Battleship: Go Navy! Sink Aliens!

Director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Very Bad Things..oh and Hancock L) reunites with Taylor Kitsch to do the unthinkable: make a movie loosely based on a Hasbro^® game actually watchable.  While the film has some bizarre moments and marches up to the precipice of acceptability more than once, it tows the line fairly well, making Battleship thoroughly watchable, and frankly, surprisingly enjoyable.

Premise: A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with alien spacecraft in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals. Result: A relatively fun ride despite a few bumps in the road.

The film begins sometime in our recent past (2005 to be precise) where NASA has discovered Earth-like Planets in distant Solar Systems (known as Goldilocks Planets).  Developing a deep-space satellite capable of sending signals to these planets, and in particular one known as G, NASA sends the signal, and waits.  Six years later, they have their answer as 5 unidentified objects fly through space, lurching towards Earth.  Most make it intact, but one piece later known as a Communications ship, hits an orbiting satellite and veers off course, leveling a large swath of Hong Kong.

Of course, aliens aren’t the only plot-points afoot: it seems Alex Hopper and his Naval Officer Brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgård) are on a collision course of their own: this one with destiny (you’re welcome.)  In a past event, Berg helps us understand future events (as clichéd as they might appear to be); Alex is a loser despite having an acutely high intellect and the looks of a scruffy super model (p.s. I hate you) and Stone isn’t gonna take it anymore.  After an ill-fated, drunken attempt to impress Sam (Brooklyn Decker) that involves a hilarious convenience store break-in scene, Stone eventually convinces Alex to join the Navy and get his life back together.

Cut to our aforementioned extinction-level event, as Alex is in the Navy, on his Brother’s ship, almost-engaged to Sam (there’s this pesky asking her Father, Admiral Shane <Liam Neeson> for her hand in marriage thing), and just so happens to be in the vicinity of the falling UFOs. Of course, there is another backstory where, after a final screw up involving a fight with a Japanese Captain Nagata (Tadanobu Asano), he is on the brink of certain expulsion.  Ok, let’s take a breath.

The ensuing events are adroitly handled by Berg and his cast.  The transition from the mystery of the invaders to all-out battle manages to seem almost realistic; despite a few “seen-this-before” moments, the concept here is different enough to make the story interesting. These key characters, as well as a strong second string in Raikes (Rihanna), Cal (Hamish Linklater), Lynch (John Tui), and Ord (Jesse Plemons), make the excitement palpable and at appropriate times, the comedy memorable.

The overall plot is actually quite complex, essentially placing the fate of the world in the hands of communications.  It appears that the accidental destruction of one of the intruding ships has actually prevented communications with their home world and so, at least in the short term, re-establishing communications is their prime objective.

It is here where the story splits into two distinct films: first, the straight-forward film that has action and intrigue and second, confusing, mysterious film that teeters on the brink of utter confoundment.  The first film, as we will call it, is the split attempts between Stone and his destroyer crew as well as Sam and her rag-tag band of scientists and rehabilitated soldiers.  This is actually quite fun, exhilarating moment after moment that not only engages the audiences but also magically manages to work in the Hasbro^® game in a way that is actually interesting (rather than agonizingly contrived.)

Then there is the second film that sprinkles in confusing events and promptly fails to explain them.  First, a significant portion of the premise rests on who can see what.  The entire “game” sequence relies on the idea that neither side could see the other; really, why is that?  I understand why the Destroyer can’t see anything – the radar has been scrambled; but why can’t the aliens?  Despite having literally extraterrestrial capabilities, they can’t see at night?

There is another time where Sam literally drives through an alien camp and all the creatures just stand around and stare, somehow incapable of stopping…the car.  And when the car stops itself, none seem to be around.  True, many scramble to rebuild the communications network, but even hillbillies know you need to kill the bull before you clean up the China shop.

Further, there is an entire scene with a supposedly captured alien that appears to have some mind-meld moment with Hopper.   But why does this happen?  We wait and wait, but this entire scene goes nowhere other than to keep anticipation alive only to end in disappointment.

Ultimately, however, Battleship is a prime example of the Sufficiency Principle at work in cinema.  Berg and his scriptmasters do enough in this film to keep us distracted, interested, intrigued, and exhilarated to overlook these plot hole smatterings.  The overall vibe of the film is fun and intriguing and make us focus on the enjoyment, rather than the mistakes which speaks to the relative skill Berg uses to helm this ship (you’re welcome.)

The acting as a whole is actually quite strong, moving the plot forward and helping to feed the above principle.  Kitsch shows remarkable emotional range and somehow manages to seem both brilliant and bumbling simultaneously, keeping the character real.  Decker is also believable and effective in her role as girlfriend and in-the-clutch superwoman.

Linklater and Plemons are quite hysterical, and in the film’s greatest surprise, Rihanna actually demonstrates some acting talent; although it is not entirely clear what character she is trying to be, we like it, it works, and all without a microphone, song, dance number or umbrella. Skarsgård and Neeson are passable in the film, mainly due to rather dull roles allotted to them; the good news here, however, is the roles aren’t really important to the script to begin with.

Overall, Battleship is a surprising treat. Ironically, for a film that touted itself as the next Transformers, Battleship is actually worth watching (while both Berg and Bay start with Bs, the similarities end there.) Despite a few off moments, Battleship does enough to keep us entertained; it is essential that audiences stay through the closing credits to get a special scene that casts some light on what may happen in future films.  The good news: we may actually want to watch those.

Rating: 7- A refreshing Champagne that a cute bartender comp’d you!