me to no end. I think I may pass on the movie.

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    1. Playing the game would probably provide more drama and excitement!

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  3. Every alien invasion movie I've seen in the last 2 years was completely disappointing - yet, I continue to waste my money for all this rubbish. I'm gonna watch Battleship tomorrow, although I already know that I'll probably regret it :-)

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    1. I hope Battleship proves you wrong but I doubt it will!

      Looking forward to hearing your thoughts

      Thanks for reading as always

      K :-)

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  4. I'm staying far far away from this one. If they wanted to make another Transformers, make another on and call it as such, unless Liam Neeson says "You sank my Battleship!" it's a pointless endevour!

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    1. He didn't say it - there was a distinct lack of cheesy puns which only added to the disappointment.

      Battleship will be studied in years to come as a step by step guide to make a generic action film!!

      The action will probably hold up better on the big screen so it might be worth a look if there is nothing else out

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