It would be too easy to bomb this film for the plethora of clichés, cardboard characters and lack of creativity but that would simply be a waste of good cyberspace. Instead it may be better to simply lower the summer blockbuster film bar.
Loosely based on the notable board game, this film offers more of hodgepodge of Navy crews combining forces to take on a not so friendly alien force. The aliens, called hither through a fancy satellite network, hail from a planet similar to Earth so they no doubt would like to trash it before we have the full opportunity.
The aliens land conveniently in the middle of Navy exercises so it doesn't take log for the aliens to open attack against the over matched navy. The navy troops must use their military intelligence as well as their big guns to thwart the invasion.
What would a sci-fi action film be with a lovable loser who can’t get his act together and seeks redemption? That hero would be Lieutenant Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) who eventually gets his opportunity to save mankind and kiss his sweetheart. No bad for a guy who only 24 hours before knew that his days in the Navy were numbered. But along came the aliens to “save” him.
Unfortunately the aliens could not redeem this film. Director Peter Berg (Hancock) and co-writers Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber may have watched Top Gun and Pearl Harbor too many times as they keep character development to a minimum while cashing in on big explosions and sappy patriotic dialogue. Maybe if they would have only borrowed from War of the Worlds then the film might have stood up under fire. But of course, creative team didn’t have the patience or foresight to hit the target.
Hopefully Battleship doesn’t have a Monopoly on summer films. After all cinema is just a Game of Life filled with Chutes and Ladders. This film simply gets caught in a Mousetrap. G4 you sunk my battleship!
