Not Another Alien Movie

This is what happens when ET's great-grandchildren respond to a series of irresistible transmissions from NASA, promoting Earth as a "Goldilocks" planet in another galaxy and decide to invade and take over.

Alien invasions

In recent years, film-goers have been entertained with alien invasions like War Of The Worlds, Predator, Mars Attack, Independence Day and District 9, where the threat has been less obvious than the spate of films that bombarded the world during the 50s: Plan 9 From Outer Space, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Invasion Of The Saucer Men, and It Came From Outer Space.

Alien invasion remains a trendy menace and, with Battleship, the filmmakers stop at nothing to provide a spectacular feast of CGI wizardry and visual effects, brought to life by a pair of movie magicians from the renowned ranks of the award-winning Industrial Light & Magic - Pablo Helman (War Of The Worlds, Star Wars: Episode II-Attack Of The Clones) and Grady Cofer (There Will Be Blood, Star Trek); inspired production design by Neil Spisak (Hancock, Spider-Man); and awesome special effects were mastered by Academy Award winner Burt Dalton (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Star Trek).

Visual extravaganza

At the heart of this visual extravaganza lies the story of two brothers, with studly Taylor Kitsch (John Carter) as a naval weapons officer and Alexander Skarsgard (Straw Dogs, True Blood) as commanding officer of USS Sampson. To spice up the eye candy, there is also a love story between Kitch and Brooklyn Decker (Just Go With It), who plays his fiancée and a physical therapist. Unfortunately, the human element is completely blown out of the water by the invasion and battle for survival, and torpedoed by one-dimensional characters.

Director Peter Berg, who previously directed Hancock, The Kingdom and Very Bad Things, infuses the action with a sense of humour.

Inspired by Hasbro's classic naval-combat game, Battleship plays the game fair, loud and totally over the top. It definitely delivers what it promises and, at a running time of over two hours, be prepared for a hard core visceral onslaught that never lets go.

If you are looking for entertainment in which explosions and incredible effects rule, then Battleship is your type of film. You won't be disappointed.

Rating 3/5

Behind the scenes

When filmmaker Peter Berg signed on to develop and to helm Battleship for Universal Pictures and Hasbro, he was conducting early research for another film about the US Navy, a lifelong passion of his. Hasbro president and CEO Brian Goldner and top company movie executive Bennett Schneir were keen to partner with the director, who had not only brought spectacle to the juggernaut Hancock and action and drama to Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom, but also harboured a deep passion for all things nautical since boyhood. Goldner shared: "Pete has such a love for these ships, the history of the navy and being out at sea. We knew it would come across on the big screen."

The action adventure represents the culmination of a lifelong dream for the director, who often toured naval museums with his father. Berg said: "Battleship is a passion of mine because, as a kid, I spent so much time on ships, absorbing detailed histories about the great battles of WWII from my father. When this fell into my lap, it didn't take me long to find a take for the film-a contemporary story of an international fleet engaged in a very dynamic, violent and intense fight that's chock-full of action-packed sea battles with big hardware and conflict. You can go anywhere in the world and say "Battleship", and people will know it. In today's market, that's a big plus for turning a brand into a film."

Read more at www.writingstudio.co.za/page4040.html